Jr NTR film Jai Lava Kusa is probably the biggest Telugu release after Baahubali 2 The Conclusion this year. The film is impressive and deserves a watch, says our review. By Srivatsan: Jai Lava Kusa is one of the biggest Telugu releases this year. Will Jr NTR-starrer Jai Lava Kusa be able to live up to the hype? Here is our Jai Lava Kusa movie review. At its heart, Jai Lava Kusa is about the conflict between the triplets in titular roles. Yes, we've had films that followed a similar premise. And you know that the triplets would reunite as the story progresses. But the reunion is not something melodramatic like MGR-starrer Naalai Namathe. It's quite interestingly done here. advertisement Jai Lava Kusa is yet another star vehicle that begins on a rather high note. The triplets are part of a theatre group that performs the mythological story of Lava and Kusa. Lava and Kusa (played by Jr NTR) essay the titular characters, while we see Jai (also Jr NTR) rehearsing for Rama's role. Of course, Jai cannot be accommodated into the Lava-Kusa story, can he? Later, when he's asked to deliver a popular dialogue, he stammers halfway through, which, in turn, becomes his vulnerability. So much so, that his mere presence becomes non-existent. Just look at how KS Ravindra builds the plot. A woman narrates the story of Ramayana and says, "It's built after Ravana's insult." To which, Jai says, "Insult? Then Ravana is not wrong." His adulation for the mythological superhero makes him no different. There's literally a scene where Jai plays a Rakshas, who dies at the hands of Lava and Kusa. For what looked like a must-have subtext initially, it retains its consistency even in the climax. Jai Lava Kusa, itself, seems to be modelled on Ramayana that keeps you entertained for the most part. Especially the first 15 minutes or so. It also has a problematic scene with a child subjected to physical violence and handling a gun. But in the context of Indian masala films, it's a 'mass' moment that's inevitable. Kusa, a conman, plots a plan to settle down abroad. A hilarious stretch comes when Kusa gets conned by a rival gang on the night PM Narendra Modi makes his iconic announcement on demonetisation. On the other hand, Lava Kumar is a bank manager, who's in love with Priya (Raashi Khanna), who runs a matrimonial website. As you may have guessed it, the brothers meet, in a road accident. And the first half is pretty much about Lava and Kusa, and some generic writing. Some of the scenes also remind us of a yesteryear Telugu film Indrudu Chandrudu. Ravindra throws several surprises at the audience, throughout the film. For instance, the back shot of a woman in a half-saree is not the heroine introduction scene. Lava Kumar rushes to meet a gorgeous woman, who isn't his girlfriend, but a marriage broker. A seemingly innocent bride inadvertently dances to Pakka Local song, emulating Kajal Aggarwal. These aren't effective bits of Jai Lava Kusa, as they make the narrative falter. advertisement But you wait for Jai. You could say that Ravindra wanted you to wait for Jai's introduction, and that in itself is an achievement. That, however, happens right before the interval. An abrasive Jai is unabashed about his physical strength. Which is perhaps why you might enjoy the dialogue where he says, "To kill that Ravana, you had to cross the ocean. But to kill this Ravana, you need an ocean of courage." Who would have thought that a duffer like Jai would eventually be the villain in Lava-Kusa's story? If you're ready to overlook the severely boring romantic tracks, weakly-written emotional scenes, and an item song featuring Tamannaah doing belly dance, Jai Lava Kusa is still a good 'entertainer'. Jr NTR in the titular role gives one of his finest performances. He's terrific as Jai and his portrayal of the character, who's required to stammer a lot, is certainly not pretentious. Although the subplot between Jai and Nivetha Thomas seemed unnecessary. One of the most satisfying scenes of Jai is the climax act, where he says, "From the beginning, you've always ignored the presence of an elder brother." advertisement Having said that, you could say Jai Lava Kusa is a preposterous film. But it's far better than a supposed social drama like Janatha Garage. ( The writer tweets as @LoneWolf_7126 ) WATCH HERE: Jai Lava Kusa Trailer --- ENDS --- How does Kamal Haasan see himself in politics? Whom will the Tamil superstar ally with as he enters the political arena? These are all questions the actor answers in an exclusive interaction with India Today TV. Tamil superstar Kamal Haasan, in an exclusive interview with India Today, minced no words and pulled no punches as he opened up about his (long-delayed) entry into politics, his ideologies and his opinion of those currently in power. Haasan, who said that he is willing to work for the masses, indicated that the people are being left behind in the politics of today's Tamil Nadu and India. At the same time, Haasan said, the people need to change as well. An honest man will only reach the top when people themselves are honest, Haasan said. advertisement The actor also cleared up the confusion surrounding his supposed dalliance with fellow superstar Rajinikanth. Admitting that two share starkly different ideologies, Haasan indicated that while he is open to working with Rajinikanth, it's not an idea set in stone. Haasan also spoke about Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying ideologies do not matter for the actor as long as they are good for the people of Tamil Nadu. 'Modi has tried while others have only promised,' Haasan said. Here is the full transcript of Kamal Haasan's interview, edited for length and clarity. You have worn many caps in movies like Michael Madhana Kamrajan, so now are you ready for a neta's cap? Yeah. But this cap is invisible. This is what people put on me. If at all it is deserving, if it fits, they will make me wear it. It's not like if it fits, I wear it. Are you ready to wear it? Somebody has to wear it... but I think the cap has thorns in it. So it will be a crown of thorns. That's how I see it. Whoever takes the responsibility is going to be looking at empty coffers. Because the whole purpose of present-day politician is to scrape out of that coffer, which is what is angering the people. It amounts to taking away people's money and time. You met [Delhi CM Arvind] kejriwal, met [Kerala CM] Pinarayi Vijayan, and participated in the Murasoli function. So is Mr Kamal Haasan is left of centre, ideologically? I would rather be in the centre. If you think I am at left of centre, then there are a few more adjustments I have to make to come right into the centre. Be it [during a natural] storm or politics, it's the best stand to take. That's the point of view of people. They are not interested in left or right. advertisement But you have said saffron is not your colour... This is my colour. This black (pointing to black shirt he is wearing). And it consists of all colours. Including saffron. Click here to Enlarge The neta's cap is a crown of thorns, but I am willing to wear it, Kamal Haasan said Why do you want to be in politics? I have always asked this question [to myself] and stayed away from it. Why would I want to get into this? But someone has to clear this quagmire and make this place habitable for people. When I say this, it might sound dramatic. But over a period of time, we have pulled down the state to such a pathetic level that all they have now is statistics. Old statistics to throw at you when you say you throw accusations their way. Those suffixes and titles don't matter. Actual business should happen in Tamil Nadu. Health, education and agriculture should be taken care of. They have been neglected. I am not talking about bringing Neduvasal (the site of a controversial hydrocarbon project) and making industries. [I am talking about the] achievable goals. Not the 30 percent stake given straight to politicians. advertisement Drama is happening in Tamil Nadu right now, with the infighting within the AIADMK... Where have we left people in this? People have been part of this corruption. They have somehow been accessories to this crime. So with guilt we have to change the ways. Just because I didn't take it [money to sell votes] doesn't mean I am not part of the people. My people have taken it. They have taken Rs 5000 per vote. They have been cheated. They didn't even make good business with that, because they are worth more than that. They can achieve more than Rs 5000 per day because they are worth that. Instead they settled for Rs 5000 for five years. But you want to change that... It has to change. [But] first people have to change. And when the voters are ready next time, they first have to be honest if they want an honest man at the top Are you ready to take the plunge? I will. If it is required. Time matters... We don't know. Only the situation will necessitate that. But doesn't mean I have to jump tomorrow. My passion [alone] will not take me across. I must prepare. My fulcrum should be strong enough to lift the weight. With empty coffers, already disrupted infrastructure and half finished task, it will be uphill task for anyone, especially a new man, new party in Tamil Nadu. advertisement How am I as a citizen to reach out to you? I am going to be meeting people now. Slowly, step by step. We will provide a clear roadmap. People already want to join my welfare association. I am not sure [whether it is] opportunism or enthusiasm. [But] we have to be careful about collecting people. The people who have already been working for 37 years need not get precedence. It is capability that will give precedence. For 37 years they (they people) have been working... Now they will work more if I ask [them] to. They are not looking for power. Neither am I. [But] we will seize it if that's the only way to deliver service to people. You had recently said you are ready to take the hands of Mr Rajinikanth, like you would take hands of anybody else... Absolutely But it was misrepresented with some quarters saying that you and Mr Rajni will join hands. But I see you both as good friends with different ideologies... Absolutely different ideologies... And we are such friends who will not impose one ideology on the other. Or one will against the other. I am pretty sure that all we promised to each other is that we would be ethical. And set an example for other politicians to follow. So are you ready to officially join hands with Rajnikanth? If it is needed. If he is willing. I am going to be making certain rules for the party. Those who are interested in that set of rules are welcome. What do you think of PM Naredra Modi? How important it is Centre's role in the welfare of Tamil Nadu? Ideologies do not matter to me as long as they are good for the people of Tamil Nadu. I have an ideology. I am not going to deter from it. Definitely not for power and money. We have to be united with all the diverse ideologies and beliefs we have in this country. We must trust the Centre. There is a constant reference of Tamil Nadu being separate entity. Yes, there was a talk of it years ago - nearly half a century ago, when we wanted our own identity because we were not recognised. Back then it was Mr Anna Durai who was that advocate of that cause. Then he pulled back on that... I insist we do not go that secessionists' way. This country will have to stay united despite its differences. What do you have to say about Mr Modi? He has tried while others have only promised. Swachh Bharat is a good idea. Demonetisation is a good idea. I am not an economist... but now there is criticism about it (demonetisation). Let us not jump to conclusions. #NEWSROOM@superstarrajini has already decided to join politics and he is clear with his plans: Srinivasan, Member, Rajinikanth Fan Club pic.twitter.com/Yskehg4UgJ - India Today (@IndiaToday) September 21, 2017 Who ruined Tamil Nadu? We can see corruption. Not a single project moving. Was it DMK, AIADMK, the Sasikala family? Today everyone wants to be the chief minister of Tamil Nadu... (interrupts) Including Kamal Haasan, who dares to say that if there's the possibility (of Kamal Haasan becoming CM) he will come. But let me tell you clearly what is happening... the onus of this mistake goes to the people. Parties don't matter. Personalities do not matter. My elders those do not matter if they join hands with the corrupt. They have to go. How do you respond to the Palaniswamis and the Panneerselvams who have been attacking you left right and centre? Their attack is a knee jerk reaction. I am not going to respond to that. Are they worried about you? They better be, if they are not. It is high time that they worry about me. Because I am not just a man, I am the people. Watch Kamal Haasan's full interview --- ENDS --- Its not just President Donald Trumps debut at the United Nations its also his wife and daughters. Both Ivanka and Melania Trump accompanied President Trump to the United Nations General Assembly this week. Although it was the Presidents speech that dominated the headlines, both the First Daughter and First Lady have events of their own. Ivanka Trump, the First Daughter and a Senior Adviser to the President, has begun a series of meetings related to her West Wing portfolio, according to a White House Official. On Monday, she met with Indias Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj, where the two discussed female entrepreneurship and workforce development. The First Daughter will lead the U.S. delegation to the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in India this November, which is a primary reason Swaraj requested the meeting, according to a White House official. Just hours after her father delivered his speech before the General Assembly on Tuesday, Ivanka Trump participated in an event hosted by British Prime Minister Theresa May on the need to end modern slavery and human trafficking. She noted in her remarks that she was participating at Mays invitation, and highlighted the work she had been doing on this issue since her father took office. In May, the First Daughter held a bi-partisan round table with members of Congress on the need to combat human trafficking and met with a group of trafficking survivors when she accompanied the President on his trip to Rome. Human trafficking and forced labor are forms of modern slavery that know no boundaries, spilling across international borders, and impacting men, women, children, of all ages and all nationalities, she said in her remarks. We must take away the economic opportunity in these crimes. We must uphold the rule of law. Ivanka Trumps other meetings at the UNGA include Peter Maurer, President of the International Committee for the Red Cross, and Australias Foreign Minister Julie Bishop; both of these are to discuss issues relating to female economic empowerment. She also has a coffee planned with the Netherlands Queen Maxima, to continue the discussion the two started at the W20 summit in Germany about increasing access to financial services for women around the world. The White House said Bishop and Maurer had requested these meetings with Trump. Story continues Kate Anderson Brower, a former White House reporter and the author of First Women: The Grace and Power of Americas Modern First Ladies, said that, based on her experience, she thinks these types of meetings between a White House adviser and foreign officials are slightly unusual, but so is Ivanka Trumps role as a whole. The idea of a presidents daughter with a West Wing office and a portfolio is entirely unchartered territory so this is an example, in a public setting, of what that looks like, she wrote in an e-mail to Fortune. Melania Trumps role is somewhat less high profile, and more traditional for a First Lady. She was in attendance during her husbands speech Tuesday, and is hosting a diplomatic reception with him Tuesday evening, according to her spokeswoman. On Wednesday, she will deliver remarks at a luncheon she is hosting for the spouses of UN world leaders and committee heads, which Michelle Obama had done during her tenure as First Lady. Her spokeswoman declined to provide details about the content of her speech. Japans embattled Toshiba tosbf has selected a group led by U.S. private equity firm Bain Capital to buy its prized memory chip unit, three people with knowledge of the talks said on Wednesday, a last-minute dramatic twist to a highly contentious auction. But its unclear whether the decision by Toshibas board will mean the sale will now proceed smoothly, as rival suitor Western Digital wdc has initiated legal action, arguing no deal can be done without its consent due to its position as Toshibas joint venture chip partner. The Bain-led offer for the worlds No. 2 producer of NAND semiconductors is worth some $22 billion, sources have said. It has partnered with South Koreas SK Hynix hxscl and brought in U.S. buyers of Toshiba chips such as Apple and Dell to bolster its bid. Kingston Technology and Seagate Technology are also part of the group. The make-up of the consortium could spell trouble ahead, said Hideki Yasuda, an analyst at Ace Research Institute. The large number of stakeholders could complicate decision-making and slow down key investment decisions, he said, adding that the participation of Toshiba clients would also sap the ability of the chips business to negotiate competitively on pricing. Bains win, first reported by Reuters, has been hard fought as wrangling went down to the wire and late on Tuesday the Western Digital-backed consortium, which includes KKR & Co kkr , appeared to be in the lead, sources said. But the California-based firm would not agree to limits to any future stake in the chip business that had been demanded by Toshiba, said one person briefed on the matter. Sources declined to be identified as they were not authorized to speak about discussions on the sale. Toshiba declined to comment. A representative for Bain was not immediately available for comment while SK Hynix declined to comment. After a slew of revised bids and changing alliances among suitors, an agreement comes not a moment too soon for Toshiba. It has has been under pressure from its lenders to clinch a deal this month to ensure enough time for regulatory reviews so that it can finish the sale by the end of the financial year. Story continues If it doesnt, it wont have the billions of dollars it needs to plug a huge hole in its finances caused by its now bankrupt U.S. nuclear unit Westinghouse, and could be delisted. Even without that problem staring it in the face, the semiconductor business requires huge amounts of investment and Toshibas chip unit runs the danger of losing its competitive ability as rivals roll out big capital spending plans. A representative for Western Digital was not immediately available for comment. The U.S. firm has already taken the dispute to the International Court of Arbitration to prevent the sale and a source with knowledge of the matter has previously said it is prepared to seek an immediate court injunction should the deal not go its way. The Bain-led group had at one stage been chosen as preferred bidder but those talks lapsed as Japan government investors who had been part of that consortium told Toshiba they were reluctant to close a deal in the face of legal challenges posed by Western Digital. The Bain consortium has since revised the offer, aiming to get around that problem by inviting the state-backed investorsthe Innovation Network Corp of Japan (INCJ) and the Development Bank of Japanto invest in the business only after any arbitration with Western Digital is settled. But sources familiar with the talks have said it remains unclear if INCJ will commit to joining the consortium even when the legal dispute is resolved, casting uncertainty over the whether Japanese government will be able to prevail in its desire to have the chip business mainly under domestic control. By India Today Web Desk: While Kareena Kapoor Khan rings in her 37th birthday, we take a look at her adorable son Taimur Ali Khan Pataudi, who is sitting on the grass and playing with a yellow flower. This picture was posted on Instagram, and the comments are already overflowing with love. It's safe to say that Taimur is one of the favourite star kids! Just look at those rosy cheeks. Ommmg!! TAIMUR is just...unrealistically handsome! ????? A post shared by Taimur Ali Khan Pataudi (@taimuralikhanpataudi_) on Sep 20, 2017 at 1:15pm PDT advertisement Taimur seems to create just as much as stir on the Internet, like his mom and dad Saif Ali Khan, before him. Earlier, his photos with his parents on a Swiss vacation, got a lot of 'awwws' from everyone and melted their hearts too. The kid is still oblivious to all the love lavished on him by millions of fans. In fact, there was even speculation that he would be in Kareena's Veere Di Wedding. However, Kareena crushed many hopes, when she said that won't be happening anytime soon. ALSO WATCH: Saif and Kareena become proud parents to a baby boy, Taimur Ali Khan Pataudi --- ENDS --- For the second consecutive quarter, Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. ( BBBY) stock is down double digits following a disappointing earnings report. The stock plummeted more than 14 percent on Wednesday morning after the company missed second-quarter earnings estimates and issued disappointing full-year guidance. Bed Bath & Beyond reported second-quarter earnings per share of 67 cents on revenue of $2.9 billion. Both numbers missed consensus Wall Street expectations of 95 cents and $3 billion, respectively. Comparable store sales declined 2.6 percent in the second quarter, well below consensus analyst estimates of a 0.7 percent drop. Bed Bath & Beyond also slashed its full-year EPS guidance to $3, nowhere near consensus expectations of $4.01. [See: 10 Ways You Can Throw Retail Stocks in Your Cart.] In a statement, the company tried to put a positive spin on yet another lackluster quarter, telling investors that it is "undertaking a number of transformational initiatives" that "should produce savings in excess of $150 million over the next few years." The company also blames Hurricane Harvey and new accounting standards for its weak performance. On the earnings call, CEO Steven Temares said the company's initiatives focus on customer service, margin improvement, supply chain efficiency and inventory optimization. However, Bank of America analyst Curtis Nagle says the costs associated with these initiatives will dwarf any potential savings. "While BBBY is targeting $150 million in cost savings over the next few years, it has not specified what the net impact will be, and we believe it will be more than overwhelmed by ongoing fixed-cost deleverage and online investments," Nagle says. "We see ongoing risk to guidance and estimates driven by modest traffic trends and continued pressure to sales and margins from online competition." UBS analyst Michael Lasser says it's difficult to find much to like about Bed Bath & Beyond at the moment. "[Bed Bath & Beyond's] recent results demonstrate that its business model is struggling to adapt to the rapidly evolving Home Furnishings retail landscape," Lasser says. "While it's working on new initiatives such as higher furniture [stock-keeping units] and more personalization, we just don't think its challenges will subside any time soon." Story continues [See: The Fastest Ways to Lose Money in the Stock Market.] Bank of America maintains an "underperform" rating on Bed Bath & Beyond, while UBS continues a "neutral" rating. More From US News & World Report Bombardier CS100 Delta Boeing alleges Bombardier is dumping its planes on the US market at below-market prices. Bombardier's 2016 sale of 75 C Series jets to Delta is at the heart of the matter. Bombardier calls Boeing's allegations "pure hypocrisy." In April, Boeing filed a complaint that claimed Bombardier allegedly dumped its new C Series airline on the US market at illegally low prices. On Monday, Bombardier hit back at Boeing's claims calling it "pure hypocrisy." The heart of the matter lies with Delta Air Line's landmark 2016 order for 75 new C Series airliners worth $71 million each at list value. However, Boeing alleges that Bombardier actually sold the planes for just $19.6 million, far less than the $33.2 million it cost the Canada firm to make the planes. "Bombardier shares Boeing's commitment to a level playing field, but in this case, they were not even on the field," Bombardier said in a statement. "Delta ordered the C Series because Boeing stopped making an aircraft of the size Delta needed years ago." The Bombardier CS100 ordered by Delta is a 108-seat medium-range narrow airliner. It's Boeing counterpart would the 737-600. However, it's been half a decade since Boeing last included the 737-600 in its annual price list. Instead, the company has been marketing the larger, more expensive, and more profitable 737-700. Bombardier CS100 C Series Delta In addition, Bombardier characterized Boeing complaint as an attempt to "tilt the playing field in its favor and impose an indirect tax on the U.S. flying public through unjustified import tariffs." "Boeing welcomes competition and Bombardier can sell its aircraft anywhere in the world," a company spokesman told Business Insider in an email. "But sales must be made according to globally-accepted trade rules." "Boeing had to take action as subsidized competition has hurt us now and will continue to hurt us for years to come, and we could not stand by given this clear case of illegal dumping," the Boeing spokesman added. Story continues Finally, Bombardier alleges that Boeing also engaged in heavy discounting of its revolutionary 787 Dreamliner, in some instances losing an average of $25 million per plane for an entire quarter. "It is pure hypocrisy for Boeing to say that the C Series launch pricing is a "violation of global trade law" when Boeing does the same for its new aircraft," the Canadian airplane maker added. Bombardier C Series CS100 Delta However, Boeing claims that Dreamliner is now a profitable program with healthy market demand. The Montreal-based company noted that Boeing's legal action put thousands of jobs in the Canada, the US, and the UK in jeopardy. In response, Boeing noted that it contributes $3.3 billion annually to the Canadian economy and accounts for 14% of the economic impact Canada's aerospace industry has in the country. In 2016, Bombardier took a $1 billion bailout from the Quebec government after delays and slow sales associated with the C Series program pushed the company onto shaky financial ground. Here is Boeing's entire statement to Business Insider: "Boeings petition to the International Trade Commission seeks to restore a level playing field in the U.S. single-aisle airplane market. Boeing had to take action as subsidized competition has hurt us now and will continue to hurt us for years to come, and we could not stand by given this clear case of illegal dumping. Boeing is utilizing longstanding, transparent legal procedures that have been law for decades. This is the normal course of action for addressing instances where a competitor is selling into the U.S. market below cost, and we will let the process play out. Boeing welcomes competition and Bombardier can sell its aircraft anywhere in the world. But sales must be made according to globally-accepted trade rules. Any claimed economic threat to Bombardier relating to our ITC case can be attributed to that companys decision to flout U.S. trade rules. We believe that global trade only works if everyone abides by the same rules of the road, and thats a principle that ultimately creates the greatest value for Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, and our aerospace industry." NOW WATCH: This map reveals how much $100 is actually worth in your state More From Business Insider OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada will continue talks with Washington on settling a dispute between Boeing Co and Bombardier Inc regardless of whether a U.S. trade court next week backs a challenge launched by the American company, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Tuesday. Trudeau said his government would push back against Boeing, which he accused of trying to put thousands of Canadian aerospace employees out of work. 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. "We have been very actively engaged, both directly with Boeing and with the American administration, including governors, congressmen and women and the administration. We will continue to stand up and defend Canadian jobs," Trudeau told a news conference in Ottawa. He added that Canada was disappointed that Boeing walked away from negotiations ahead of the preliminary ruling, but said discussions will continue regardless of the ruling. Trudeau said on Monday 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. 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. Trudeau said Canada would consider its options to find an interim solution to equip Canadian forces while the dispute continued. "We have a capability gap, we cannot fulfill our obligations toward both NORAD and NATO at this point, and we need to fix that," he said. (Reporting and writing by Andrea Hopkins and David Ljunggren; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Alistair Bell) * Banks asked to fully implement UN sanctions against North Korea * Warned of economic losses, reputation risks on failure to comply * Chinese banks are under scrutiny for role as conduit for funds * Trump order opens violators to threat of sanctions (Adds Trump announcing executive order, paragraphs 11-12) BEIJING/HONG KONG, Sept 21 (Reuters) - China's central bank has told banks to strictly implement United Nations sanctions against North Korea, four sources told Reuters, amid U.S. concerns that Beijing has not been tough enough over Pyongyang's repeated nuclear tests. Tensions between the United States and North Korea have ratcheted up after the sixth and most powerful nuclear test conducted by Pyongyang on Sept. 3 prompted the United Nations Security Council to impose further sanctions last week. Chinese banks have come under scrutiny for their role as a conduit for funds flowing to and from China's increasingly isolated neighbour. The sources said banks were told to stop providing financial services to new North Korean customers and to wind down loans with existing customers, following tighter sanctions against Pyongyang by the United Nations. The sources said lenders were asked to fully implement United Nations sanctions against North Korea and were warned of the economic losses and reputational risks if they did not do so. Chinese banks received the document on Monday, the sources said. China's central bank did not immediately respond to a request for comment. "At present, management of North Korea-related business has become an issue of national-level politics and national security," according to the document seen by the sources. The document directed banks to explain to any North Korean customers that "our bank is fulfilling our international obligations and implementing United Nations sanctions against North Korea. As such, we refuse to handle any individual loans connected to North Korea." The document did not specify whether existing North Korean account holders could still deposit or remove money from their accounts. Story continues U.S. President Donald Trump ordered new sanctions on Thursday that open the door wider to blacklisting people and entities doing business with North Korea, including its shipping and trade networks, further tightening the screws on Pyongyang's nuclear and missile program. Trump stopped short of going after North Korea's biggest trading partner, China, and praised its central bank for ordering Chinese banks to stop doing business with North Korea. Frustrated that China had not done more to rein in North Korea, the Trump administration considered new sanctions in July on small Chinese banks and other firms doing business with Pyongyang, two senior U.S. officials told Reuters. China's Big Four state-owned banks have stopped providing financial services to new North Korean clients, Reuters reported last week, with some measures beginning as early as the end of last year. (Reporting by the Beijing, Hong Kong and Washington newsrooms; Writing by Sue-Lin Wong; Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Chizu Nomiyama) 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 (: 2353-KR) 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. 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 (: 2353-KR) 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. More From CNBC Crude prices pull back from recent highs as markets digest U.S. stockpiles data Investing.com - Crude oil prices turned lower on Thursday, as traders finally reacted to the previous session's downbeat U.S. stockpiles data and as markets were cautious ahead of a highly-anticipated meeting of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries on Friday. The U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude October contract was at $50.39 a barrel by 06:35 a.m. ET (10:35 GMT), down 30 cents or about 0.59%, off the previous session's four-month peak of $50.79. Elsewhere, Brent oil for November delivery on the ICE Futures Exchange in London was up 19 cents or about 0.34% at $56.10 a barrel, after hitting a fresh five-month high of $56.30 overnight. Market participants initially shrugged off Wednesday's report by the U.S. Energy Information Administration showing that crude stockpiles rose more than expected last week. It was the third consecutive week crude inventories increased in the U.S., as heavy flooding due to storm Harvey knocked out nearly quarter of the nation's refining capacity in August, pressuring demand for crude oil, the primary input at refineries. Prices climbed to multi-month highs late last week and had remained supported until recently by bullish demand forecasts from OPEC and the International Energy Agency. The commodity got an additional boost on Wednesday, when Iraqi oil minister Jabar al-Luaibi said that his country and other OPEC members are considering options to its production-cut agreement, including an extension beyond March and a deeper output cut. Traders were now looking ahead to a meeting scheduled in Vienna on Friday between OPEC and other producers regarding a possible extension of production caps. Last May, Opec and non-Opec members agreed to extend production cuts for a period of nine months until March, but stuck to production cuts of 1.8 million bpd agreed in November last year. Elsewhere, gasoline futures gained slipped 0.26% to $1.643 a gallon, while natural gas futures fell 0.36% to $3.083 per million British thermal units. Story continues Related Articles Commodities - Crude Oil Prices Turn Lower, Eyes on OPEC Meeting Oil prices steady ahead of key OPEC meeting Commodities - Gold Prices Tumble to 4-Week Lows as U.S. Dollar Strengthens The Norwegian sovereign wealth fund officially hit a record value of $1 trillion early in the morning of September 19. It is the worlds largest sovereign wealth fund and has exceeded growth expectations, having already exceeded the milestone value it was expected to reach in 2018. Norges Bank Investment Management, which manages the fund for the Norwegian government, attributed the milestone valuation to the weakening of the U.S. dollar and strong equity markets. With such a high valuation, there are concerns that it will be difficult to find markets large enough to invest in. The fund already owns 1.3% of all global stocks. In addition, the temptation to use the fund to stimulate Norways economy could have a negative impact on the country. The Norwegian government made its first withdrawal from the fund in January 2016, 20 years after it was founded as a vehicle to invest the countrys oil revenue, and it is expected to withdraw 70 billion kroner ($11.3 billion) this year. The fund is currently forecast to reach a valuation of $1.3 trillion by 2025, though the reliability of that estimate is in doubt given the funds demonstrated overperformance to date. The Norwegian government has cut expected returns from 4% to 3% and given the fund permission to raise its stock holdings from 60% to 70%, offset by a reduction in bond holdings. By PTI: London, Sep 21 (PTI) Kulsoom Nawaz, the wife of Pakistans ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif, has undergone a third surgery for her throat cancer at a London hospital. Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz visited the hospital and inquired about her health. Maryam appealed to the people of Pakistan to pray for her health and fast recovery. advertisement Maryam Nawaz tweeted a short video clip which showed Sharif holding his wifes hand and helping her walk towards the hospital. Kulsoom last Sunday won Lahores NA-120 seat which was seen as referendum on the disqualification of Sharif by the Supreme Court in the Panama Papers case. The seat fell vacant after Supreme Court disqualified 67- year-old Sharif on July 28 in the case. Since then, the whole Sharif family is currently in London. Pakistan media has speculated that the former premier, his sons, daughter and son-in-law Muhammad Safdar may not return to the country to face corruption and money laundering cases against them in the accountability court. The ruling PML-N however dismissed the reports saying Sharif is ready to face the court in the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) cases. It said Sharif has extended his stay in London because of the health condition of his wife. "Nawaz Sharif will only return after his wifes health improves," the party said. Federal Environment Minister Mushahidullah Khan said Sharif was not afraid of going to jail. "No one should make Sharif afraid of jail. He had seen jails and exile in the past. He will return and face all NAB cases," he said. Sharif left for London on August 30 to see his 67-year- old ailing wife who was diagnosed with early-stage lymphoma (throat cancer) last month. Quoting doctors, the Sharif family had said that Kulsooms cancer is curable. The second surgery was to take out diseased lymph nodes from her chest, media reports said. The first surgery was on the side of her neck while the latest surgery will be the most comprehensive yet and doctors decided to conduct it after she responded well to the first two rounds, it said. PTI MZ AMS AKJ AMS --- ENDS --- bed bath and beyond Shares of Bed Bath & Beyond are plunging more than 15% on Wednesday after the retailer announced disappointing quarterly results. The home furnishings chain reported earnings of $0.67 a share, well shy of the $0.95 that Wall Street had expected. Bed Bath & Beyond is certainly not alone in its struggles as companies across the country are having difficulty keeping up with Amazon. In a note to clients on Wednesday, Credit Suisse warned that "it's difficult to see light at the end of the tunnel." "Price and service gaps remain, the assortment advantage is less clear today, investments likely need to continue, and sector has yet to reach an equilibrium from a supply/demand perspective," analysts Seth Sigman, Kieran McGrath, and Lavesh Hemnani wrote. The Swiss bank cut its price target for Bed Bath & Beyond from $33 to $25, just below Wall Street consensus of $26.28, according to Bloomberg. In its earnings call, Bed Bath & Beyond said that restructuring changes, Hurricane Harvey, and a new accounting standard contributed to the losses. Credit Suisse thinks the magnitude of the miss could actually create new opportunities for the company to make positive strategic changes. The bank complimented Bed Bath & Beyond's ramping up of its online business, which still only accounts for 15% of total sales. "In theory, the investments needed in technology, price, and marketing are best done outside of the public eye. But, leverage is not as low as its been," the bank said. "More importantly, for retailers that don't own their own brands, the scenarios have become more limited." Bed Bath & Beyond BBBY stock price chart NOW WATCH: SRI-KUMAR: Watch the bond market for signs of a recession More From Business Insider (Repeats story first published on Monday) * Deutsche Bank CEO to brief board on progress * Some shareholders impatient with pace of change * CEO Cryan says taking "baby steps" on more risk By Tom Sims FRANKFURT, Sept 18 (Reuters) - Two years into the job as 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, a person familiar with the meeting on Monday and Tuesday said. These include integrating Deutsche Bank's giant retail arm Postbank and the planned partial listing of its asset management business next year, part of the British CEO's pledge to focus on Germany after years of rampant and risky growth overseas. Fresh off the plane from a conference in Singapore, Cryan is also expected to brief the board on an overhaul of Deutsche Bank's investment bank and its plans for Brexit. Under Cryan, Deutsche Bank has been trying to regain its footing after a series of scandals, lawsuits and bets that went wrong pushed it to the brink of collapse last year. Although the bank's share price has stabilized, its revenue is still declining, heaping the pressure on Cryan. "We need to see progress, otherwise the bank will lose credibility," one large Deutsche Bank investor told Reuters. "The bank doesn't have many arrows left in its quiver." RISKY BABY STEPS Market moves may not be in Cryan's favour as he seeks to ramp up revenues at Deutsche Bank, which could lead him to consider taking on bigger risks. In July, Deutsche forecast lower full-year revenue and only a modest improvement in earnings after a drop in capital markets trading hit second-quarter sales. And in an interview broadcast on Monday, Cryan signalled that little had changed over the summer. "We do see relatively little volume and volatility in the markets so that weighs a little bit on revenues." Story continues However, he also flagged Deutsche Bank's appetite for risk is returning as it seeks to get return to growth. "We are encouraging people to take on more risk. Baby steps, but we are taking on more risk. We want to grow the bank." NEW ERA IN BANKING Germany's largest lender has also sought to highlight it has turned over a new leaf, with a TV ad campaign last month under the banner: "A new era requires new banking". And it will soon launch a social media campaign using the hashtag #positiveimpact to stress the good over the bad, something Cryan said the bank has failed to do in the past. But at the forefront of the bank's revamp is its integration of Postbank, once part of Germany's postal service, which it bought as Europe's debt crisis was unfolding. After an unsuccessful attempt to sell it, Cryan opted instead to integrate Postbank with Deutsche Bank's retail business and details on the elimination of overlap are expected in the coming weeks after Postbank CEO Frank Strauss joined Deutsche's management board in August. For Brexit, Cryan is planning for a "reasonable worst-case" scenario that predicts that Britain's deal to leave the European Union will not be favourable for financial services. Deutsche Bank, which has a large presence in London, expects to add new jobs in Frankfurt, where it plans to replicate a structure that is interchangeable with its British operations and evolve as Brexit negotiations unfold. (Reporting by Tom Sims, Andreas Framke and Hans Seidenstuecker; editing by Alexander Smith) IN THE NEWS TODAY Rescuers searched through the rubble of collapsed schools, homes and apartment buildings early this morning after Mexico's deadliest earthquake since 1985 killed at least 217 people. The quake struck around 2 p.m. ET on Tuesday and had a magnitude of 7.1, the U.S. Geological Survey said. (NBC News) * Images of devastation from the Mexico City earthquake (CNBC) Hurricane Maria has weakened to a Category 4 hurricane but remains "extremely dangerous" and is expected to retain this intensity until it makes landfall in Puerto Rico in a couple of hours, the National Hurricane Center said. (Reuters) President Trump is using money donated to his re-election campaign and the Republican National Committee to pay for his lawyers in the probe of alleged Russian interference in the U.S. election, Reuters has learned. (Reuters) Vice President Mike Pence says the 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. (CNBC) Officials and pundits across Asia struggled to parse Trump's vow Tuesday at the U.N. General Assembly to "totally destroy North Korea" if provoked. In a region well used to Pyongyang's pursuit of nuclear weapons, Trump's comments stood out. (AP) * North Korea ambassador walks out of UN assembly in boycott of Trump's speech (CNBC) Republican lawmakers have agreed to move forward on a budget that would add to the federal deficit in order to pave the way for a $1.5 trillion tax cut over the next 10 years. (NY Times) Sen. Elizabeth Warren 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. (CNBC's Mad Money) Wal-Mart, Target, and PepsiCo joined an expanded group of nearly 800 companies calling in a letter for U.S. legislation to protect immigrants brought into the country illegally by their parents from deportation, according to organizer FWD.us. (Reuters) * Trump administration red tape tangles up visas for skilled foreigners, data shows (Reuters) Amazon i s growing its partnership with department store chain Kohl's . Kohl's said it will begin accepting Amazon.com returns at certain U.S. locations. The retailer will pack and ship eligible items back to an Amazon fulfillment center for free. (CNBC) Uber, which is the subject of a federal probe into whether it broke bribery laws, has started a review of its Asia operations and notified authorities about payments made by staff to police officers in Indonesia, Reuters has learned. (Reuters) STOCKS TO WATCH Sprint (S) and T-mobile (TMUS) are in active talks about a merger , CNBC has learned. 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. Bed Bath & Beyond (BBBY) reported same-store sales that fell well below Wall Street's expectations. The retailer said restructuring costs, Hurricane Harvey and a new accounting standard weighed on its second-quarter results.FedEx (FDX) lowered its fiscal 2018 forecast to account for the impact of the TNT Express cyberattack, which FedEx said "significantly affected" the worldwide operations of the segment. It also said that Hurricane Harvey negatively impacted its fiscal first-quarter results.Adobe (ADBE) Q3 earnings and revenue beat forecasts. It also said it added several new subscribers to Creative Cloud.WATERCOOLER Billionaire investor Warren Buffett called pessimists about the United States "out of their mind." He spoke at an event in New York on Tuesday night and said he expects the Dow to be "over 1 million" in 100 years, up from Tuesday's close of 22,370.80. (Reuters) Reviews of the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, which Apple unveiled at its product event last week, are out and there seems to be one common theme: hold off for the iPhone X. (CNBC) IN THE NEWS TODAY Rescuers searched through the rubble of collapsed schools, homes and apartment buildings early this morning after Mexico's deadliest earthquake since 1985 killed at least 217 people. The quake struck around 2 p.m. ET on Tuesday and had a magnitude of 7.1, the U.S. Geological Survey said. (NBC News) * Images of devastation from the Mexico City earthquake (CNBC) Hurricane Maria has weakened to a Category 4 hurricane but remains "extremely dangerous" and is expected to retain this intensity until it makes landfall in Puerto Rico in a couple of hours, the National Hurricane Center said. (Reuters) President Trump is using money donated to his re-election campaign and the Republican National Committee to pay for his lawyers in the probe of alleged Russian interference in the U.S. election, Reuters has learned. (Reuters) Vice President Mike Pence says the 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. (CNBC) Officials and pundits across Asia struggled to parse Trump's vow Tuesday at the U.N. General Assembly to "totally destroy North Korea" if provoked. In a region well used to Pyongyang's pursuit of nuclear weapons, Trump's comments stood out. (AP) * North Korea ambassador walks out of UN assembly in boycott of Trump's speech (CNBC) Republican lawmakers have agreed to move forward on a budget that would add to the federal deficit in order to pave the way for a $1.5 trillion tax cut over the next 10 years. (NY Times) Sen. Elizabeth Warren 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. (CNBC's Mad Money) Wal-Mart, Target, and PepsiCo joined an expanded group of nearly 800 companies calling in a letter for U.S. legislation to protect immigrants brought into the country illegally by their parents from deportation, according to organizer FWD.us. (Reuters) * Trump administration red tape tangles up visas for skilled foreigners, data shows (Reuters) Amazon i s growing its partnership with department store chain Kohl's . Kohl's said it will begin accepting Amazon.com returns at certain U.S. locations. The retailer will pack and ship eligible items back to an Amazon fulfillment center for free. (CNBC) Uber, which is the subject of a federal probe into whether it broke bribery laws, has started a review of its Asia operations and notified authorities about payments made by staff to police officers in Indonesia, Reuters has learned. (Reuters) STOCKS TO WATCH Sprint (S) and T-mobile (TMUS) are in active talks about a merger , CNBC has learned. 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. Bed Bath & Beyond (BBBY) reported same-store sales that fell well below Wall Street's expectations. The retailer said restructuring costs, Hurricane Harvey and a new accounting standard weighed on its second-quarter results. FedEx (FDX) lowered its fiscal 2018 forecast to account for the impact of the TNT Express cyberattack, which FedEx said "significantly affected" the worldwide operations of the segment. It also said that Hurricane Harvey negatively impacted its fiscal first-quarter results. Adobe (ADBE) Q3 earnings and revenue beat forecasts. It also said it added several new subscribers to Creative Cloud. WATERCOOLER Billionaire investor Warren Buffett called pessimists about the United States "out of their mind." He spoke at an event in New York on Tuesday night and said he expects the Dow to be "over 1 million" in 100 years, up from Tuesday's close of 22,370.80. (Reuters) Reviews of the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, which Apple unveiled at its product event last week, are out and there seems to be one common theme: hold off for the iPhone X. (CNBC) More From CNBC Top News and Analysis Latest News Video Personal Finance A family enjoys their time at Walt Disney after Hurricane Irma. (Visit Orlando) Hurricane Irma pummeled parts of Florida during the weekend of Sept. 9, causing $58 billion to $83 billion in damage, according to Moodys Analytics. As locals rebuild their lives, the hospitality industry wants to stop tourists from choosing other destinations. Several Florida-based tourism bureaus have introduced marketing initiatives this week in an effort to bring back visitors. Despite the destruction (10,000 homes in Miami-Dade County are still without power), by and large, life in downtown Miami has returned to its usual pace. When you look back it feels like a long time, but its only been 10 days. We are open for business the airport is open, the seaport is open and the vast majority of hotels [are open], William Talbert, CEO of Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau (GMCVB) told Yahoo Finance. The job now is to remind people that Miami is back to business, which is why the visitors bureau launched its #MiamiNow initiative on Sept. 20. This marketing campaign bundles and extends several existing programs that provide visitors with deals on hotels, restaurants, spas, museums, attractions, and shopping. A sample deal includes a $23 lunch or $39 dinner at some of Miamis hottest restaurants like STK South Beach and The Capital Grille. The visitors bureau is also urging tourists to check out the conditions of the city on their own by viewing live webcams of Miamis beaches at SeeMiamiLive.com. The #MiamiNow campaign will run until Oct. 31. According to Talbert, local hotels have worked incredibly hard to get things back to normal as fast as possible. On Sept.18, just seven days after Irma, The Loews Hotel on South Beach welcomed 400 employees from Rukus Wireless for an annual partner event. Meanwhile, IMN, a global organizer of institutional finance and investment conferences, held an event at the Fontainebleu Miami Beach from Sept. 17-19. For Miami, tourists are more than just visitors, they are a crucial part of the citys economy. Travel and tourism are Miamis No. 1 industry, said Talbert. [It] always has been, and always will be. Story continues In 2016, Miami welcomed 16 million overnight visitors from around the world, a record for the coastal city. Those tourists spent $25 billion, with 70% of that money coming from international visitors. Orlando is up and running Central Florida residents and businesses suffered less damage than some of their southern neighbors, but it didnt come out completely unscathed. According to data from the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, there were more than 452,000 insurance claims statewide, worth an estimated $2.7 billion. More than 122,000 of those claims are from Central Florida. Tourists at Universal Studios after Hurricane Irma. (Visit Orlando) In Orlando, businesses have spent the past two weeks trying to get back to normal. On Sept. 20, Visit Orlando released photos of tourists enjoying local attractions post Irma to prove that the city was back to normal. The photos show teens from Ecuador posing at Universal Studios and a family snapping a selfie in front of Cinderellas castle at Walt Disney World. George Aguel, president and CEO of Visit Orlando, credits the citys huge tourism infrastructure and preparedness for its ability to effectively bounce back. We came right back pretty quickly, Aguel told Yahoo Finance. Disney World was right back up and there were thousands of people in the parks having fun again. Indeed, Walt Disney World shut down on Sept. 10 and 11 as Irma punished the park with wind gusts of up to 79 mph. It reopened a day later on Sept. 12. In October 2016, Hurricane Matthew forced the park to close for one day. If youve got a family and you want to experience the parks, youre not going to sacrifice that, said Aguel. Tourism in Orlando, however, includes more than just theme parks. The economic impact of tourism to the city hovers around $64 billion, thanks to 68 million annual visitors who patron 120 attractions such as Gatorland and the Kennedy Space Center, and 450 hotels boasting more than 120,000 rooms. For Aguel, the goal now is to remind tourists that they are welcome to Orlando, and that the city has moved past Irma. Its important for our local economy that tourism continues to do well, he said. So if youre looking to get that lifetime memory, Orlando is still able to deliver that. Brittany is a reporter at Yahoo Finance. Carnival, Royal Caribbean cancel cruises due to Irma The tax deadline is coming up in October New York City gives free lunch to public school students General Mills breakfast cereal is shown for sale in Carlsbad, California, U.S., June 27, 2017. REUTERS/ Mike Blake By Vibhuti Sharma and Gayathree Ganesan (Reuters) - General Mills Inc (GIS.N) reported a smaller-than-expected quarterly profit as yogurt and cereal sales declined in North America, sending the company's shares down 9 percent to their lowest levels in nearly two years. The results underscore General Mills' struggles with consumers' shifting preference for protein-rich and thicker Greek yogurts. To cater to the changing tastes, General Mills has spruced up its premium yogurt offerings through the launch of products such French yogurt Oui by Yoplait. Despite the efforts, organic sales in North America, the largest contributor to the company's revenue, fell 5 percent, driven by double-digit declines in U.S. yogurt sales. More than half of North America segment's net sales decline in the quarter was due to a slump in U.S. yogurt sales. General Mills' results also dragged down other packaged food makers. Conagra Brands Inc (CAG.N) was down 1.5 percent, Treehouse Foods (THS.N) 1.4 percent and Kellogg Co (K.N) 0.8 percent. The results come at a time when the U.S. food industry is expected to face renewed pressure from the entry of online giant Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) into brick-and-mortar store business through its acquisition of Whole Foods Market Inc. General Mills, which also owns brands such as Cheerios, Betty Crocker and Pillsbury, said gross margins dipped 1.5 percent to 34.8 percent in the first quarter, reflecting a 2 percentage points decline in pricing in North America. "Lowering relative prices to drive volume in a rising cost environment, especially when competitors might selectively retaliate, seems like a tough project to estimate," Consumer Edge Research analyst Jonathan Feeney said. "Through Q1, its proven more costly than expected." Net sales in General Mills' U.S. cereal unit fell 7 percent in the first quarter ended Aug. 27 as demand remained weak for Fiber One cereal. Excluding one-time items, the company earned 71 cents per share. Story continues The company's net sales fell 3.5 percent to $3.77 billion. Analysts on average had expected an adjusted profit of 76 cents per share and sales of $3.79 billion, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. (Reporting by Vibhuti Sharma and Gayathree Ganesan in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva and Sriraj Kalluvila) Heres a look at some of the stocks the Yahoo Finance team will be tracking for you today. Alphabets Google (GOOGL) is buying part of Taiwanese smartphone maker HTC in a deal worth $1.1 billion. The tech giant is acquiring the HTC division that develops the Pixel smartphone. As part of the deal, Google will gain 2,000 HTC workers to help ramp up production of its Android smartphones. Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) was up sharply in early trading. The semiconductor company is teaming up with Tesla (TSLA) to build chips for self-driving cars. Thats according to CNBC. The deal will allow Tesla to reduce its reliance on AMD competitor Nvidia (NVDA). Shares of Nvidia are down on the news in early trading. Baidu (BIDU) is also revving things up in the self-driving car space. The Chinese search engine is launching a $1.5 billion self-driving car fund. The company hopes to have its cars ready to drive by 2020. Baidu could run into some headwinds. Chinese regulators have previously stopped the company from highway testing. Calgon Carbon (CCC) shares soared on Thursday. The stock surging in early trading after it announced that its being bought by the Japanese chemical manufacturer Kuraray in a $1.1 billion deal. Kuraray says it plans to expand US Calgons carbon business to include energy and water which would advance innovation and cut costs. bill cassidy Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican, on Wednesday responded to late-night TV host Jimmy Kimmel's accusation that the senator lied to him about his legislation to replace the Affordable Care Act, the healthcare law better known as Obamacare. Kimmel, whose infant son was born with a life-threatening heart condition, said Cassidy's new bill, the Graham-Cassidy-Heller-Johnson legislation, wouldn't protect people with preexisting conditions like his son from lifetime caps on insurance coverage, wouldn't lower premiums for middle-class families, and wouldn't provide coverage for all. Cassidy dismissed Kimmel's charges on CNN on Wednesday morning. "I am sorry he does not understand," Cassidy told Chris Cuomo, the host of "New Day." "Under Graham-Cassidy-Heller-Johnson, more people will have coverage, and we protect those with preexisting conditions," he continued. "States like Maine, Virginia, Florida, Missouri there will be billions more dollars to provide health insurance coverage for those in those states who have been passed by by Obamacare." Cuomo said critics had argued that the new bill would allow states to set their own rules for insurance companies. "It's not what it is now, where you cannot allow insurance companies to cherry-pick and punish people for preexisting conditions," Cuomo said. "So the protection is not the same, senator, on that one point." But Cassidy insisted the protections under the new bill would be "absolutely the same" as those under the ACA. "There is a specific provision that says that if a state applies for a waiver, it must ensure that those with preexisting conditions have affordable and adequate coverage," Cassidy said. Cuomo then said the "schedule of what people might pay" wouldn't be the same for certain people. Cassidy replied that some of that information was being circulated by "those who wish to preserve Obamacare." "They're doing everything they can to discredit the alternative," Cassidy said. Story continues .@BillCassidy responds to Kimmel: "I'm sorry he does not understand." With new bill "more people will have coverage" https://t.co/1wWZe843vC New Day (@NewDay) September 20, 2017 After Kimmel delivered an impassioned retelling of his son's emergency open-heart surgery in May, Cassidy came on Kimmel's show and said he would make sure that any Obamacare replacement passed the "Jimmy Kimmel test" a phrase the senator coined meaning it would protect people with preexisting conditions from lifetime caps. But Kimmel argued on Tuesday night that Cassidy's new legislation didn't pass the test. "Not only did this bill fail the Jimmy Kimmel test, it failed the Bill Cassidy test," the host said. "Listen, healthcare is complicated. It's boring. I don't want to talk about it. The details are confusing. And that's what these guys are relying on. They're counting on you to be so overwhelmed with all the information that you just trust them to take care of you, but they're not taking care of you they're taking care of the people who give them money." Under Cassidy's bill, most federal healthcare funding would be handed to states up front in a large chunk called a block grant. States could then apply for a waiver that would allow it to relax some of Obamacare's regulations to bring down costs. While the new bill would not allow states to waive the requirement that keeps insurers from rejecting people with preexisting conditions altogether, the waivers could end up allowing insurers to charge sick people drastically more money for coverage, essentially pricing them out of the market. For that reason, Kimmel said the bill not only failed Cassidy's original Kimmel test but created a new one. "This new bill actually does pass the Jimmy Kimmel test but a different Jimmy Kimmel test," the late-night host said. "With this one, your child with a preexisting condition will get the care he needs if, and only if, his father is Jimmy Kimmel. Otherwise, you might be screwed." Kimmel said Republicans were trying to slip the bill through before September 30, after which a Senate rule will expire, subjecting the bill to a Democratic filibuster. In addition to taking issue with the content of the new bill, Kimmel called out Cassidy specifically. "A senator named Bill Cassidy from Louisiana was on my show, and he wasn't very honest," Kimmel said, adding that he "just lied right to my face." The White House press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, also on Wednesday responded to Kimmel's criticism of the GOP bill, telling "Fox & Friends" that while she respected Kimmel's advocacy on behalf of his son, Obamacare was "collapsing" and the Republican replacement bill was a "great step forward." "Look, I certainly respect the position that he's in as a parent he's speaking for the protection of his kid, as he should do," Sanders said. "But at the same time, we have to have a program that works, and we know that that's not Obamacare. It's simply not sustainable. It's collapsing. There are many markets where they don't even have providers anymore." Bob Bryan contributed to this report. NOW WATCH: Why you won't find a garbage can near the 9/11 memorial More From Business Insider The Graham-Cassidy Bill is the GOPs last chance is try and repeal Obamacare before a Sept. 30 deadline. Graham-Cassidy Bill: The GOP's Last-Ditch Effort to Repeal Obamacare The Graham-Cassidy Bill has been proposed by Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana. It seeks to repeal parts of Obamacare, but will still leave other pieces in place. Parts of Obamacare that would be removed by the Graham-Cassidy Bill include cost-sharing subsidies, the individual and employer mandate, Medicaid expansion and tax credits. Instead the bill seeks to grant states blocks of funding that they can use as they see fit. This may mean that some states will keep these program running with this funding. InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips Several other parts of Obamacare will remain intact under the Graham-Cassidy Bill, but could change depending on states actions. This includes waivers that could eliminate restrictions on essential health benefits, premium prices for older Americans, health savings accounts and more. The big takeaway from the Graham-Cassidy Bill is that it will basically allow states to control Obamacare. However, it will need 50 votes to pass. The GOP currently controls 52 seats in the Senate, but not all members are happy with the new bill, reports Politico. Sen. Rand Paul has already said he wont support the Graham-Cassidy Bill. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, Sen. John McCain of Arizona and Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska are all have serious concerns about it. Many other Senators havent said how they vote, but some are already showing support for the bill. If the GOP is able to pass the Graham-Cassidy Bill, then it will end up on President Donald Trumps desk. A White House official said on Tuesday that the President will sign the bill if it can get through the Senate, reports CNN. More From InvestorPlace The opinions contained in this column are solely those of the writer. Want to share your own views on money and politics? Drop us a line at letters@investorplace.com and we might reprint your views in our InvestorPolitics blog! Please include your name, city and state of residence. All letters submitted to this address will be considered for publication. The post Graham-Cassidy Bill: The GOPs Last-Ditch Effort to Repeal Obamacare appeared first on InvestorPlace. By PTI: Muslim youth Aligarh (UP), Sep 21 (PTI) A local woman BJP leader has been caught of camera slapping a girl here for allegedly being friendly with a youth from the minority community. The youth in question was arrested on charges of "obscenity" in public place and released later on bail, according to police officials. The incident, in which BJPs Aligarh city convenor Sangeeta Varshney is seen slapping the girl twice, took place on Tuesday when she allegedly saw her having tea with the youth, according to the police. advertisement In the video which has gone viral on social media, Varshney is heard saying, "Tere ko samajh mein nahi aataa kaun Hindu hai, kaun Musalmaan hai. Pyaar se samajhaa rahee hoon, samajh hee mein nahi aa raha. (Dont you understand who is a Hindu and who is a Muslim. I am politely making this clear, but even then it seems that you are not getting it)." When contacted today, Varshney told PTI, "I do not have any problems with Muslims. But, we have a problem with their policy of alluring Hindu girls (Humme Musalmaano se koi shikayat nahi hai, humme unki bargalaane ki neeti se shikayat hai)." Senior Superintendent of Police Rajesh Pandey said that after the slapping incident, a case under relevant sections of the IPC pertaining to obscenity at a public place was registered against the youth. He was arrested but later released on bail, Pandey told PTI today. The SSP also said that the girls father arrived on the spot and took his daughter away after declaring that he and his family did not wish to make an issue of the incident. "Both the girl and her father do not want any action against anyone in the case and they gave this in writing to the police," Pandey said. PTI CORR NAV ADS AKK --- ENDS --- Hawaiian Electric Industries HE announced that its subsidiary Pacific Current has entered into an agreement with ArcLight Capital Partners to buy Hamakua Energy Partners' 60-megawatt (MW) power plant on the Big Island, Hawaii. The plant currently has a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) with Hawaii Electric Light Co. (HELCO). Power produced from the plant is being sold to HELCO, a subsidiary of Hawaiian Electric. The handover of ownership will not impact the rates or the PPA, which expires in 2030. The current purchase consideration is kept under wraps. HELCO had made an offer to acquire the plant on December 2015 for $84.5 million. The application was denied by Hawaii Public Utilities Commission (PUC), stating that direct ownership of the plant will not benefit the customers. What This Acquisition Entails This indirect ownership when completed will further strengthen Hawaiian Electric operation in the State of Hawaii. Hawaiian Electric supplies electricity to 95% of the states population. In addition, this acquisition will help in realization of the companys goal to generate 100% electricity from renewable sources in Hawaii. Our View Hawaiian Electric continues making systematic investments in utility infrastructure development projects, primarily adding new generation facilities, replacing aging infrastructure and restoring transmission and distribution assets. The company plans to invest nearly $470 million in 2017 to further strengthen its operation. At present, the company is awaiting the PUCs decision on its Power Supply Improvement Plans, which outlined a detailed five-year plan charting the near-term actions that will provide a foundation to meet its 100% renewable goal by 2045. This 60 MW power plant purchase will be a positive move in that direction. Price Movement In the last month, shares of Hawaiian Electric have gained 0.5% against a decline of 1.2% of the industry it belongs to. Story continues Zacks Rank & Stocks to Consider Hawaiian Electric currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Better-ranked stocks in the same space include Center Point Energy CNP, Pinnacle West Capital Corporation PNW and NRG Energy Inc. NRG, each carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Center Point Energy pulled off a positive earnings surprise of 10.3% in the last four quarters. Its 2017 Zacks Consensus Estimate moved up 1.6% to $1.31, in the last 60 days. Pinnacle West Capital reported a positive earnings surprise of 15.5% in the last four quarters. Its 2017 Zacks Consensus Estimate moved up 0.7% to $4.27, in the last 60 days. NRG Energy pulled off a positive earnings surprise of 457.1% in the last four quarters. Its 2017 Zacks Consensus Estimate moved up 8.9% to 73 cents, in the last 90 days. Will You Make a Fortune on the Shift to Electric Cars? Here's another stock idea to consider. Much like petroleum 150 years ago, lithium power may soon shake the world, creating millionaires and reshaping geo-politics. Soon electric vehicles (EVs) may be cheaper than gas guzzlers. Some are already reaching 265 miles on a single charge. With battery prices plummeting and charging stations set to multiply, one company stands out as the #1 stock to buy according to Zacks research. It's not the one you think. See This Ticker 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 CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (CNP) : Free Stock Analysis Report Pinnacle West Capital Corporation (PNW) : Free Stock Analysis Report Hawaiian Electric Industries, Inc. (HE) : Free Stock Analysis Report NRG Energy, Inc. (NRG) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research A customer exits after shopping at a Macy's store in the Brooklyn borough of New York, U.S., May 11, 2017. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid (Reuters) By Sruthi Ramakrishnan (Reuters) - Early holiday sales forecasts are indicating a largely stronger season for retailers than last year, helped by higher online sales and increasing spending power due to a strong labor market. Deloitte said it expects holiday sales to grow 4 percent to 4.5 percent over last year's shopping season. Less than 11 percent of the $1.04 trillion to $1.05 trillion in total sales is expected to come from ecommerce, the consultancy estimated. Ecommerce sales comprised about 19 percent of total retail sales last year, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF). The NRF, a group that includes large and small retail business owners, said in January that holiday sales had grown 4 percent last year to $658.3 billion. The industry group is yet to put out its holiday sales forecast for this year. Analytics firm RetailNext forecast 3.8 percent growth in holiday sales, while consulting firm AlixPartners on Wednesday forecast sales to grow 3.5 percent to 4.4 percent. Disposable personal income is expected to grow 3.8 percent to 4.2 percent, from 2 percent last year, Deloitte's senior U.S. economist, Daniel Bachman, said in a statement. "Consumer confidence remains elevated, the labor market is strong and the personal savings rate should remain stable at its current low level," he said. Online sales are expected to grow 18-21 percent to $111 billion to $114 billion, according to Deloitte, while RetailNext expects a 14.9 percent jump. Major retailers including Target are set to hire thousands of workers this holiday season to improve customer service on their sales floors and handle the fast-growing use of their stores to fulfill online orders. However, Wal-Mart Stores Inc said on Wednesday it would not hire temporary workers in the holiday season for the second straight year but will offer extra hours to its employees. Deloitte cautioned that the threat of a government debt-ceiling crisis or an increase in savings rate could hamper consumer spending. (Reporting by Sruthi Ramakrishnan in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel) NEW YORK (Reuters) - The House Financial Services Committee is seeking information about certain Equifax Inc options trades made weeks before the credit reporting company disclosed a data breach, according to CNBC report on Wednesday. Equifax options drew an unusually large trade less than three weeks before Sept. 7, when Equifax disclosed that personal details of as many as 143 million U.S. consumers were accessed by hackers between mid-May and July. On Aug. 21, 2,500 put contracts betting on Equifax shares dipping below $135 by Sept. 15 traded for a total price of about $181,000. By end of trading on Sept. 8, these puts were worth about $2.6 million, according to options analytics firm Trade Alert data. Buying of put options conveys the right to sell shares at a fixed price in the future and indicates a bearish bias, while selling puts would imply a bullish outlook. While the size of the trade was far in excess of the stock's average daily trading volume at that time of less than 50 contracts a day, it was not immediately clear whether the trader bought or sold these options. A lawyer for the committee has reached out to traders, looking for a possible explanation for the spike in options trading, according to an unnamed source familiar with the inquiry, the CNBC report said. The committee did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Options activity has been known to spike before the public announcement of information that moves stock prices, and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has in the past announced enforcement action for alleged insider trading involving options. A spokeswoman for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission declined to comment. (Reporting by Saqib Iqbal Ahmed; Additional reporting by Patrick Rucker in Washington; Editing by Jonathan Oatis) Mario Queiroz and Rick Osterloh of Google, HTC CEO Cher Wang and CFO Peter Shen at today's press conference at HTC headquarters. The $1.1 billion cooperation deal announced today between HTC and Google ended months of speculation, but prompted new questions. Chief among them is how exactly will the agreement affect HTC, which has dealt with a series of setbacks and lackluster earnings over the past few years. In a press conference today at HTCs headquarters in Xindian, New Taipei City, the company said it remains committed to its own products, including smartphones and Vive, and will continue developing them even after 2,000 HTC employeesnearly a fifth of its current staffmove to Google as part of the deal. Chief executive officer and chairwoman Cher Wang and chief financial officer Peter Shen represented HTC at the press event, while Google was repped by Rick Osterloh, senior vice president of hardware, and Mario Queiroz, vice president of product management. The deal, which is expected to close by the beginning of next year pending regulatory approval, stipulates that HTC will receive $1.1 billion in cash from Google. About 2,000 HTC employees, many of whom had been working on the Pixel smartphone, will join Google. In addition, Google will enter a non-exclusive licensing agreement for HTC intellectual property. Wang said Google is a world-class company known for respecting talent and innovation. Our agreement means that powered by HTC, Pixels DNA will spread out further into the world and allow Taiwan to get more investment. The deal will help Google build its new hardware strategy after years of partnering with companies like HTC, Lenovo and Motorola Mobility (which it bought for $12.5 billion in 2011) to develop devices. Furthermore, the 2,000 employees that will receive offers to move over to Google represent about 19 percent of HTCs total workforce (according to its site, it had 10,652 employees as of the end of March). Story continues When asked what it means that Google and HTC will continue to be smartphone rivals even after Google hires away such a large percentage of HTCs tech talent, Shen said that HTCs collaboration with Google means it will continue to work with employees who are moving over. Osterloh added There are many more areas for cooperation than competition between HTC and Google, on many different surfaces including Android. The agreement may have some market overlap with smartphones, but clearly we operate in different geographies, so there are more opportunities for cooperation than competition. Ironically, the Pixel isnt available in Taiwanor at least a launch date hasnt been announced yeteven though HTC and Google began working together on hardware 10 years ago. While specific details about employee offers arent available yet, Osterloh noted that Google wants to minimize disruption to their lives and said the staffers will significantly expand Googles presence in Taiwan, so its reasonable to assume that most wont have to move to Silicon Valley. Near the end of the press conference, Osterloh said Pixel would not have been possible without HTC. Were very excited about what we can do with this agreement over the next five, 10, 20 years, he said. Winning in the long run is why we signed this agreement with HTC. Wang said HTC will continue developing its U series of premium smartphones and Vive. Osterloh added that Google did not have any announcements about virtual reality to make today, but it remains something that it may collaborate on with HTC in the future. HTC has issued a trading halt on its stock, effective tomorrow, as its set to make a major announcement to shareholders. The announcement ties in perfectly with existing rumors that Google has agreed a deal to take over HTCs smartphone business. A deal would see Google acquire engineering and manufacturing assets to produce smartphones, but leave HTCs brand and peripherals business especially its VR divison intact going forwards. Don't Miss: This is the $20 Echo Dot accessory you had no idea you needed Todays concrete news comes from the Taiwan Stock Exchange Corporation (TWSE), which announced HTCs trading ban this morning. The TWSE said HTCs trading ban tomorrow was linked to the release of material information to shareholders. According to notorious mobile leaker Evan Blass, the announcement will be made at HTCs headquarters. HTC is expected to announce that Google will acquire the companys smartphone business, including engineering assets. The deal makes obvious sense for both companies. HTCs profits have been weighed down by the smartphone division for years. The company has failed to compete for the high-end smartphone market, with the market totally dominated by Samsung currently. Unlike other rivals, its also failed to find a profit selling mid-range handsets to the developing world, and its been left in limbo. HTCs recent phones have been good and innovative in their own way, but without the resources of Samsung and with limited distribution channels, theres not much hope. Google, on the other hand, is progressively ramping up its own smartphone business. The Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL are expected to be debuted on October 3rd, alongside other Google hardware like a new Chromebook and VR headsets. The Pixel 2 is expected to be a device designed by Google but made by HTC, so Google buying out HTCs smartphone engineering arm is just a logical extension of that agreement. Of course, this isnt Googles first time meddling in the smartphone business. It previously bought and then quickly offloaded Motorola Mobility, which has led many to question whether buying another phone business is a good idea. Story continues But Motorola and HTC are two very different propositions. Moto was a larger business with its own distinct brand, including strengths in budget smartphones. Google wants HTC so it can churn out a distinct flagship device to showcase the very best of Android. Similar companies, very different plans. Trending right now: See the original version of this article on BGR.com HTC is to suspend trading of its stock on the TWSE tomorrow, ahead of what it says will be the release of "material information" pertaining to its business. The news was reported earlier by the FT. The move has spiked speculation about a potential sale of HTC's mobile division, with the Taiwanese device maker struggling for years to try to turn around its fortunes in the fiercely competitive smartphone market. In recent years loss-making quarters have become the norm for HTC, which posted its first ever loss making quarter in Q3 2013. And despite management changes, portfolio trimming and even pushing into a new product category (VR, via a partnership with games publisher Valve) it has been unable to pull its business out of a long slide. Media reports in Asia have recently linked Google's parent company Alphabet with a possible acquisition of HTC's mobile business. And a note on HTC's investor website references speculation in the China Times that "HTC might announce the sale to Google" -- going on to specify its "countermeasure" to this report is to state: "HTC does not comment on market rumor or speculation". If Google is indeed set to pick up HTC's smartphone division it would not be the first time it's swooped in to try to salvage one of its Android OEMs. The company acquired Motorola Mobility in 2011, shelling out $12.5BN on the purchase. Then in 2014 it sold the division to Lenovo for $2.91BN -- holding on to "the vast majority" of Motorola's patent portfolio. Smartphone leaker Evan Blass has tweeted that he's been sent a copy of an internal HTC invite for employees to a town hall meeting tomorrow -- which apparently includes "Google acquisition" as one of the topics. [1] Someone sent me a copy of an internal invitation to an HTC employee Town Hall meeting tmrw (9/21). One alleged topic: Google acquisition Evan Blass (@evleaks) September 20, 2017 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Blass says the same source further claims the deal that the two companies have finalized will see Google acquire "certain hardware engineering assets" from HTC, while the latter retains its brand -- and will focus on VR and the Vive. We've reached out to Google for comment and will update this post with any response. Armed with gifts from the greatest Hindu gods, goddess Durga turned into the ultimate warrior and protector of good. By Shreya Goswami: It doesn't matter if you celebrate her through Navratri or Durga Puja, worship her in the form of Shere Wali Maa or Mahishasurmardini, keep a nine-day-long fast or just a two-day one--but celebrating the magnificence of goddess Durga is just what thise festive season is about. The ten-armed warrior goddess symbolises everything that the world needs to defeat evil, and devotees appreciate the contribution she has made for our good. But do we know how maa Durga came to be, what her purpose was, and how she won the battle against one of the popular demon-kings from Hindu mythology? A typical representation of Durga. Picture courtesy: Pinterest/Dolls of India Art Store advertisement In case you are one of those who don't, here's everything you need to know about the goddess who was created by the gods to get a major victory of good over evil. Also Read: What is Navratri? What do these nine days of festivities mean? Mahishasura, the demon-king Mahishasura was the son of king Ramba, an asura who performed severe penance to get the boon of an invincible son from Lord Agni, the fire god. Ramba's penance was successful, and Agni told him that his son would not be defeated by any man, god or animal. Agni also revealed that the boon would get stronger if Ramba's son got it straight from Lord Brahma, the creator god. So when Mahishasura performed his share of austerities for Brahma, the god blessed him with what can be considered invincibility--that he cannot be killed by any man, god or animal. Mahishasura then went on to expand his kingdom on earth, and once that was achieved, set out to conquer the heaven, or Indralok, as well. A Nepali representation of Durga killing Mahishasura. Picture courtesy: Pinterest/fineartamerica.com He was able to quickly rout the devas, who managed to escape and appealed to the tridevas--Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. The tridevas realised there was a loophole in Mahishasura's boon, and that he could be defeated by a woman. That is when the consorts of the three great gods of Hinduism, Devis Saraswati, Lakshmi and Parvati--the three incarnations of Adi Shakti, or the primordial feminine power--conjoined to create the ultimate feminine warrior, Durga. Also Read: Navratri diet is one of the healthiest, if you do it the right way The making of Durga Durga, literally meaning the protector, was born to defeat the conquerer-king, Mahishasura. Once Saraswati, Lakshmi and Parvati combined to incarnate as Durga, the ten-armed super-goddess received gifts and boons from the other gods. A representation of Durga from Bengal. Picture courtesy: Pinterest/Olga Germanenko Shiva gave her his trident, Vishnu gave her his Sudarshan Chakra, and Brahma gave her his kamandalam of holy water and wisdom. Indra gave her his vajra, Varuna gave her his conch, Agni gave her a missile or spear, Vayu gave her a bow and arrows, Vishwakarma gave her his axe and an armour, and the lord of the mountains gave her a lion. advertisement The representations of Durga, whether it's her idols or pictures, carry all these weapons and more. Here is a list of the weapons she carries: 1. Trident or trishul: The three-headed sharp weapon is said to symbolise the three gunas humankind is made of, tamas, rajas and sattva. 2. Discus or Sudarshan Chakra: Vishnu's gift symbolises the centre of creation. 3. Thunderbolt or vajra: Indra's gift symbolises firmness of character, determination, and supreme power. 4. Conch: The conch is the symbol of the primordial sound of creation, Aum. 5. Spear: While a spear symbolises auspiciousness, this gift of Agni also represents pure, fiery power. 6. Sword: Symbolising intellect and wisdom, this weapon is usually carried by people who have a sense of responsibility and the understanding to discern right from worng. 7. Bow and arrows: This combination of potential and kinetic powers symbolises energy. 8. Club or axe: Representations of Durga alternate between these two weapons. Both symbolise the powers of Vishwakarma, and have the power to destroy as well as create. 9. Lotus: The lotus is the symbol of Brahma, and represents wisdom, as well as liberation through knowledge. 10. Snake: While a lot of representations of Durga show one hand empty in blessing, or holding the trishul to kill Mahishasura, the tenth hand is actually supposed to be holding a snake. It symbolises consciousness and the masculine energy of Shiva. The weapons that Durga carries. Picture courtesy: Pinterest/deviyogaforwomen.com advertisement You may not consider the lion, Durga's vehicle, as a weapon. But think about it, isn't a lion a boon to have? The king of the jungle has ferociousness to lead in battle, and the benevolence to forgive past mistakes--a true king. So it won't be wrong to say that maa Durga carries ten awesome weapons and sits on the king of all animals to go into battle against evil. Isn't that just what makes her the most powerful and popular goddess in India? --- ENDS --- NAIROBI (Reuters) - Police sealed off roads near Kenya's Supreme Court on Wednesday as judges prepared to deliver a detailed ruling laying out their reasons for annulling last month's presidential election. Voters are anxious to find out whether the vote was voided on procedural grounds -- the court has already said in its brief Sept. 1 ruling that some tallying sheets were not signed or officially stamped -- or whether there was evidence of systematic rigging. Election board officials had said incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta won by 1.5 million votes, but that was rejected by opposition leader Raila Odinga, who says the 2017 election -- and the previous two -- were stolen from him. The court ordered a fresh vote to be held within 60 days. Kenyatta promised to respect the ruling although he has repeatedly criticised it harshly. On Tuesday evening, Deputy President William Ruto tweeted: "So has CJ taken sides? Listening to the tone, language & drift of (Chief Justice David) Maraga's lecture the only phrase missing is NASA HAO! TIBIN! & TIALALA!" -- phrases that are a rallying call for the opposition coalition. Earlier, the chief justice had told a press conference that judges were getting death threats and the police were not offering adequate protection, an allegation that the chief of police denied. Also on Tuesday, police also used tear gas to disperse supporters of the ruling party protesting outside the Supreme Court. In a couple of towns, ruling party supporters used stones to block main roads. Police have said they will disperse any such protests on Wednesday. (Reporting by George Obulutsa and Humphrey Malalo; Writing by Katharine Houreld; Editing by Catherine Evans) Melania Trump Melania Trump's address to the spouses of world leaders of the United Nations on Wednesday resulted in an unexpected strain of backlash. While the first lady addressed issues of bullying, much of the discussion following the speech was about Trump's dress: a $2,950 bright-pink Delpozo, with voluminous sleeves that billowed out behind the podium. Trump covered serious issues that need to be addressed. For the speech to be derailed by discussion of the dress reveals a crucial misstep by the first lady. What I learned today from Melania Trump: Never dress like a bright pink hot air balloon. Enough (@ehartman1975) September 20, 2017 The dress Melania Trump wore during her anti-bullying speech was puffy because it was stuffed with irony. pic.twitter.com/S9rwlJlva8 The Incredible Sulk (@TurnUp_TheTweet) September 20, 2017 Just watched Melania Trump speech. For some reason it made me think of the blueberry girl from Willy Wonka. #FLOTUSpic.twitter.com/ohOHxFdXRY Elaine (@rosalita2740) September 20, 2017 "First lady Melania Trump became a victim of cyberbullies after she donned a hot pink, oversized dress to a United Nations luncheon Wednesday, where she gave a speech about the dangers of bullying," Fox News reported. While we don't condone any cyberbullying of the first lady, we noticed something peculiar about the dress. From a purely stylistic perspective, this looked like a rare misstep for the typically fashionable first lady. While critics may find fault with the cost of her clothing, Trump usually looks quite sharp. Avowedly "apolitical" fashion Instagram accounts chart her looks, and conservative-leaning media outlets regularly celebrate her style. Story continues However, behind the podium on Wednesday, Trump looked as though she had been enveloped by a hot-air balloon. On overly bright monitors, it appeared as if her dress were half of a wide oval. It looks "oversized" and is even described as such in an article defending the first lady. If you zoom out, it's a different story. Photos of Trump entering the UN luncheon show her in a well-fitted dress balanced stylishly by billowing sleeves. It's clear the dress isn't oversized. The problem with the outfit is that it is incredibly ill-suited for speaking behind a podium. Trump is typically measured and strategic in her fashion choices. This slip-up says more about her lack of public-speaking experience than her fashion knowledge. She knows how to dress she just didn't fully think about how things would look through the lenses of cameras focused on the podium. Michelle Melania It's a mistake reminiscent of various "scandals" surrounding Michelle Obama. More than once, there were controversies about Obama's fashion choices like her wearing shorts on Air Force One, or $500 sneakers that distracted from issues the first lady would have preferred to discuss. However, one area where Obama never struggled was in public speaking. In fact, Trump once copied parts of a speech by Obama. Trump's misinformed fashion choice isn't a problem. But it does reveal something about the first lady: a lack of public-speaking experience, which would serve her well to develop. Related: For more news videos visit Yahoo View, available on iOS and Android. NOW WATCH: Cheetos opened a 'fine-dining' restaurant in NYC here's what it was like More From Business Insider Amassing six figures in savings within a few years might seem impossible if you are mired in debt or dont make big bucks. But thats exactly what Richard Meadows pulled off at the age of 26. The business journalist achieved his goal of saving $100,000 in about four years despite carrying student loan debt and working in a field not known for lucrative salaries, he explained on his blog. Accomplishing that goal involved multiple wealth-building methods paying off his debts, teaching himself the basics of investing and overhauling his spending, for example. But Meadows traces his success back to starting a single simple habit: tracking his wealth. As he told CNBC last year, If youre not measuring something, then you dont have that feedback loop. You dont know whether youre heading in the right direction. How he did it Meadows was writing about net worth for work when he became curious about his own. He computed his net worth only to find it was a negative number. My savings and other assets were completely wiped out by my debts and then some, he wrote. That realization prompted Meadows to scrutinize every aspect of his finances while keeping in mind his desire to ditch the traditional 9-to-5 work life. He also started tracking his net worth monthly, which helped keep him motivated along the way to his $100,000 goal: Things really started humming along after I customized a spreadsheet to track my net worth. Every month I got a little buzz out of seeing the number climb higher and higher. I could also tell if progress was slowing, and give myself a metaphorical kick in the butt as required. Watch the video of A Millennial Saved 0,000 With This Simple Habit on MoneyTalksNews.com. How and why you should track your net worth Your net worth is basically a dollar figure equal to your assets minus your liabilities. Or as Money Talks News founder Stacy Johnson puts it in 21 Steps to More Leisure and Less Labor in Your Life, your net worth is what you own minus what you owe. Story continues So to compute your net worth, you must add up your assets and add up your liabilities. Then subtract your total liabilities from your total assets. Thats it. Examples of assets include the money in your bank and investment accounts, as well as the value of possessions you own, namely homes and vehicles. Examples of liabilities include any outstanding debts, such as credit card debt and loans. To track your net worth, create your own spreadsheet as Meadows did. Or, look for a budgeting app that features net worth computation. Some such apps are free. Meadows road to financial freedom is based on a universal financial lesson we often emphasize. Here is Meadows take on it: Sorry to disappoint, but there is no magical way of getting rich. The true secret is simple: Live on less than you earn. Save and invest the difference, and let compound interest do its thing. Stacy explains this concept in even simpler terms in The 10 Golden Rules of Becoming a Millionaire: Becoming wealthier each month is as simple as spending less than you make. And yes, you guessed it getting poorer is as simple as spending more than you make. Do track your finances? Let us know what has worked for you by commenting below or on Facebook. This article was originally published on MoneyTalksNews.com as 'A Millennial Saved $100,000 With This Simple Habit'. More from Money Talks News High carbon generating fossil fuels no longer attract investors as its demand has started to decline. People are looking for cleaner energy sources now. Usage of natural gas along with solar, wind and water power has increased manifold in the last 10 years and so have investments in them. Why the Surge in Demand? Carbon dioxide emissions from gas are much less than coal. Also, emission of nitrogen oxide and other health-harming particles is lower by more than 75%. Thus, it has become an important resource in the fight against air pollution and climate change. Though nuclear energy is also a source of clean power, it has its limitations. The danger of exposure to the harmful radiation deters many. Also, the transition from oil to renewable sources will take a long time. This is where natural gas can act as a bridge. It is expected to become the most vital energy source by mid-2030. Many large cap companies who can afford the transition are already investing in gas and associated research and development projects. Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) supply is expected to increase by 50% in the 2014-2021 time period. What Supports the Surge? Natural gas supply has increased rapidly in the last few years across the world. It is cheaper than most of the other sources when it comes to power generation and easily available. The United States is the largest producer in the world at present. Huge supply from the country pushed LNG prices down globally. To transform the supplied LNG into gas economically, floating storage and regasification units ("FSRU") have been built along the coastlines around the world, which are cheaper than building permanent onshore terminals. In the last decade, LNG importing countries nearly doubled to 35 due to FSRUs making gas imports affordable. While making a terminal would cost a country $500 million and also take four years, FSRUs can be put in place within 18 months. For example, France's integrated energy company Total S.A. TOT is now building a FSRU and associated gas pipelines in Ivory Coast. Story continues As far as gas consumption is concerned, it has grown rapidly across the world. Global gas consumption grew 63 billion cubic meters (bcm) in 2016. Gas consumption in the European Union, the Middle East and China has risen by 30 bcm, 19 bcm and 16 bcm, respectively, while Russia and Brazil witnessed a slight decline in consumption. LNG Trade Scenario Last year, a record volume of 258 metric tons (MT) of LNG were globally-traded, up 13.1 MT from 2015. The International Gas Union believes this record will be broken repeatedly in the next few years as more plants are scheduled to come online around the world. Companies in Focus European oil major, Royal Dutch Shell plc RDS.A has started moving forward with its Prelude floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) facility in north-west Australia. It has a production capacity of around 5.3 million tons per annum (mtpa) of liquids, with LNG accounting for 3.6 mtpa or 68% of the total capacity. Production in projects worth $14 billion is likely to start in early 2018. Smaller rival oil giant BP plc BP has 16 new projects lined up for the period 2017-2021. Among these, 12 projects are more focused on gas than oil. The company presently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. The world's largest publicly traded oil company, ExxonMobil Corporation XOM is operating in Papua New Guinea's $19 billion PNG LNG joint venture, where LNG production started in 2014. China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation or Sinopec SNP is one of the major customers of this project that produces approximately 7.9 million tons of LNG per year. Another big player in the LNG industry is Chevron Corporation CVX. The company has invested millions of dollars in the Australian coasts in multiple projects. Chevron is the major shareholder in the Gorgon Project in Australia, which is said to contain around 35.3 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, with a 60-year life span. Conclusion Although natural gas is considered the best alternative to high carbon emitting fuels, investment in gas is currently witnessing lower returns due to a supply glut. Production from the American shale plays and Australian coasts have significantly increased over the last few years. The oversupplied LNG market has positioned buyers in the drivers seat. They are now demanding more flexible contracts from the producers. However, the role of natural gas in bridging the energy gap and making the transition smooth is too significant to overlook. Will You Make a Fortune on the Shift to Electric Cars? Here's another stock idea to consider. Much like petroleum 150 years ago, lithium power may soon shake the world, creating millionaires and reshaping geo-politics. Soon electric vehicles (EVs) may be cheaper than gas guzzlers. Some are already reaching 265 miles on a single charge. With battery prices plummeting and charging stations set to multiply, one company stands out as the #1 stock to buy according to Zacks research. It's not the one you think. See This Ticker 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 China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (SNP) : Free Stock Analysis Report BP p.l.c. (BP) : Free Stock Analysis Report Chevron Corporation (CVX) : Free Stock Analysis Report TotalFinaElf, S.A. (TOT) : Free Stock Analysis Report Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDS.A) : Free Stock Analysis Report Exxon Mobil Corporation (XOM) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Downtown Newark, N.J. [Photo credit: Flickr] New York, San Francisco and Denver have all been heralded as the best city for Amazons new second headquarters, HQ2. But what about Newark? Yes, the city in New Jersey. The state, like many others trying to land the estimated 50,000 new jobs and $5 billion in investment, plans to submit a bid by the Oct. 19 deadline. And Newark is the states best chance of winning. If you peruse Amazons eight-page request for proposals, Newark meets all the minimum criteria outlined. New Jerseys largest city is accessible to tech talent (its home to New Jersey Institute of Technology, abuts Rutgers University, is about 60 minutes away from Princeton University, and is a brief commute from New York Citys major academic institutions), has an airport and several other transit links (train lines, interstate highways and ports), and maybe most importantly, has affordable shovel-ready sites for the eventual 8 million-square-foot, $5 billion complex that would rival Amazons Seattle headquarters. Newark has a world-class port and a depth of resources, says Andrew Sidamon-Eristoff, former New Jersey state treasurer who wrote an opinion piece earlier this week touting Newarks worthiness. At the same time, it does not have the kinds of pricing pressures [real estate and living costs] that would be a barrier somewhere else. Mini Amazon campus already exists Amazon already has a foothold in Newark. In 2008, Amazon acquired Newark-based Audible, an online seller of audiobooks, for $300 million. It has since maintained the subsidiarys headquarters there. In fact, Audible is redeveloping a historic church in the city for its new home. And thats just a fraction of Amazons presence in New Jersey. The company has taken more space there than in neighboring states New York or Connecticut. In the past five years, Amazon has built more than 5 million square feet of warehousing/distribution space and has 13,000 full-time employees in New Jersey, according to a report by Moodys Investors Services. Story continues Total square footage of Amazon facilities in New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut. [Sources: Moodys Investors Service, Amazon Press Releases] While Newark is located north of these Amazon facilities, it could be an ideal location because it is going through somewhat of a revitalization. (In the past, Newark has been plagued by crime, poverty and high unemployment.) Some $2 billion worth of real estate development, including 2,000 units of housing, is planned or underway in the city. Among those projects is developer Lotus Equity Groups redevelopment of the Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium, which will be transformed into an 8-acre mixed-use project with office and housing. Rendering of Lotus Equity Groups mixed-use project at Bears & Eagles Stadium in Newark, N.J. [Image credit: PAU] Ben Korman, CEO and founder of Lotus, has been speaking to the city of Newark to possibly become the centerpiece of the Newarks bid. Lotuss plans for 500,000 square feet of office space could accommodate Amazons first phase for HQ2. Newark has tremendous infrastructure, said Korman There are quite a few sites available that are positioned well for being a tech campus. Amazon HQ2 would give Newark a much-needed boost as developers like Korman help the city become a 24/7 community. Most believe the local government would be willing to provide generous, competitive tax incentives to lure the company. Currently, a few major companies, Panasonic Corp of North America s headquarters, Public Service Enterprise Group and Prudential Financial, call the city home. Dark horse or longshot But while Newark scores high when it comes to transit (United Airlines hub is at Newark International Airport with direct flights to Seattle) and some would argue access to tech talent, the city is not seen as a real contender. Amazon will end up picking a city where young people want to live, like Manhattan, says Scott Galloway, a marketing professor at NYU Stern School of Business. The reality is Newark has a bad brand. While Whole Foods Market recently opened in Newark and celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson will debut a restaurant there, Newark as The New York Times recently put it, has been a symbol of Americas decaying cities for decades. Perhaps an Amazon headquarters is just what Newark needs to revitalize its image. Amanda Fung is an editor at Yahoo Finance. President Trump had strong warnings for North Korea in his speech at the United Nations on Tuesday, telling world leaders, 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. State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert told the FOX Business Networks Maria Bartiromo that the administration is continuing to work on diplomatic and economic options to stop the threat from North Korea. Diplomacy is the preferred option, when I say that, that means we still have a lot of tools in our tool kit that we can deal with North Korea. A lot of people like to focus on the military option, but at the State Department where I work, were pushing forward with the diplomacy, Nauert said on Mornings with Maria. According to Nauert, the State Department has been stepping up efforts to stop the money flowing into North Korea. From a business point of view, were really focusing on removing the money that goes into North Korea, that goes into Kim Jong Uns regime, into the nuclear and ballistic missile programs, that are illegal by the way, and trying to solve the problem of getting money out of that nation, he doesnt share it with his people. One method employed by the State Department limits the number of North Korean guest workers in other countries. What these people do, they go to these nations and theyll do construction jobs, but does the money go into their own pockets? The answer is, without a doubt, no. It is confiscated, the vast majority of it, by North Korea. Nauert says there have been efforts to remove North Korean diplomats from other countries as well. In terms of what we call the peaceful pressure campaign, were still pushing ahead with that and were seeing a lot of success. You will see small headlines not getting a lot of news about different nations kicking out an ambassador, cutting down the number of guest workers and you see it every single day. Story continues Nauert pointed out that North Korea is not just a concern for the United States. This is not the United States problem with North Korea, its the worlds problem with North Korea. Nauert says the Trump administration is also reviewing the nuclear deal the Obama administration signed with Iran. This nuclear deal failed to look at the totality of all the bad actions that Iran is responsible for and so we think a broader approach, a broader look at Iran is necessary as we look forward to trying to have world security. Related Articles North Korea's top diplomat issued a disparaging response to President Donald Trump on Thursday, likening his United Nations speech to "the sound of a barking dog." In his first speech to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday , Trump said he would "totally destroy" North Korea if the isolated regime threatened the U.S. or its allies. "If he was thinking he could scare us with the sound of a dog barking, that's really a dog dream," Ri Yong Ho, North Korean Foreign minister, told reporters near the UN headquarters in New York.In Korean, a "dog dream" is one that typically refers to something absurd or unrealistic.'Rocket man is on a suicide mission'Pyongyang has continued to develop its nuclear and weapons program in spite of international condemnation and a UN ban."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 UN."North Korea's reckless pursuit of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles threatens the entire world with unthinkable loss of human life ... No nation on Earth has an interest in seeing this band of criminals arm itself with a nuclear weapon and missiles," he added. When speaking about North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Trump said, "Rocket man is on a suicide mission for himself and his regime." North Korea's top diplomat issued a disparaging response to President Donald Trump on Thursday, likening his United Nations speech to "the sound of a barking dog." In his first speech to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday , Trump said he would "totally destroy" North Korea if the isolated regime threatened the U.S. or its allies. "If he was thinking he could scare us with the sound of a dog barking, that's really a dog dream," Ri Yong Ho, North Korean Foreign minister, told reporters near the UN headquarters in New York. In Korean, a "dog dream" is one that typically refers to something absurd or unrealistic. 'Rocket man is on a suicide mission' Pyongyang has continued to develop its nuclear and weapons program in spite of international condemnation and a UN ban. "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 UN. "North Korea's reckless pursuit of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles threatens the entire world with unthinkable loss of human life ... No nation on Earth has an interest in seeing this band of criminals arm itself with a nuclear weapon and missiles," he added. When speaking about North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Trump said, "Rocket man is on a suicide mission for himself and his regime." More From CNBC The Madhya Pradesh energy department recently awarded a solar plant installation contract to the daughter and daughter-in-law of the state energy minister Paras Jain. There are allegations that the minister used his position to help his family win the contract. By Hemender Sharma: The Madhya Pradesh Urja Vikas Nigam has empaneled a company owned by the state energy minister's family for rooftop solar plant installation. The Opposition Congress has alleged that a scam is being perpetrated under the Shivraj Singh Chouhan BJP government. The minister and his family, however, have said that the process of awarding the contract was transparent and have brushed aside allegations of conflict of interest. advertisement The Urja Vikas Nigam has earmarked Rs 180 crores for solar installation plants and the company Infinity Energy Solutions, owned by the daughter and daughter-in-law of energy minister Paras Jain, has already been completed work worth Rs 3 crores. Paras Jain is the minister for Power and New and Renewable energy in Madhya Pradesh. His daughter Swati and daughter-in-law Pooja run the company called Infinity energy solutions that works in the field of solar energy. The Urja Vikas Nigam for first issued a tender for installing of a rooftop solar grid in June 2016. In July 2016, Infinity Solutions got the sales tax TIN (a number that dealers who must pay VAT need to get). It is being alleged that under pressure from Paras Jain, the deadline for tender applications was extended twice to ensure participation of Infinity Energy sSolutions. The tender was finally awarded in December 2016 when Infinity Energy Solutions was chosen for the 30-megawatt solar plant installation project worth Rs 180 crores. The company has already executed works worth over Rs 3 crores. The minister's daughter-in-law Pooja, however, sees nothing wrong in her working in the energy sector. "There was complete transparency in the tendering process. The tenders were issued online and we got orders because we had quoted the lowest rates," Pooja said, while talking to India Today. Paras Jain has been the Madhya Pradesh power minister since July 2016 and even though he technically oversees the Urja Vikas Nigam, Paras Jain sees nothing wrong in his daughter and daughter-in-law working for the energy department. "First of all I have nothing to do with the tendering process. The company was formed before I became the energy minister and secondly there was complete transparency in the tendering process. I Just want to ask one question... do children of ministers have no right to do business with transparency and as per law?" Paras Jain said, while talking to India Today. The opposition Congress, however, is not convinced with the minister's stand and has called it yet another scam from the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government. advertisement "What transparency is the minister talking about, it is his department in which his family members are being awarded tenders worth crores. The minister should immediately resign as the chief minister talks about zero tolerance for corruption," Congress spokesman KK Mishra while talking to India Today said. CM Chouhan has not yet spoken on the issue. --- ENDS --- U.S. West Texas Intermediate and international-benchmark Brent crude oil futures closed higher on Wednesday, despite a government report showing a rise in U.S. crude inventories after the Iraqi oil minister said OPEC and its non-OPEC oil producing partners were considering extending or deepening output cuts. November WTI crude oil futures settled at $50.73, up $0.83 or +1.66% and December Brent crude oil futures closed at $55.86, up $0.96 or +1.75%. Daily November West Texas Intermediate Crude Oil According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, U.S. stockpiles jumped the week-ending September 15 as imports and production increased, as operations resumed from the impact of Hurricane Harvey which hit the Texas Gulf Coast on August 25. Crude inventories rose for a third straight week, building by 4.6 million barrels. Traders had priced in a 2.8 million barrel build. Gasoline stocks fell 2.1 million barrels, in line with analysts expectations while distillate stocks inventories fell 5.7 million barrels, the biggest weekly draw since November 2011. Daily December Brent Crude Forecast November WTI crude prices rose to $51.11 on Wednesday, its highest price since May 25, but the market is still trading well short of its high that day at $52.62. The positive is that the market remains firmly above the major support at $50.30. This price is currently controlling the direction of the market. I expect to see the upside bias sustained as long as prices remain above $50.30. If buyers stop supporting the market at this price, we could see a pullback into at least $48.87. On Friday, OPEC and its producer friends meet in Vienna to discuss the progress of their deal to limit production, trim the global supply and stabilize prices. The group will be trying to decide if it wants to extend the agreement or even deepen the price cuts. Some producers think OPEC should extend the pact another three or four months, others want it to run until the end of 2018, while some, including Ecuador and Iraq, think there should be another round of supply cuts. Story continues Going into the meeting, the crude oil market appears to be underpinned so I think investors will be disappointed if nothing is accomplished. This could encourage investors to take profits or pare positions. The key level to watch is still $50.30. A sustained move over this level will indicate buyers are looking for an extension. A sustained move under it will indicate that doubts have emerged. This article was originally posted on FX Empire More From FXEMPIRE: Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort offered to brief a Russian billionaire with Kremlin ties on the 2016 campaign, people familiar with the discussions told The Washington Post. Jason Maloni, spokesman for Manafort, confirmed to NBC News that the emails first reported by the Post were authentic and have been turned over to congressional committees. Investigators are examining Russian efforts to influence the 2016 election and any potential ties to the Trump campaign. Manafort was Trump's campaign chief at the time of the emails.The billionaire, Oleg Deripaska, had done business with Manafort in the past, the Post said, citing sources.The Post also reported that Manafort had referred to his positive press and growing reputation when asking, "How do we use to get whole?"Maloni said the interaction was innocuous and that Manafort had been referring to money he believed he was owed by Eastern European clients."It is no secret Mr. Manafort was owed money by past clients after his work ended in 2014," Maloni told NBC News. "This exchange is innocuous."The former Trump campaign chairman has fallen under further scrutiny after it was revealed he attended a meeting with a Russian lawyer at Trump Tower last year. The president's son Donald Trump Jr. and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, were also present.The younger Trump agreed to the meeting after getting offered dirt on Hillary Clinton as part of "Russia and its government's support" for his father's campaign, according to emails he released.Read the full report in The Washington Post. NBC News contributed reporting.WATCH: FBI raided Manafort's home in July Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort offered to brief a Russian billionaire with Kremlin ties on the 2016 campaign, people familiar with the discussions told The Washington Post. Jason Maloni, spokesman for Manafort, confirmed to NBC News that the emails first reported by the Post were authentic and have been turned over to congressional committees. Investigators are examining Russian efforts to influence the 2016 election and any potential ties to the Trump campaign. Manafort was Trump's campaign chief at the time of the emails. The billionaire, Oleg Deripaska, had done business with Manafort in the past, the Post said, citing sources. The Post also reported that Manafort had referred to his positive press and growing reputation when asking, "How do we use to get whole?" Maloni said the interaction was innocuous and that Manafort had been referring to money he believed he was owed by Eastern European clients. "It is no secret Mr. Manafort was owed money by past clients after his work ended in 2014," Maloni told NBC News. "This exchange is innocuous." The former Trump campaign chairman has fallen under further scrutiny after it was revealed he attended a meeting with a Russian lawyer at Trump Tower last year. The president's son Donald Trump Jr. and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, were also present. The younger Trump agreed to the meeting after getting offered dirt on Hillary Clinton as part of "Russia and its government's support" for his father's campaign, according to emails he released. Read the full report in The Washington Post. NBC News contributed reporting. WATCH: FBI raided Manafort's home in July More From CNBC Paul Manafort While serving as Donald Trump's campaign chairman, Paul Manafort offered to provide "private briefings" about the campaign to a Russian billionaire allied with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to The Washington Post. The Post said it was read correspondence including parts of an email sent July 7, 2016, that was handed over to Robert Mueller, the special counsel leading the FBI's investigation into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia during the 2016 election. Manafort wrote the email to one of his employees at the time, Konstantin Kilimnik, a Ukrainian operative who has also come under FBI scrutiny in recent months. Politico reported on Wednesday that Manafort's email was sent from his Trump campaign account, an indication he sought to tout the influence he had with Trump's inner circle. Manafort's references to the Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska were cryptic, according to The Post in some cases, The Post said, he used only the oligarch's initials, and he never fully spelled out what he was requesting. "How do we use to get whole?" The Post said Manafort wrote to Kilimnik last April, shortly after he was appointed as a campaign strategist. Manafort's spokesman Jason Maloni told The Post that the emails were an attempt to collect past debts. Politico's report appears to confirm this. The news outlet cited people familiar with the communications who said Manafort "sent emails to seek repayment for previous work he did in Ukraine and to discuss potential new opportunities in the country." But it is unclear what Manafort, who was intimately involved with the campaign at the time, was offering in exchange. The news that Manafort was making offers to Deripaska through Kilimnik comes days after CNN reported that the FBI wiretapped Manafort after obtaining a warrant from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court last August. He was surveilled at least into early 2017 after the campaign's contacts with Russians raised red flags for investigators. Story continues Manafort's email that mentioned "private briefings" for Deripaska came roughly 10 days before Trump campaign representatives lobbied to alter the language of an amendment to the GOP's draft policy on Ukraine that denounced Russia's "ongoing military aggression" in Ukraine. Manafort, who began advising a pro-Russia Ukrainian political party, the Party of Regions, in 2004, has worked with Deripaska in the past. The Associated Press reported in March that Manafort had asked Deripaska to work with him in 2005 on a project Manafort said would "greatly benefit the Putin Government." NBC News reported that he used a shell company to receive millions of dollars from Deripaska roughly a decade ago, and he has come under scrutiny for more than a dozen other bank accounts and companies he set up in Cyprus beginning in 2007 that were linked to offshore companies. Deripaska took out quarter-page ads in The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post in March, after his payments to Manafort were revealed, announcing that he was "ready to take part in any hearings conducted in the US Congress on this subject in order to defend my reputation and name." Mueller reportedly threatened to indict Manafort following an FBI raid on his home in July. FBI agents left Manafort's home in Washington's northern Virginia suburbs "with various records," according to The Washington Post. The New York Times reported shortly afterward that investigators were looking for tax documents and foreign banking records. Manafort has said he has been cooperating with investigators' requests for relevant documents. But the search warrant obtained by the FBI in July indicates that Mueller managed to convince a federal judge that Manafort would try to conceal or destroy documents subpoenaed by a grand jury. NOW WATCH: Trump threatens to shut down the government if the border wall isn't funded More From Business Insider zhou xiaochuan pboc China reportedly told its banks to stop doing business with North Korea. The People's Bank of China, the country's central bank, told banks to "strictly implement United Nations sanctions against North Korea," four sources told Reuters. Reuters added that banks were "told to stop providing financial services to new North Korean customers and to wind down loans with existing customers." The UN Security Council last week unanimously voted to levy a new round of economic sanctions in response to the country's recent nuclear provocations. Much attention has been paid to the commercial and financial ties between China and North Korea in recent months. Some have argued that the North Korean crisis could be "solved" if China applied economic pressure on the isolated government. In the 2016 "US-Korea Yearbook," published in the spring by the US-Korea Institute at the School of Advanced International Studies, Han May Chan, then a second-year student, briefly explained the argument that the success of economic sanctions might depend on China's participation. Decades of sanctions have left other world powers with less sway over North Korea, she said: "The DPRK has grown accustomed to the hostile sanctions regime for decades. Therefore, the effectiveness and the success of the current sanctions regime actually depends solely on China and North Korea. Unless the DPRK believes that the benefits from trade with the international community are greater than the current security benefits of prioritizing its military-first economy, North Korea will have little incentive to change its policy." Others, however, have questioned whether a strong response from China and China joining North Korea's adversaries could lead to the conclusion desired by the US and the UN: the denuclearization of North Korea. Of North Korea's likely response should China turn against it, Jeffrey Lewis, the director of an East Asia program at the Middlebury Institute for International Studies, told The New York Times, "The last thing you would do in that situation is give up your independent nuclear capability." Story continues He added: "The one thing you hold that they have no control over. You would never give that up in that situation." The UN Security Council resolution, drafted by the US, aims to "cap North Korea's oil imports, ban textile exports, end additional overseas laborer contracts, suppress smuggling efforts, stop joint ventures with other nations, and sanction designated North Korean government entities," according to CNN. China also previously announced a ban on imports of iron ore, iron, lead, coal, and seafood from North Korea. NOW WATCH: Bitcoin's bubble swells with a new record high More From Business Insider By Sruthi Ramakrishnan and Gayathree Ganesan (Reuters) - Major retailers are looking to stimulate anemic sales by hiring thousands of more workers this holiday season to improve customer service on their sales floors and handle the fast-growing use of their stores to fulfill online orders. The move comes as several analysts note that retailers have lost sight of basic in-store customer needs as they scrambled in recent years to compete better with Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) by cutting costs through store closures, offering more mark-downs and pouring millions into building out e-commerce platforms. "In the last two or three holiday seasons, retailers have been so focused on digital, that perhaps they haven't paid enough attention to their stores," said Carol Spieckerman, president of retail consultancy Spieckerman Retail. As online purchases become a growing percentage of total sales, retailers want to be better prepared for the spike in online order volumes during the holidays with stronger on-the-ground support. Last week, Target Corp (TGT.N) said it would hire 100,000 temporary holiday workers, up from the 70,000 workers it has hired in each of the last four years. Jobs site Indeed.com said there was a 34 percent rise in seasonal job postings compared to last year from retailers such as Amazon, Best Buy (BBY.N), Macy's (M.N) and Target. "I think brick-and-mortar (stores) are throwing down the gauntlet and saying, we are going to have more customer facing employees to try to hopefully take advantage of the competitive aspect that might be hard for online retailers to duplicate - that service and expertise in stores," said Christian Magoon, chief executive officer of Amplify ETFs. ChargeItSpot, which provides cell phone charging stations at retailers such as Nordstrom Inc (JWN.N), Neiman Marcus and Under Armour (UAA.N), said it found in a survey that 63 percent of consumers thought store associates are "extremely important" when they shop, said Douglas Baldasare, chief executive officer of ChargeItSpot. Story continues From helping customers find the right size of jeans to answering questions on the durability of specialty gear, store employees help build sales, Baldasare said. Extra workers could also help stores combat the frenzied atmosphere that comes with holiday shopping. "If you have customers walking around and cannot get help, that's a big problem," he added. The brick-and-mortar retailing industry has been trying to recover from years of declining sales and mounting losses. Macy's, J.C. Penney (JCP.N) and others have closed hundreds of stores amid cut-throat competition that includes a growing number of online shopping sites. The list of retailers filing for bankruptcy this year is set to eclipse the 20 bankruptcies filed during the 2008 financial crisis, according to AlixPartners, which advises distressed companies. By adding more workers, retailers are also offering consumers hassle-free shopping experiences, giving customers more accessibility to pick up and return goods ordered online. Retailers need to minimize the wait time in a line to pick up online purchases if they hope to compete with online rivals effectively, Lisa Disselkamp, LaborWise innovation architect at Deloitte Consulting LLP, said. Joel Bines, managing director at AlixPartners, said for a few years seasonal hiring at retailers was focused on their fulfillment centers. "This year and in years to come, we're going to see a higher percentage of that shift back to the store as retailers are looking for seasonal labor who can help with all of the operational tasks associated with buy online pick up in store, curbside pick up and inventory replenishment," Bines said. (Reporting by Sruthi Ramakrishnan in Bengaluru; Editing by Bernard Orr) Ryanair says more than half the 315,000 passengers hit by its cancelled flights have been found an alternative - dpa Ryanair has said more than half of the passengers whose travel plans were thrown into chaos off the back of its cancellation of more than 2,000 flights have now been found new flights. The Irish-based carrier said the number of customers inconvenienced by its move to cancel 2,100 flights in the next six weeks had also dropped to 315,000 down from its earlier estimate of 390,000 because forward bookings were lower in October at 70pc of the airline's overall capacity. It said more than 175,000 customers 55pc of those affected had now been put on another flight and that every single customer had been emailed on Monday September 18 alerting them to the cancellation, offering alternative flights and outlining the options for a refund and further compensation under EU 261 rules. It added it had issued more than 63,000 refunds. The cancellations came about because of a rostering failure by the airline. It is having to move its holiday year from the financial one (April-March) to the calendar one which meant having to sign off on staff holiday requests within a shorter nine-month holiday year compared to the usual 12-month one. The rostering failure by Ryanair has caused its chief executive Michael O'Leary to apologise to customers What made things worse was that it agreed to let its pilots keep their four-week block of holiday, something which is a common part of annual leave in the airline industry. Because of this, Ryanair said it would not have enough extra staff to provide the necessary cover on its full schedule if any crews got stranded in the wrong location at the end of a day. Chief executive Michael O'Leary said earlier this week that trying to run all of its flights would have resulted in delays for many more passengers and much more disruption than the move to cancel almost 2pc of its flights. The company said it had taken on extra customer service staff to help deal with the backlog of flight change requests and refunds. Ryanair's chief marketing officer Kenny Jacobs said the company again "sincerely apologises" to customers and that it expected to have the vast majority of refund and re-route requests dealt with by the end of the week. How to connect with us | Telegraph Business on social media By Kamlesh Damodar Sutar: Putting an end to the speculations, Narayan Rane finally quit the Congress on Thursday. Rane has, however, maintained suspense over the question of whether he would join the BJP or float his own political party. Rane announced his decision to quit the party at a press conference in Kudal. The former Shiv Sena CM, had joined the Congress party in 2004 following differences with Uddhav Thackeray. 12 years after that, Rane has yet again decided to switch party. Rane alleged that that the party did not keep its promise. advertisement "I was assured that I will be made chief minister in six months. I waited for 12 years, when I found that there was no scope for me in the Congress, I have decided to quit from the primary membership of the party and membership of the legislative council," Rane said. "I was repeatedly humiliated in the party. When Vilasrao Deshmukh stepped down as CM in 2008, 48 Congress MLAs voted in my favour and only 32 wanted Ashok Chavan, but still Chavan was chosen for the top job, "Rane alleged. Claiming that some 25 odd corporators from different parts of the state have quit with him, Rane claimed that the Congress was now almost extinct in the state. Meanwhile, Congress has denied the allegation made by Rane. "I have learnt from media reports that he has decided to quit, but I would like to categorically state that whatever he is alleging is false. I will not comment beyond that and I would like to wish him good luck for his future assignments," said Ashok Chavan, president of the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee. RANE'S POLITICAL JOURNEY Starting his political career as a Shiv Sainik, Rane became a corporator and soon became an MLA. Rane became a Cabinet minister in the Shiv Sena-BJP govt. But, when Manohar Joshi was removed as the CM by Bal Thackeray, Narayn Rane, a Maratha face, replaced him for the top Job. Once known as Bal Thackeray's blue-eyed boy, Rane felt uncomfortable in the party when Bal Thackeray anointed Uddhav as his heir. Rane's outburst against the party led to his ouster from the party. Rane soon joined the Congress, but the maverick leader continued his outburst against party leadership when he was denied the CM's post. Rane also went on to attack party president Sonia Gandhi. Rane's political fortunes started to decline when his son Nilesh lost from the Sindhudurg Lok Sabha seat in 2014. In the same year, Rane lost the assembly polls. He tried to make a comeback by contesting the Bandra East bypolls in Mumbai next year, but failed miserably Rane's supporters, who had quit with him from the Sena, slowly turned their back on the leader leaving him isolated. Though Rane has quit from the party and as a legislator from the Upper House, his son Nitesh, who is an MLA from Kankavali constituency, stayed away from the announcement. Nitesh is likely to stay with the party to avoid disqualification. advertisement Rane for now will be touring the state and is playing his cards close to his chest. Though, there have been speculations about the leader joining BJP, Rane is yet to make an official announcement of his next move. (With inputs from Rubin Mujawar in Kudal) --- ENDS --- Recently, the trolley problem, a decades-old thought experiment in moral philosophy, has been enjoying a second career of sorts, appearing in nightmare visions of a future in which cars make life-and-death decisions for us. Among many driverless car experts, however, talk of trolleys is tres gauche. They call the trolley problem sensationalist and irrelevant. But this attitude is unfortunate. Thanks to the arrival of autonomous vehicles, the trolley problem will be answeredthat much is unavoidable. More importantly, though, that answer will profoundly reshape the way law is administered in America. WIRED OPINION ABOUT Jay Donde (@Jay_Donde) is an attorney in the San Francisco office of Morrison & Foerster LLP, where he practices privacy and data security law. To understand the trolley problem, first consider this scenario: You are standing on a bridge. Underneath you, a railroad track divides into a main route and an alternative. On the main route, 50 people are tied to the rails. A trolley rushes under the bridge on the main route, hurtling towards the captives. Fortunately, theres a lever on the bridge that, when pulled, will divert the trolley onto the alternative route. Unfortunately, the alternative route is not clear of captives, either but only one person is tied to it, rather than 50. Do you pull the lever? Now, consider this: Once again, you are on a bridge underneath which passes a railroad track to which 50 people are tied. This time, however, there is only one track and you notice the trolley sooner, about a mile behind you. Next to you on the bridge is a heavy man, leaning precariously over the railing. A terrible thought comes to mind you could easily push the man onto the track. When the trolley struck him it would stop, sparing the lives of the 50. Do you push the heavy man? There are no right or wrong answers here. The problem, rather, arises from the fact that many people say they would, regretfully, pull the lever, but then recoil at pushing the heavy man. It is difficult to identify a moral principle that would both be acceptable to most people (i.e., they would not object to its consistent application in all scenarios) and simultaneously justify each of the foregoing postures. For example, if your guiding principle is to minimize casualties, there should be no meaningful distinction between killing a person by pushing as opposed to pulling. Still, we all can acknowledge that something about pushing the heavy man feels different it feels closer to murder. The trolley problem highlights a troubling possibility: that our moral intuitions are governed as much by arbitrary, or superficial, factors as they are by well-considered principles. Story continues Its not hard to see the parallels with a road scenario in which, say, swerving to avoid an auto collision means crashing into a crowd of cafe patrons. But many experts have been quick to point out that trolley problem scenarios are already rare occurrences; driverless tech, which promises to be safer than any human operator, will only make them more so. Impeding the spread of a technology that could yield innumerable benefits over such fears would be hysterical, they claim. This response has merit, but its narrow focus on automotive safety ignores a broader issue: The trolley problem pervades American jurisprudence. Among other things, the most common role of a civil jury is to determine whether a defendants actions, in shifting costs and risks from one party to another, were reasonable. To make these determinations, juries are usually instructed to apply a rough-and-ready mathematical formula known as the Hand rule (styled after an early 20th century century judge named yes, really! Learned Hand) that balances the interests of those who were affected by the defendants actions the quintessence of trolley problem scenarios. Of course, you dont need to be a lawyer to read that and spot the inconsistency: If we can find the right answer by simply plugging values into an equation, then why do we even need juries? RELATED STORIES Transportation Lawyers, Not Ethicists, Will Solve the Robocar 'Trolley Problem' The question of whether an autonomous vehicle, faced with an impending collision, kills its passengers or someone else is moot. Autonomous Vehicles Why Self-Driving Cars Need Superhuman Senses An Israeli startup has developed a new way for autonomous vehicles to perceive the world. Autonomous Vehicles Congress Unites (Gasp) to Spread Self-Driving Cars Across America The House just passed a bipartisan bill to encourage autonomous vehicles testing. The truth is that the Hand rule, while providing an acceptable answer most of the time, will sometimes provide one that is atrocious. It can fail because, again, our moral intuitions are not always satisfied by adherence to loftier principles. When that happens, the legal system relies upon juries to find some wiggle room in the equation and return a verdict that is compatible with the publics common sense of justice. With driverless cars, however, there can be no wiggle room. Like any computer, a driverless car will not do anything unless instructed. A programmer cant simply give it instructions for most scenarios and avoid thinking about edge cases. At the same time, a driverless car must make decisions within a fraction of a second. There is no opportunity to present the circumstances to an external, human road jury for review. Thus, the instructions must stand on their own merits. Someone will have to propose (or, at least, accept when an algorithm proposes) an explicit, unambiguous rule for when to pull the lever, push the heavy man, or swerve into the cafe. Society must take the trolley problem seriously not because driverless cars shouldnt be fielded until it is solved, but because driverless cars will compel a solution and the values embodied by that solution will likely be adopted across a number of important civic arenas, including the law. But who, then, can be relied upon to solve the trolley problem prudently? At least one academic has argued that lawyers will come to the rescue. The problem with this notion is that lawyers have spent the better part of our professions history running away from providing definitive answers to difficult problems. Attorneys have even invented an adage to make this abrogation seem responsible: Hard cases make bad law, its said. In truth, the lawyers-will-save-us argument has the direction of causality backwards: The impact of the law will not be felt upon the trolley problem; rather, the impact of the trolley problem, and its solution, will be felt upon the law for example, in how juries are instructed to determine whether someone behaved reasonably. Its tempting to hope that someone else will come along and solve the trolley problem. After all, finding a solution requires confronting some uncomfortable truths about ones moral sensibilities. Imagine, for instance, that driverless cars are governed by a simple rule: minimize casualties. Occasionally, this rule may lead to objectionable results e.g., mowing down a mother and her two children on the sidewalk rather than hitting four adults who have illegally run into the street. So, the rule might be augmented with a proviso: Minimize casualties, unless one party put itself in danger. But what if the choice is between four jaywalking men and three jaywalking mothers or four jaywalking mothers, or simply four jaywalking women? Reasonable people could disagree over what outcome would be acceptable in these scenarios and struggle to rationalize their positions. Hard cases dont make bad law, they make bad jurists, ones who are afraid to admit that their reasoning is often driven by selfishness, sentimentality, or social pressures. Despite these challenges, society should resist outsourcing its moral codification. If the trolley problems answer is to reflect, or at least be informed by, the rich diversity of experiences, attitudes, and opinions in Americas communities, it is crucial that everyone participates in the process. The experts may say that the trolley problem is nothing to fret over, but theyre forgetting that cars are, first and foremost, vehicles. Even if youre wholly unconcerned with how driverless cars perform while you are in them, you should be very concerned with where you end up when you step out of them. In this case, theyre driving society towards legal and political reforms that should not be ignored. WIRED Opinion publishes pieces written by outside contributors and represents a wide range of viewpoints. Read more opinions here. (Reuters) - Electric carmaker Tesla Inc is working with Advanced Micro Devices Inc to develop its own artificial intelligence chip for self-driving cars, CNBC reported on Wednesday, citing a source familiar with the matter. AMD spin-off GlobalFoundries Inc Chief Executive Sanjay Jha said his company is working directly with Tesla, according to the CNBC report. (http://cnb.cx/2fBgrkQ) GlobalFoundries, which fabricates chips, has a wafer supply agreement in place with AMD. Tesla isn't completely going it alone in chip development, according to the source, and will build on top of AMD intellectual property, CNBC reported. More than 50 people are working on the project under Jim Keller, a longtime chip architect and the head of Autopilot hardware and software of Tesla, according to the report. AMD shares were up 2.2 percent in extended trading. Tesla, AMD, and GlobalFoundries did not immediately respond to requests for comment. (Reporting by Munsif Vengattil in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta) Tesla reportedly working with AMD to develop AI chip Tesla (TSLA) is teaming up with AMD (AMD) to develop its own AI chip for self-driving cars, according to a report by CNBC. And Wall Street is already weighing in on the partnership. Jefferies analyst Mark Lipacis wrote its a critical win for AMD. On the other hand, Nvidia (NVDA) shares are falling on the news, since a partnership with AMD would make Tesla less reliant on the company. Albertsons buys Blue Apron rival Plated Grocery chain Albertsons has reached a deal to buy meal-kit delivery company Plated. The acquisition sent shares of Plated rival Blue Apron (APRN) into the green. Bob Miller, chairman and CEO of Albertsons, said in a statement, Todays consumer is looking for a variety of personalized shopping alternatives, and this transaction is the latest example of Albertsons Cos. meeting our customers wherever and however they like to shop. Biogen gets downgraded by Raymond James Raymond James cut its rating on Biogen (BIIB) to market perform from a strong buy on concern about challenges facing the biotechs multiple sclerosis business. Biogens stock has jumped nearly 15% over the past six months. Amazon plans to add jobs in New York Amazon (AMZN) is expanding its presence in New York. The e-commerce giant is planning to create more than 2,000 jobs in New York City over the next three years and plans to open a new office in Manhattan in 2018. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the jobs will be in finance, sales, marketing and information technology. He also added that Amazons decision is proof positive that the strong economic climate of this state, and New Yorks diverse workforce and talent are helping to attract top-notch companies from around the world. Mark Warner There are likely "a lot more" fake Facebook accounts affiliated with Russia than what the company has so far disclosed, the vice chairman of the US Senate Intelligence Committee, Mark Warner, said on Wednesday. Warner, who is helping lead the committee's investigation into Russian interference with the 2016 presidential election, told CNN's Jake Tapper that the 470 fake accounts Facebook identified as having ties to Russia "doesn't pass the smell test." He pointed to Facebook's removal of 30,000 fake accounts ahead of France's presidential election earlier this year as evidence that there were likely more than only 470 fake accounts used by Russia during the US election last year. To me that just doesnt pass the smell test in terms of that number of accounts affiliated with Russia," he said. "I think theres a lot more. Facebook disclosed earlier this month that $100,000 worth of ads were purchased on its platform by Russian-affiliated accounts during the months surrounding the US presidential election. The revelation has prompted investigators to call on Facebook and Twitter to testify in a public hearing on Russia's use of social media to influence the 2016 presidential election. Warner said that the number of "dummy" accounts affiliated with Russia was more significant than the purchased ads because the accounts were used to "drive" the sharing of fake news stories and even organize real-world rallies opposing Hillary Clinton. He had previously said that Facebook's disclosure of Russian ads was just the "tip of the iceberg." The level of sophistication of some of this effort on the social media side and the level of targeting really leaves me with a lot of questions and questions were going to want Facebook to answer in public," Warner said Wednesday. While a date for the hearing hasn't been set, Warner told CNN that Twitter would brief his committee privately on its findings next week. Story continues A Facebook spokesperson said the company continues "to cooperate with the relevant investigative authorities." A Twitter spokesperson confirmed that the company planned to meet with the committee next week. "Twitter deeply respects the integrity of the election process, a cornerstone of all democracies, and will continue to strengthen our platform against bots and other forms of manipulation that violate our Terms of Service," the spokesperson said. NOW WATCH: Putin's controversial bridge to connect Russia to annexed Crimea will be the longest in Russian history More From Business Insider Toshiba's US chip factory partner Western Digital has vowed to keep trying to block the $18 billion sale to a group that includes Apple and Dell (AFP Photo/KAZUHIRO NOGI) (AFP) Tokyo (AFP) - Toshiba shares fell Thursday as it faced a court battle over the $18 billion sale of its prized memory chip business, a deal seen as crucial to the Japanese industrial conglomerate's survival. The embattled stock fell as much as 5.39 percent in morning trade before ending the day at 310 yen, down 1.58 percent. Toshiba announced late Wednesday the sale to a group led by US investor Bain Capital and which includes US tech giants Apple and Dell as well as South Korean chipmaker SK Hynix. The sale caps a months-long saga that saw heated courtroom battles, rival bids and the near-delisting of Toshiba, one of Japan's best-known firms. On Thursday, the Tokyo-based conglomerate said it will hold a special shareholder meeting on October 24 to get approval for the deal. But Toshiba's US chip factory partner, Western Digital, vowed to keep trying to block the sale in court. It was a rival bidder for the lucrative unit. "The deal was within expectations so there aren't many market-moving factors left, but there is still uncertainty about a court battle with Western Digital," said Hideyuki Suzuki, head of investment information at SBI Securities. Western Digital called the deal "unfortunate" and said it would be "forced to initiate" further legal action. It added that it has filed a follow-up request to the London-based International Court of Arbitration over the sale. SK Hynix, which was part of the winning group, added that there still some wrinkles to iron out. "Some of the key issues in the content approved by the Toshiba board need to be agreed upon, so we will continue negotiations," the South Korean firm said in statement. Toshiba is the world's number-two chipmaker behind Samsung and the division's products are found in many smartphones and electronic gadgets. The chip unit accounts for around a quarter of Toshiba's total annual revenue and is the crown jewel in a vast range of businesses ranging from home appliances to nuclear reactors. Selling the chip division is seen as key to its survival as it battles to recover from multi-billion-dollar losses at its US nuclear operation Westinghouse Electric. The shares are down about 30 percent from late December when Toshiba revealed the eye-watering losses at Westinghouse. FILE PHOTO: Consumers leave a Toys R Us store with full shopping carts after shopping on the day dubbed "Black Friday" in Framingham, Massachusetts, U.S., November 25, 2011. REUTERS/Adam Hunger/File Photo (Reuters) By Jessica DiNapoli NEW YORK (Reuters) - Toys "R" Us Inc will shrink its stores and revamp its bigger outlets through its bankruptcy process, which may end with the company's return to the public markets, Chief Executive David Brandon said on Wednesday. Toys "R" Us, the largest specialty U.S. toy seller, filed for bankruptcy on Monday after some of its vendors stopped shipping to them. They were concerned the company would not pay them because of its financial distress, but those worries were put to rest once Toys "R" Us secured bankruptcy financing on Tuesday. Brandon, in detailing Toys "R" Us' turnaround, dubbed "Project Sunrise" by the company, said the chain will integrate its online and in-store shopping experiences, adding faster shipping and better technology and customer service. He said the chain's 64,000 workers would see wage increases too. Brandon described the plans at Toys "R" Us' pop-up store in Times Square, a temporary space decorated with New York City-style subway logos and featuring an associate dressed up as the store's giraffe mascot, Geoffrey. "I'm getting ideas for Christmas," said shopper Katie Reed of Jackson, New Jersey, adding that she was surprised the retailer filed for bankruptcy. "The selection at Walmart and Target is not as big." But the space pales in comparison to Toys "R" Us' former Times Square location, which offered shoppers a Ferris wheel and roaring T-rex. The retailer hopes to return to its more experiential roots after it slashes its $5.2 billion debt pile and frees up cash through the bankruptcy process. Private equity firms Bain Capital and KKR & Co LP and real estate investor Vornado Realty Trust now own the toy seller, but the retailer will have new owners once it emerges, Brandon said. The company could exit bankruptcy through a public offering of its shares or by a traditional reorganization in which creditors convert their debt to equity, he said. He did not rule out a sale, explaining that the company and its creditors had not yet made any decisions. Story continues Toys "R" Us withdrew its plans to go public about four years ago. Before its $6.6 billion buyout in 2005, the chain had been publicly traded. The chain's older suburban big-box shops will also be overhauled to give kids a chance to try out toys in the store. "[We want] toys out of the box and into the hands of kids," Brandon said. "We know we need to do it. We haven't had the capital to do it." The older shops need new floor and lighting patterns and furniture to accommodate more play zones such as target ranges for Nerf, a line of foam projectile toys. Toys "R" Us already offers some activities, such as birthday parties, at its stores. The company does not plan to close a "disproportionate" number of its more than 1,600 stores across the country and aims to add smaller shops in urban areas including Washington, D.C., Boston and Detroit, Brandon said. But stores that lose money could be at risk of closing, he said. Retailers have several months to figure out whether to keep or reject leases in bankruptcy. Toys "R" Us will also offer shoppers more stores that combine its flagship brand for kids of all ages with the infant- and toddler-focused Babies "R" Us, Brandon said. (Reporting by Jessica DiNapoli; Editing by Cynthia Osterman) In the courtroom debate on Rohingya deportation, some of the biggest names in the legal fraternity are set to fight on behalf of the 40,000 immigrants. The Supreme Court will hear the petition challenging the government's stand on deportation on October 3. By India Today Web Desk: The future of 40,000 Rohingya Muslims in India remains uncertain following the Centre's decision to identify the illegal immigrants and deport them to Myanmar. The Narendra Modi government's decision has been challenged by two Rohingya refugees, Mohammad Salimullah and Mohammad Shaqir, in the Supreme Court. On Wednesday, the West Bengal Commission for Protection of Child Rights also filed writ petition in the Supreme Court against the Centre's stand on deportation of Rohingyas to Myanmar. The commission called the government's policy "inhuman" and refused to send Rohingya refugee children back to Myanmar. advertisement On September 18, the Centre filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court in which it said that Rohingya Muslims are illegal immigrants and their stay poses "serious national security ramifications". The Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra will hear the petition challenging Rohingya Muslim deportation on October 3. In the courtroom debate on Rohingya deportation, some of the biggest names in the legal fraternity are set to fight on behalf of the 40,000 immigrants. Who are they? Fali S Nariman: Senior advocate Fali S Nariman appeared on behalf of the Rohingya Muslims in the Supreme Court on September 18. Nariman, born in Myanmar/Burma, is a Padma awardee and was the additional solicitor general of India from May 1972 to June 1975, a post he quit following the imposition of Emergency. His son Rohinton Fali Nariman is a judge of the Supreme Court. Prashant Bhushan: Senior lawyer Prashant Bhushan had filed the plea on behalf of the two Rohingya refugees--Salimullah and Shaqir--in the Supreme Court. Referring to the International Convention on Human Rights, Prashant Bhushan had argued that refugees can't be expelled if they face certain death or torture back home. A founding member of the Aam Aadmi Party, Bhushan was ousted from the party and later formed Swaraj Abhiyan, a socio-political organisation. Kapil Sibal: The senior Congress leader is also a much sought-after lawyer. Kapil Sibal represented the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) in the triple talaq case in the Supreme Court. His brother Kanwal Sibal is a retired diplomat who was awarded the Padma Shri this year. Rajeev Dhavan: Senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan is also a human rights activist. He represented Sahara in the SEBI case until then Chief Justice T S Thakur got infuriated over a comment he made. Subsequently, the Supreme Court cancelled all interim relief including bail granted to Sahara chief Subrata Roy and two others and directed them to be taken into custody. Dhavan had later said that "it is the duty of the lawyer to tell the judge where there is failure of justice and due process". advertisement Ashwini Kumar: A senior advocate in the Supreme Court, Ashwini Kumar was the minister of law and justice in the Manmohan Singh government for a brief period. He was one of the youngest advocates to be appointed as a senior counsel by the Supreme Court and later went on to become the additional solicitor general of India in 1991. Colin Gonsalves: Colin Gonsalves is a senior advocate in the Supreme Court and founder of Human Rights Law Network, a public interest law group. An IIT-Bombay graduate, Gonsalves was a civil engineer before he gravitated towards law. ALSO WATCH: Many Rohingyas have links with terror groups, Pakistan's ISI, Govt tells Supreme Court --- ENDS --- President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order expanding his authority to target people and institutions that do business with North Korea. Through the measure, the president aims to cut off the communist dictatorship's funding and deter its nuclear and missile ambitions amid a string of recent tests and provocations. "North Korea's nuclear weapons and missile development is a grave threat to peace and security in our world and it is unacceptable that others financially support this criminal, rogue regime," Trump said before a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean President Moon Jae-in. "Our new executive order will cut off sources of revenue that fund North Korea's efforts to develop the deadliest weapons known to humankind. The order enhances the Treasury Department's authorities to target any individual or entity that conducts significant trade in goods, services or technology with North Korea." The isolated nation has tested ballistic missiles and an apparent hydrogen bomb in recent weeks in the face of international economic sanctions and warnings. On Tuesday, Trump told the U.N. General Assembly that the U.S. "will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea" if it is forced to defend itself or its allies. Last week, the U.N. Security Council unanimously passed fresh measures to punish the communist dictatorship economically, with the support of China and Russia. Trump has repeatedly pressed China, North Korea's only major ally, to do more to force Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear ambitions. Trump on Thursday highlighted that China's central bank has told its banks to strictly implement U.N. sanctions. He thanked President Xi Jinping for what he called a "bold" and "somewhat unexpected" move. On Tuesday, he also commended Beijing for signing on to two recent sanctions packages enacted by the Security Council. The U.S. sees China's commitment to sanctions as crucial to forcing Pyongyang to end its nuclear and missile programs. Trump appeared to try to quash speculation that he is targeting China or other North Korean trading partners with the action. "I want to be clear the order targets only one country, and that country is North Korea," he said. Trump said the order identifies industries including textiles, fishing, information technology and manufacturing, which the Treasury Department can target with "strong sanctions." The president added that the order includes "measures designed to disrupt" shipping and trade networks to reduce North Korea's ability to avoid the sanctions. Earlier, national security advisor H.R. McMaster said Trump would take more action to stop North Korea "short of war." Trump's advisors have repeatedly said they prefer to use diplomatic methods to curb North Korea's aggression. The president again said that he seeks the "complete denuclearization" of North Korea. Trump had separate bilateral meetings scheduled with both Moon and Abe on Thursday. WATCH: Kim Jong Un says Trump 'deranged' More From CNBC donald trump united nations President Donald Trump on Tuesday slammed the Iran nuclear deal during his first address to the United Nations General Assembly, calling the pact an "embarrassment" and "one of the worst and most one-sided transactions the United States has ever entered into." "I don't think you've heard the last of it, believe me," Trump said. Trump, addressing more than 150 international delegations, called the Iranian government an "economically depleted rogue state" whose main export is violence, and urged the "entire world to join us in demanding that Iran's government end its pursuit of death and destruction." Trump said world leaders cannot honor the Iran deal if it "provides cover" for the country to eventually produce nuclear weapons. "It is time for the regime to free all Americans and citizens of other nations that they have unjustly detained," Trump said. "And above all, Iran's government must stop supporting terrorists, begin serving its own people, and respect the sovereign rights of its neighbors." Trump has long complained about the Iran nuclear deal throughout his presidential campaign and into the early months of his presidency. Despite his reservations, however, Trump has twice certified Iran's compliance with the nuclear agreement, which must be reviewed every 90 days before US sanctions are reinstated. The agreement was negotiated in 2015 by the Obama administration and the governments of Britain, Germany, France, China, and Russia. The agreement restricted Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for the easing of economic sanctions. Yet Trump has repeatedly said he believes Iran is violating the agreement. Shortly after the last recertification in July, Trump told The Wall Street Journal, "If it was up to me, I would have had them noncompliant 180 days ago." Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said during a meeting with media executives before Trump's address on Tuesday that Iran has fully complied with the agreement, The Washington Post reported. He added that the US "will certainly sustain losses" if it "tramples" upon the deal. Story continues "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. "We will be the winners." NOW WATCH: Watch Stephen Colbert bring out Sean Spicer at the Emmys to defend the crowd size More From Business Insider President Donald Trump on Wednesday was met with silence when he congratulated the leaders of African countries on the continent's economic progress, telling them, "I've so many friends going to your countries, trying to get rich. I congratulate you. They're spending a lot of money." Trump delivered the remark at a luncheon he hosted with the leaders of many of the 54 diverse nations on the African continent. And while Trump almost certainly meant it as compliment, and even seemed to pause for applause, not one attendee clapped. For centuries, Europeans and Americans have exploited Africa's natural resources and labor force, not least during the trans-Atlantic slave trade. In the post-Colonial era, the U.S. government has supported dozens of authoritarian regimes on the African continent, while American companies have made billions of dollars from deals with dictatorships. Since taking office in January, Trump has nominated ambassadors to only around a dozen African nations, despite having recalled all Obama-era ambassadors before he was inaugurated. This means that the vast majority of nations on the continent do not currently have a U.S. ambassador with whom they can conduct bilateral diplomacy. During the same speech, Trump also mispronounced Namibia as "Nambia," saying very clearly that "Nambia's health system is increasingly self-sufficient." A White House transcript confirmed that Trump meant to say Namibia. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from CNBC. WATCH: Trump: Our relationship with Jordan has never been better More From CNBC Risk events abound as President Trump will speak today at the United Nations. German elections are being anticipated, which will be held on Sunday. The Federal Reserve releases its Monetary Policy tomorrow. Investors Anticipating U.N. Speech, Wall Street Inches Higher President Trump will address the General Assembly of the United Nations today. He is expected Continue reading Trumps U.N. Speech will Make Headlines, Focus Turns to the Fed Risk events abound as President Trump will speak today at the United Nations. German elections are being anticipated, which will be held on Sunday. The Federal Reserve releases its Monetary Policy tomorrow. Investors Anticipating U.N. Speech, Wall Street Inches Higher President Trump will address the General Assembly of the United Nations today. He is expected to speak about North Korea and Iran. However, investors will also listen for any potential comments regarding trade with China. Wall Street put in slight gains on Monday as it continues to inch higher. Housing sector data will come from the States today with Building Permits numbers being issued. And the Federal Reserve will release its FOMC Statement tomorrow. Buying Fever on Nikkei Index, Japanese Trade Balance Data Tomorrow After a banking holiday on Monday, Japanese investors have returned with buying fever self-evident this morning as the Nikkei Index has surged nearly 1 and a half percent. The Bank of Japan will present its Monetary Policy Statement on Thursday. And early tomorrow, Trade Balance statistics will come from Japan. The Yen is near 111.50 against the U.S Dollar. German Election Looms for Investors, Euro Getting Stronger A German Economic Sentiment reading will be released today, but investors are definitely looking ahead to the Federal Elections which Germany will hold this Sunday. The Euro has been stronger and has inched within sight of important resistance near 1.1975 against the U.S Dollar. The Pound lost ground yesterday. Retail Sales data will come from the U.K tomorrow. European equities put in solid gains on Monday and have opened with some positive momentum today. Gold Trading Above Critical Support, Precious Metal Remains Soft Gold has traded lower the past day as it continues to see risk adverse positions being taken off the board. The precious metal is trading above critical support of 1300.00 U.S Dollars an ounce. Sentiment Data from Germany, Building Figures from States Today Story continues The German Economic Sentiment reading at 9:00 GMT will be focused on by traders today. 9:00 AM GMT Germany, ZEW Economic Sentiment 12:30 PM GMT U.S., Building Permits 12:30 PM GMT U.S., Housing Starts Yaron Mazor is a senior analyst at SuperTraderTV. SuperTraderTV Academy is a leader in investing and stock trading education. Sign up for a class today to learn proven strategies on how to trade smarter. This article was originally posted on FX Empire More From FXEMPIRE: LATAM Airbus A350 900 XWB _ LATAM _ PR XTD _ Take off_ 1024x713 Through a series of mergers, two super airlines have emerged in South America. Avianca is a major player in the northern part of the continent. Latam is dominant in the south. Both are vying for supremacy in Brazil. Over the past couple of decades, consolidation and bankruptcies have reshaped the airline industry in North America. Historic brands such as TWA, Continental, Northwest, and US Air have gone away, with new ones like JetBlue and Virgin America coming on strong. The same can be said for the airline industry in South America. Old names like Varig, LAN, and TAM have disappeared as newcomers like Azul and Gol in Brazil have become major players in the market. But the biggest story is the rise of pan-South American super airlines that have formed in recent years. So far, the two major players are Avianca and Latam. "Latin America, as a collection of many, many countries, traditionally had at least one, if not multiple, airlines per country, which is very inefficient," Avianca CEO Hernan Rincon told Business Insider. "Now, as globalization takes hold of the Latin American airline industry, it is in a state of consolidation and definition." Boeing 787 Dreamliner Avianca In 2009, Colombia's Avianca merged with the El Salvador-based TACA Airlines. The two carriers and their sub-brands now operate using the Avianca banner and under the ownership of Avianca Holdings, which itself is a subsidiary of Brazil's Synergy Group. In 2010, Synergy Group renamed OceanAir, its Brazil-based airline operation, Avianca Brazil and brought its product offerings in line with that of the other Avianca carriers. Latam is a result of a 2012 merger between Chile's LAN Airlines and Brazil's TAM. The merged company is the largest airline in Latin America, with 46,000 employees operating subsidiaries in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. "We envision the future where we will have two, maximum three, truly Latin American-wide airlines," Rincon added, "and our plan is to become one of them." Story continues South America's airline market When discussing South America's airline market, it's "best to split the continent into two separate markets," Vinay Bhaskara, the senior business analyst at the magazine Airways, told Business Insider. LATAM Airbus A350 (5) As Bhaskara puts it, the divide is based on geography, with countries such as Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Guyana, and Peru making up the north and Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay located in what Bhaskara calls "deep South America." Avianca's modern 173-aircraft fleet operating 6,000 flights a week is the dominant force in the northern part of South America. The airline's major hubs in Bogota, Colombia, and Lima, Peru, and TACA's former home base in El Salvador serve as the prime jumping-off points for service to secondary and tertiary markets. The northern countries of South America are a much more competitive market than the southern ones. That's because major destinations such as Bogota or the Venezuelan capital of Caracas are within reach of narrow-body airliners such as the Boeing 737 and the Airbus A320 family from as far away as the east coast of the US. As a result, competition in the region comes not only from within the continent but also from major airlines in the US and Central America such as Panama's Copa. Avianca Boeing 787 business class Deep South America is much more remote. As a result, competition in the market is generally among local carriers with the major exception being Brazil. Deep South America is generally Latam country. Apart from Brazil, Latam's dominance there is unquestioned. Latam's modern fleet is made up of more than 300 state-of-the-art Boeing and Airbus jets. For Latam, the most pressing threat is the rise of low-cost carriers in the region. In response, Pablo Chiozza, Latam's senior vice president, told Business Insider, the airline has shifted its domestic strategy from a full-service model to one that mirrors that of its low-cost competition by unbundling its fares. Depending on the market, Latam has been able to lower its domestic ticket prices by 20% to 40%. According to Chiozza, Latam's goal isn't merely to increase its market share; it wants to tap into new customer bases to grow the market. Avianca Airbus jet "A decade ago, with an 80% share of the market in Chile, we dropped prices by 40%," Chiozza said. The resulting influx of new passengers actually resulted in an increase in revenue for the airline. Wild Brazil And then there's Brazil. Brazil isn't just South America's largest market; it's also the most competitive. There isn't a single dominant force there. Instead, four well-funded and highly capable carriers are vying for supremacy. Avianca is represented by its sister company, Avianca Brazil, while Latam is represented by Latam Brazil, the premerger TAM Airlines. The Sao Paulo-based Gol and its fleet of 120 Boeing 737s have become a force to reckoned with in recent years. Gol Airlines Boeing 737 Rio And then there's Azul. The nine-year-old carrier has garnered more than half a billion dollars' worth of investment from United Airlines and the Chinese travel and leisure giant HNA Group. Azul is the fourth airline founded by its CEO, David Neeleman, who is also the man behind Morris Air, WestJet, and JetBlue. According to data from the Brazilian Civil Aviation Authority, Gol finished 2016 with the highest domestic market share, 36%. Latam Brazil, the top dog the nine previous years, finished second with 34.7% of the market followed by Azul's 17.1% and Avianca Brazil's 11.5%. If a third super airline emerges, it will most likely come from Brazil. Both Gol and Azul have proved to be ambitious in their growth within South America, while Azul's new service to the US and Europe shows that it has ambitions beyond the continent. Azul Airbus A330 PR AIV_in_Ft._Lauderdale Regardless of whether a third super airline emerges in the South American market, what seems clear is that Avianca and Latam are there to stay. "We believe Latam and Avianca are years ahead of everybody else," Rincon, the Avianca CEO, said. Latam's Chiozza agrees. NOW WATCH: Here's why most planes are white More From Business Insider A United Parcel Service (UPS) truck on delivery is pictured in downtown Los Angeles, California October 29, 2014. REUTERS/Mike Blake (Reuters) - U.S. package delivery company United Parcel Service Inc (UPS.N) said on Wednesday it expected to hire about 95,000 seasonal employees for the upcoming, crucial peak holiday season. These employees would support the expected increase in package volume that will begin in November and continue through January, UPS said. Peak season begins on Black Friday, the day after the Thanksgiving holiday in November, and runs through early January when there is a large wave of returns. The number of seasonal workers UPS hires for the holiday season has not changed since 2014. The company has about 355,000 permanent employees in the United States. Up to 35 percent of seasonally hired employees over the last three years have become full-time employees, UPS said. UPS has been working closely with retailers to manage the holiday season surge in demand, since struggling with deliveries in 2013 and 2014. The company had grappled with bad weather and a late surge in e-commerce orders during the 2013 holiday season. On some days during last year's holiday season, UPS's average daily volume surpassed 30 million packages, far exceeding its normal daily average of more than 19 million. FedEx Corp (FDX.N), UPS's main rival, is yet to announce its seasonal hiring plans. But both UPS and FedEx, often considered bellwethers for the U.S. economy, have spent billions of dollars to upgrade their networks to handle rapidly rising e-commerce package volumes, leaving investors chafing over the expense. UPS said in June it would levy surcharges on U.S. residential packages during the holiday season. U.S. retailers, such as Target Corp (TGT.N) and Macy's Inc (M.N), also announced holiday hiring to improve customer service on their sales floors and better handle the use of their stores to fulfill online orders. (Reporting by Arunima Banerjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila and Sai Sachin Ravikumar) A United Parcel Service (UPS) truck on delivery is pictured in downtown Los Angeles, California October 29, 2014. REUTERS/Mike Blake (Reuters) (Reuters) - U.S. package delivery company United Parcel Service Inc said on Wednesday it expected to hire about 95,000 seasonal employees for the upcoming, crucial peak holiday season. These employees would support the expected increase in package volume that will begin in November and continue through January, UPS said. Peak season begins on Black Friday, the day after the Thanksgiving holiday in November, and runs through early January when there is a large wave of returns. The number of seasonal workers UPS hires for the holiday season has not changed since 2014. The company has about 355,000 permanent employees in the United States. Up to 35 percent of seasonally hired employees over the last three years have become full-time employees, UPS said. UPS has been working closely with retailers to manage the holiday season surge in demand, since struggling with deliveries in 2013 and 2014. The company had grappled with bad weather and a late surge in e-commerce orders during the 2013 holiday season. On some days during last year's holiday season, UPS's average daily volume surpassed 30 million packages, far exceeding its normal daily average of more than 19 million. FedEx Corp , UPS's main rival, is yet to announce its seasonal hiring plans. But both UPS and FedEx, often considered bellwethers for the U.S. economy, have spent billions of dollars to upgrade their networks to handle rapidly rising e-commerce package volumes, leaving investors chafing over the expense. UPS said in June it would levy surcharges on U.S. residential packages during the holiday season. U.S. retailers, such as Target Corp and Macy's Inc , also announced holiday hiring to improve customer service on their sales floors and better handle the use of their stores to fulfill online orders. (Reporting by Arunima Banerjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila and Sai Sachin Ravikumar) Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen says she has not discussed her future with President Donald Trump since they met early in his term (AFP Photo/SAUL LOEB) (AFP) Washington (AFP) - Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen said Wednesday she has had no further meetings with US President Donald Trump on whether she will stay on as head of the central bank. "I have not had a further meeting with President Trump," said Yellen, whose four-year term as Fed chair expires in February. "I met with him early in my term, and I've not had a further meeting with him." "I have said that I intend to serve out my term as chair, and that I'm really not going to comment on my intentions beyond that," Yellen told reporters. Trump adviser and former Goldman Sachs executive Gary Cohn had been seen as a frontrunner for the post of Fed chief, but his chances seemed to have dwindled after he criticized Trump's response to violent white supremacist protests in Charlottesville, Virginia, last month. The president this month said he likes and respects Yellen, but that he had not yet made a decision on the Fed succession. Besides Yellen, the resignation of Vice Chair Stanley Fischer later this month, could leave the Fed with four empty seats, at least until Trump nominee Randall Quarles is confirmed. But Yellen said she has "full confidence" Fed officials will be able to carry out their responsibilities, and that rules allow the central bank to proceed with its work "even if we are a board of three" pending Quarles' confirmation by Congress. Still she said she hopes the administration "will make other nominations to fill our slots," because there is a lot of work to do and it is "important to have a broad range of views around the table." 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: By PTI: Mumbai, Sep 21 (PTI) Aircraft movements at the main runway of the Mumbai airport was restored last night after the airport operator removed the SpiceJet aircraft which had skidded after landing amid heavy rains on Tuesday. The operations at runway 09/27 resumed at around 11:30pm after SpiceJet Boeing 737 was moved to the paved area and subsequently to a hanger, a Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) official said. advertisement In an exercise, which lasted for almost 24 hours, undertaken by the joint engineering team of national carrier Air India and the MIAL, the aircraft was removed from the runway at around 9:30 last night. Nearly 180 flights were cancelled during the main runway closure period, which lasted for over 25 hours. Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha had earlier tweeted, "#AI team assisting #RescueOperation in removal of #SpiceJet acft from #BOM runway, the only airline in India to offer this type of facility." Mumbai airport, the second busiest in India, has two crossing runways - 09/27 (the main)and 14/32 (the secondary runway). While the primary runway can handle up to 48 arrivals and departures per hour, the secondary runway has a capacity of 35 movements per hour. Overall, there are 930 flight arrivals and departures at the Mumbai airport every day. PTI IAS CK --- ENDS --- By Patrick Rucker WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Wells Fargo Chief Executive Tim Sloan is due to testify before Congress on Oct. 3 as the bank deals with fallout from a sales scandal a year ago that continues to spark new revelations. Sloan will appear before the Senate Banking Committee, which writes rules for his industry, at a hearing titled "Wells Fargo: One Year Later," the panel said on Thursday. In September 2016, Wells Fargo said its employees may have created more than 2 million accounts without customer approval. Several executives were subsequently fired, but a review also turned up possible abuses with other products such as auto and life insurance. The third-largest U.S. bank has since tried to improve sales practices and restore trust with customers. Last month, Wells Fargo said the unauthorized accounts totaled as many as 3.5 million. Since last October, we have taken numerous important steps to fix issues, make things right for our customers and build a better bank, a bank spokesperson told Reuters via email on Thursday. Wells Fargo shares gained 0.57 percent to $54.05 in morning trading. On Aug. 1, the 11 Democrats on the Senate Banking Committee wrote to its Republican Chairman, Mike Crapo, asking that both Sloan and the board of directors be called to testify before the Committee this month. The letter lists nine new developments since Sloan's predecessor John Stumpf appeared before the Senate Banking Committee in September last year. These included "concerns about the bank retaliating against employees and purposefully concealing evidence from regulators of systemic problems at the bank." http://reut.rs/2tLsbsv During last year's testimony, Stumpf seemed unprepared under tough questioning from Democrats and Republicans, and Massachusetts Democrat Elizabeth Warren accused him of "gutless leadership." He resigned less than a month later. Warren has repeatedly urged the Federal Reserve to remove all members of the Wells Fargo board of directors who had served during the time the fake accounts were created. (Additional reporting by Dan Freed in New York and Aparajita Saxena in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva and Bernadette Baum) Though Mattel and Hasbro could potentially lose quite a lot if Toys R Us bankruptcy goes sideways, investors werent too worried about either company. Shares of Mattel and Hasbro fell slightly after rumors broke Monday that their second-biggest customer, Toys R Us would soon be filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. But after the deed was done with a filing in a Richmond, Va. bankruptcy court, the initial fears appeared to abate. Shares of the two toymakers rebounded in trading Tuesday, with Hasbro erasing all of its losses from the day earlier, up about 2% and Mattel up 1.3%. Thats likely because even going into the all-important holiday season, investors arent expecting demand for Mattels UNO card games or Hasbros Transformer sets to fall much if at all. Not only do consumers have other channels to purchase those brands, Toys R Us has also signaled that it plans to keep its shelves stocked through the holiday season. Already, the company has received $3 billion in debtor-in-possession financing to continue operations as it puts together a plan to restructure the company, and pay its creditors back as part of its Chapter 11 filing. We believe a top priority of the filing was to continue access to product from key vendors such as Mattel and Hasbro during the critical Christmas/holiday season while reducing real estate related debt, Wells Fargo Senior Analyst Timonthy Conder wrote in a Tuesday note. Another upside for Mattel and Hasbro: Toys R Us bankruptcy filing, in which it revealed debt of $4.9 billion, also comes at a time when the two companies have already gradually lowered their dependence on the brick and mortar retailer. While in 2000, Toys R Us represented 22% of Mattels $4.7 billion in sales and 13% of Hasbros $3.8 billion in sales, by 2016, toys shown at Toys R Us represented about 11% of Mattels $5.5 billion sales and 9% of Hasbros $5 billion, according to Morningstar. In recent years, the two toymakers have instead partnered increasingly with Target and Walmart as Toys R Us ability to successfully sell those toys appeared to have stalled. Wal-Mart is now Mattels and Hasbros largest customer, while Target is the third largest for both, just behind Toys R Us. Story continues With Toys R Us stabilized for now, said Morningstar Senior Equity Analyst Jaime Katz in a note Tuesday referring to the $3 billion debtor-in-possession financing, we think Mattel and Hasbro have some time to find alternate channels to distribute their products (through other vendors, e-commerce, or others) and prevent future sales shortages that may stem from degradation of the Toys R Us channel. But investors are still uncertain about how Toys R Us plans to restructure. Notably, Mattel and Hasbro are Toys RUs second, and third largest unsecured creditors, holding some $135.7 million and $59.1 million of the retailers debt. That could hurt Mattel and Hasbros cash flow should they fail to be paid for those past debts, says Katz. Still, while investors seem to think Mattel and Hasbro can shake off its Toys R Us woes, another company, Spin Master, has fallen another 1% on the Toronto Stock Exchange Tuesday. According to Jefferies, Toys R Us accounts for about 17% of its sales. No company likes to admit it made a mistake, and Facebook is feistier than most. But Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has essentially admitted that Russian interests exploited the social-media giant to interfere in last years US elections. Zuckerberg didnt explicitly say Facebook screwed up. But in a short video broadcast on his Facebook page Thursday afternoon, he made indirect references to what happened here, vowing that we can do more and saying we are in a new world. Its a new challenge for internet companies having to deal with nation-states trying to interfere with elections. The full extent of Russias involvement in last years elections still isnt fully known, which is one reason special counsel Robert Mueller is investigating. But Russian interests, among other things, purchased ads on Facebook that generally praised Donald Trumpthe Kremlins preferred candidatewhile deriding his opponent, Hillary Clinton. In general, its illegal for foreign interests to run ads in the United States on behalf of political candidates. [Related: Maybe Facebook and Twitter should be regulated like TV.] Russian operatives also appear to have created millions of fake accounts on both Facebook and Twitter, meant to fill social media with pro-Trump propaganda. Thats not necessarily illegal, but it does tarnish the trustworthiness of the two platforms and raise questions about whether they are tacit contributors in the possible tilting of an election. Mueller has already obtained data from Facebook on the Russian ads and related matters, presumably using subpoena power. Congressional committees, also investigating Russian meddling in the election, have also asked for information. Facebook initially refused. But Zuckerberg now says hell give Congress much or all of the information Mueller has, including 3,000 Russian ads that ran on the platform last year. (That means theyll probably leak soon to the press.) Facebooks Mark Zuckerberg. (Getty/AFP/Archivos | JUSTIN SULLIVAN) Zuckerberg shrewdly realized that Facebook is facing a new kind of challenge in Washington, with prominent politicians such as Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, a Democrat whos the ranking minority member on the Senate Intelligence Committee, saying the company is withholding information. Congressional committees are likely to summon Zuckerberg or other Facebook execs to testify, and its quite possible Congress could propose new legislation to regulate foreign activity on social media, since Facebook seemed incapable of policing such problems itself last year. Story continues Zuckerberg announced nine new initiatives that he undoubtedly hopes will preempt new regulations and mend relationships with Washington. In general, they amount to beefing up Facebooks own investigations of suspect activity and focusing on election integrity in particular. One specific change will be requiring every paid political ad to include disclosure about who paid for it, with links to that partys Facebook page, if there is one. That will apply in foreign elections, as well. Will it work? The answer probably depends on what Muellers investigation turns up and how deep the Russians really burrowed into Facebook, Twitter and other social-media networks. Zuckerberg himself admitted that we may find more as the hunt continues for Russian fingerprints. Election integrity is arguably more serious than other issues Facebook has encountered, such as privacy and antitrust concerns. Policymakers may not be willing to trust Facebook and impose new rules instead. The company, after all, has said trust us before, and at the moment, we trust it less. Confidential tip line: rickjnewman@yahoo.com. Encrypted communication available. Read more: Rick Newman is the author of four books, including Rebounders: How Winners Pivot from Setback to Success. Follow him on Twitter: @rickjnewman The Foreign Press Centers (FPC) issue its own press credential that is recognized by various organizations in the area and allows access to FPC facilities and services in Washington, DC and New York, NY. The FPC credential is typically valid for three years and renewable at the end of that period for members of the media on continuing assignment in the United States. Credentialing SHAH HASSAN KHEL, Pakistan -- Khan Begumas story is a tale of unending agony and inspiring courage and resilience. As a widowed mother of four in her 30s, Beguma is doing all in her power to feed her family and make sure her two sons get an education. Her world changed on New Years Day seven years ago. She recalls the devastating explosion on the fateful evening of January 1, 2010, which plunged their impoverished but happy village into misery and sorrow. Her husband, a laborer, was among the 120 players and spectators killed when a Taliban car bomb targeted their volleyball game just before sunset. All were residents of Shah Hassan Khel, a dusty hamlet in Lakki Marwat. The district is a rural backwater in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The region abuts the tribal areas where a Taliban and Al-Qaeda insurgency wreaked havoc for more than a decade after the demise of the Taliban regime in neighboring Afghanistan forced a host of Islamist militant groups to move into Pakistans northwestern Pashtun belt, which includes Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), and the northern districts of southwestern Balochistan Province. If Allah has brought them to this world, he will provide for them, he will look after them, she said of her children, who help her weave straw ropes in their modest mud house. They barter bundles of these ropes for food and groceries with local shopkeepers. I am committed to do all in my power to provide for them, she told Radio Mashaal. Beguma says she resents being unable to educate her two daughters. But by educating her sons, she says, the family has better prospects of prosperity in the patriarchal society. She is among the dozens of widows in Shah Hassan Khel whose husbands, all members of the Pashtun Marwat tribe, were attacked soon after their community raised a volunteer forced to keep the Taliban militants at bay. In 2010, the Taliban controlled most of FATA while dominating large swathes of rural Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Beguma and other Shah Hassan Khel families only received a one-time government payment of nearly $3,000 in local currency. There was no long-term effort to rehabilitate the community or support the victims. She says that weeks after the tragedy they were left to fend for themselves. My husband was a hard-working man, and we used to have a good life. I now live in the hope that we can change our circumstances through hard work, she said. Having never been to school, hard labor is Begumas only option. She collects straws from around the village to weave into ropes. Every spring, she joins women from her village to harvest the wheat crop in Minawali, an agricultural district in the neighboring province of Punjab. The monthlong excursion helps bring enough wheat to crush into flour, which is used to cook the regions staple food -- soft flatbread cooked on a round iron griddle. Sometimes we have to make do with only one meal a day, she said. Beguma is among the hundreds of thousands of Pakistanis whose lives have been turned upside down by suicide bombings, militant ambushes, targeted assassinations and counterterrorism sweeps. Many families of the more than 60,000 civilians and soldiers killed in the violence have received little assistance or emergency medical treatment. In Shah Hassan Khel, such neglect is felt acutely. Kabul Bibi lost three sons in the tragedy. She still vividly remembers the evening when the force of the blast forced many of the rooms in their mud house to crumble. Our misery is unending. Our only hope now is that Allah will help us, she told Radio Mashaal. The government promised us it would give our children jobs, but nothing has happened. Abdul Mateen, a high-school teacher in the village, says authorities have yet to repair the school building, which was badly damaged when a stray shell from an army artillery gun hit the building years ago. Whenever I teach, I tell the students to sit in the middle of the classroom because I fear the walls might collapse, he said while taking a break from teaching a crowded class of boys and girls sitting on dusty mats on the floor. I think these classrooms are not fit to shelter cattle, let alone educate small children, he said. Muhammad Saeed, a white-bearded village elder, says more than 80 families in his village of 7,000 residents are now headed by widows. He says that apart from the one-time government compensation payment, they have received little assistance as their community languishes in grinding poverty and a lack of basic health care and clean drinking water. The only thing we did wrong was to cooperate with the authorities in identifying the terrorists and even forming a [volunteer] committee to resist them, he said. Our reward was that we were attacked and killed en masse. This was what we got for doing the right thing. While taking a break from her backbreaking chores, Beguma is determined to soldier on. I am alive because I am hopeful, and these children are my only hope, she said. Abubakar Siddique wrote this story based on Umar Daraz Wazir and Zaland Yousafzais reporting from Shah Hassan Khel, Pakistan. NEW YORK, Sept. 20, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Global Partnership for Education (GPE) is delighted that the governments of Senegal and France will co-host its financing conference, which will take place on February 8, 2018 in Dakar, Senegal. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d3003cff-ee20-409f-9729-9a9cef1d4d3e A video accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0a7eebb6-66b3-438b-904e-efeff83d94cf The announcement of the co-hosting was made by Presidents Macky Sall of Senegal and Emmanuel Macron of France at a high-level event on education financing held at the United Nations, which was attended by Secretary General Antonio Guterres, several heads of state and leaders on global education. "The Global Partnership for Education has made substantial investments in education helping to get 72 million more children into primary school since 2002, including in Senegal," President Macky Sall said. "We are honored to host the next GPE Financing Conference in Dakar and look forward to continuing our close partnership with GPE." This is the first time a donor and developing country co-host a GPE financing conference, symbolizing the spirit of true partnership, which is the essence of GPE. President Macron of France stressed that one of his top priorities is to invest in education. "I call on the international community to join us in February 2018 in Dakar for the Global Partnership for Education Financing Conference, which France will co-host with Senegal," Macron said. "The financing conference of the Global Partnership for Education is an opportunity for a much needed step change, allowing donors and developing countries to show their financial commitment to education," said Julia Gillard, GPE Board Chair. "Senegal and France jointly hosting the GPE financing conference demonstrates the determination of both governments to help GPE expand its support for strong and sustainable education systems in developing countries." The event in Dakar will bring together donor and developing country governments, the private sector, philanthropic foundations, civil society and international organizations to announce commitments to support education in developing countries. "This is an exciting and pivotal moment for GPE and for global education," said Alice Albright, GPE Chief Executive Officer. "This financing conference will put GPE on track to become a US$2 billion-a-year operation by 2020. At that level, GPE can have a far greater impact on providing better quality education to the world's children." GPE's financing conference seeks to raise US$3.1 billion for 2018 through 2020 to support the education of 870 million children in 89 developing countries that are home to 78% of the world's out-of-school population. Currently, 264 million children and youth around the world are not in school and six out of ten children and youth, a total of 617 million, are in school but not learning at the level they need to break the bonds of poverty, poor health and social disadvantage. Though the share of overseas development aid to education has declined over the last six years, leaders around the world are now recognizing the urgency of turning that trend around. France has been a donor to GPE since 2005. With GPE support since 2006, Senegal has shown great progress raising its investment in education as a share of domestic spending to 24 percent. "Both France and Senegal are ideally positioned to urge other countries across the globe to increase investments in education," Ms. Gillard added. "We believe that will make for a successful and productive financing conference and ultimately benefit hundreds of millions of children in some of the poorest countries around the world." GPE Replenishment 2020: Case for Investment Leaders' Statement Additional Images The Global Partnership for Education (GPE) works with developing countries to ensure that every child receives a quality basic education, prioritizing the poorest, the most vulnerable and those living in countries affected by fragility or conflict. GPE mobilizes financing for education and supports developing countries to build effective education systems founded on evidence-based planning and policies. GPE's support has achieved the following results in its partner countries: 72 million more children in primary school in 2015 compared with 2002 76% of children in GPE partner countries completed primary school in 2015 compared to 63% in 2002. 74% primary school completion rate for girls in 2015 compared with 57% in 2002 78% of GPE partner countries have maintained their education budget at or above 20% of public expenditure, or increased their education budget in 2015. Media contact: Alexandra Humme, ahumme@gloalpartnership.org; Tel: 202-492 8890 AvantiPrep wrote: Hi Bulleride, Thank you for your note. If you'd like to cover anything in greater detail, or with more nuance, please feel free to sign up for a Free Consultation via the link in my signature below. With regard to schools, I imagine when you say "Ivy League schools" you mean "top MBA programs." Do note, however, that these are not one and the same. The actual Ivy League includes eight institutions (Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Penn, Columbia, Dartmouth, Brown, Cornell). So I'll assume that you intend to refer to "top" or "highly regarded" MBA programs, both inside and outside the actual "Ivy League." If you can score a 730, 740, or 750+, then that will be a helpful start. So the first important step for you is to really focus on maximizing your GMAT score. GMAT score is, of course, only one element of the application. So a great score is only one step in your process. Beyond that, you'll want to really consider which programs you're interested in. Even with a great score, it can be very difficult to differentiate oneself when you're targeting the top five or 10 programs. Everyone has their own personal preferences as to which programs they'd want to attend, but I'd encourage you to explore the top 25 or 30 and see what catches your eye. You'll want a thoughtful school selection strategy. A good bit of this school selection strategy will be driven by your actual GMAT score. If we assume a 730, then I still would encourage you to research a range of schools that fit with your preferences. You can then build a strategy that diversifies your risk and chances across schools. (You ultimately shouldn't include any programs you wouldn't be excited to attend, but a smartly constructed, diversified strategy is wise.) If you're applying in R2, there's not a ton you can do to change the "black and white" of your profile. What you can and should do, however, is (a) really research the schools, get to know the programs, their people, offerings, culture, talk to students and alums, join webinars, attend events if you can, etc., and (b) really start to think about your own story, career goals, and what you can uniquely bring to an MBA program. Doing all of this research and introspective work is rigorous, and then tying it all together into a coherent, compelling, and credible narrative -- as told by way of your essays, resumes, recommendations, and application writ large -- is even more cumbersome. But if you had a good GMAT and solid work experience -- your experience seems reputable though it would be important to unpack that experience more, because on its face it seems to lack advancement and responsibilities beyond the purely analytical -- then much of your "chances" come down to the story you tell, the vision, goals, and fit you articulate, and the impression you make on the admissions committee. Hence my recommendations above. Best of luck to you with the GMAT. As noted, please feel free to request a Free Consultation via the link below! Thanks, Greg Thank you so much for the recommendations above, it helps. I would like to go deeper and hence will be signing in for the consultation. Thanks again. The two sides are discussing the supply of offshore patrol boats, a military official said. The Myanmar navy chief also visited the naval ship building site in Mumbai as part of the four-day trip that ends on Thursday. By Reuters: India is considering supplying arms to Myanmar's government in a sign of strong support for a neighbour that faces criticism for its crackdown on Rohingya Muslims. The arms were discussed during a visit by the chief of Myanmar's navy, Indian officials said on Thursday. The two sides also talked about training Myanmar sailors on top of the courses taught to its army officers at elite Indian defence institutions. advertisement India's decision to discuss enhancing military cooperation with its eastern neighbour appears part of a push to counter Chinese influence in the region. It comes at a time when Western countries are stepping up pressure on Myanmar's government for violence against Rohingya Muslims in its northwestern Rakhine state. Myanmar rejects the charge, saying its forces are tackling insurgents of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army who it has accused of setting fires and attacking civilians. Britain said this week it was suspending its training programme for the Myanmar military, demanding it take steps to end the violence against civilians. On Wednesday, the commander-in-chief of the Myanmar navy Admiral Tin Aung San met Indian Defence Minister Nirmala Sitaraman and the chiefs of India's army, navy and air force. The two sides are discussing the supply of offshore patrol boats, a military official said. The Myanmar navy chief also visited the naval ship building site in Mumbai as part of the four-day trip that ends on Thursday. "Myanmar is a pillar of our Look East policy and defence is a large part of the relationship," said the official. In 2013, India offered to supply equipment such as artillery guns, radars and night vision devices to Myanmar's army. Since then, the focus has shifted to naval cooperation as India seeks to push back against Chinese influence in the region. The two sides are expected to increase coordinated patrols in the Bay of Bengal that help the two navies operate together. "The fact that the Indian government is receiving a high level military officer at a time when the international community is criticising the military sends out a signal," said K.Yhome who specialises on India's neighbourhood policy at the New Delhi-based Observer Research Foundation. "The message is (that) India is with the Myanmar government so far as the Rohingya issue is concerned," he said. Since the crisis erupted in Rakhine last month, New Delhi has been supportive of de facto leader Aung Saan Suu Kyi, condemning insurgent attacks on security forces that prompted a military crackdown against the Rohingya. Only later as international criticism mounted, India expressed concern at the flight of hundreds of thousands of refugees into neighbouring Bangladesh. advertisement China has also stood by the Myanmar government. This week Foreign Minister Wang Yi told U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that it supported Myanmar's efforts to protect its national security and opposes recent violent attacks in Rakhine. --- ENDS --- A popular saying what a man can do, a woman can do better has just been proved true by a beautiful Nigerian lady. Legit.ng gathered that this Nigerian female army officer identified as Rejoice Igoh became the first female Army Regular officer in Nigeria. Igoh is the first female to achieve the prestigious position in the history of Nigeria. The military is a field difficult for both men and women to handle but this woman has proved that people can achieve the best even in difficult situations. READ ALSO: Pretty young lady graduates as best flying student from Nigerian Air Force (photo) Meet the first Airborne qualified female Army Regular Officer in Nigeria's history Photo Source: Twitter PAY ATTENTION: Get all the latest gossips on NAIJ News App Meanwhile, the Nigerian Air Force welcomes winged 10 flying officers Source: Legit.ng A 22-year-old model identified as Desire Benjamin has shared her story after she survived a gas explosion that left her completely burnt. Legit.ng gathered that the accident occurred when she tried to boil water using a gas cooker around 6:00am. It was reported that the explosion threw her against the wall and before she knew it fire blocked the exit. Benjamin who refused to die without trying walked through the fire to get out of the kitchen to escape the building. 22-year-old survivor Desire Benjamin shares her emotional story Photo Source: Lailasblog Read what happened: She woke up at about 6am to boil water to bathe for work, she turned on the gas and struck the matches, it didnt catch, then she did it again, it was then we heard the explosion. The fire threw her against the door, and then blocked her exit, according to her, she didnt know the force that got her too her feet, and so she entered the fire and rushed out of the kitchen to the room, the fire chased her out, the rug where she was standing on got burnt. Her family members who had been asleep when the explosion happened jumped out of bed and amidst the chaos, did the first logical thing that came to mind: grabbed a few buckets of water from the bathroom and threw on her. They succeeded in quenching the fire, but by this time, c was so badly burnt and had passed out. The aspiring model that was burnt during her escape was taken to the hospital but the first hospital rejected her, stating that she had no hope to survive. READ ALSO: Americas Got Talent finalist Kechi Okwuchi reacts to not being voted for out of sympathy' However, another hospital accepted her and started treating her. She said: I had a friend in the hospital that we used to pray together. One night, her line went flat (ie the electrocardiogram which monitored her heart beat pinged off, signifying that she had stopped breathing). It was after I was discharged that the true reality of what happened to me fully dawned on me. Having strangers walk up to me at the mall and tell me to cover up because my scars were unsightly, and not being able to go back to work because I felt people will concentrate on My scars more than they would the product I was trying to sell was a constant occurrence and I found myself having to stay indoors for long hours. My slowly healing skin was in danger of itching and getting infected if I was ever in a humid environment anyway. That cant be me, I cant sit in the house because people are not comfortable with how I am. The scars on my body are a sign of victory. I overcame what tried to consume me and I should be proud of it. Some people have scars even if not physically, they have emotional scars. If Im able to reach out to them, encourage them and try to help them gain back their confidence in anyway that I can, I believe that would be fine. PAY ATTENTION: Get all the latest gossips on NAIJ News App Desire has now finished her treatment. She is healed and learning to live with the scars that came from the gas explosion in 2016. She turns 23 in a couple weeks. Watch the Legit.ng TV video to catch up on the exclusive chat had with plane crash survivor Kechi Okwuchi below: Source: Legit.ng A Nigerian man identified as Nwanta Anayoeze Yonaracha has given out five hundred thousand naira to a stranger on Facebook to help the man grow his business. Legit.ng gathered that the man earlier shared a post on Facebook announcing that he would give five hundred thousand naira to anyone with a good business plan and proposal. According to the post, he stated that he would only give the money to someone with a good business plan. Yonaracha also added that he was not doing the good deed because he had enough but because God told him to do so. Nigerian man Nwanta Anayoeze Yonaracha gives out N500k to a man on Facebook Photo Source: Facebook READ ALSO: Grace Mugabe's eldest son blows N1.9bn on 2 Rolls-Royce limousines (photos) The generous philanthropist made good on his word and gave out the five hundred thousand naira to the lucky entrepreneur identified as Okorie Theddus Nnaemeka. He shared photos of the money transfer and the mans business proposal on his page. In the post, Nnaemeka who expressed that he is a fashion designer said he wanted to start a fashion design school to teach students. The winner explained how he would spend the money given to him and it seems Yonaracha was satisfied with his proposal. PAY ATTENTION: Get all the latest gossips on NAIJ News App What would you do if you had someone who could invest in you like this philanthropist? Serious question? You can get ideas from Nigerians Legit.ng TV spoke to if they had N30 million below: Source: Legit.ng The governor of Cross River state, Ben Ayade, has shown love towards alleged oldest woman in the state. She is said to be about 151 years old. The woman who was identified as Mary Ekwo gave birth to 17 children but seven of them died. Thereby, leaving her with only 10 children. Governor Ayade was reported to have awarded free home medical care to this woman. The news was shared by one of his aides, Prince Charles Ekanem IV, via his Facebook profile. Mrs Mary Ekwo READ ALSO: Notorious thief publicly congratulates police command in a video after arresting him He posted several pictures of the woman with the caption: AYADECARE: The oldest woman in Cross River State receives free home medical care; Surpass the 118 years old woman from Begiaba village, Obudu. 151 years old woman by name Mary Ekwo from Oshuo Family, Wula 1 Community receives free Medical care from Cross River State Home Health Services. The woman who is still agile and strong is said to be over 151 years old has 17 children in which 7 is late. According to one of her daughter, Mrs Scholartica Oshuo who is 71 years old said her eldest brother and the 7th Son is 95 years old. Mrs Ekwo with Governor Ben Ayade's medical team Mrs Scholartica stated that her grandmother died at a very old age and also had 19 children. She said the family is very appreciative of His Excellency, Senator (Prof) Ben Ayade for his effort in making sure the poor have access to quality healthcare. The CEO of Vital Signs, Dr Genevieve Barnaby donated food items and money to the old woman. PAY ATTENTION: Get the Latest Nigerian News Anywhere 24/7. Spend less on the Internet! See post below: Watch Legit.ng video below: Source: Legit.ng 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 With nine-day Navratri festival starting today, the state election commission has asked the garba organisers to play a poll garba before the event comes to a close every day. By Gopi Maniar Ghanghar : Gujarat will witness a different kind of garba this year. With nine-day Navratri festival starting today, the state election commission has asked the garba organisers to play a poll garba before the event comes to a close every day. The election commission's order aims at educating the voters, specially the young ones between 18 and 21 years of age, and making them aware of the need to exercise their franchise. Gujarat is going to polls later this year . advertisement A special garba has been prepared for the occasion. Before the garba ends for the day, an 'aarti' is performed before Goddess Durga. The state poll watchdog has asked the garba organisers to play its special election song before curtains are drawn on all the nine days. The responsibility for preparing the special garba song has been given to the arts faculty of Maharaja Sayajirao University. The song exhorts the people to get their voter identity cards made just as they got new clothes stitched for garba. It also appeals to the people to make others aware of the importance of voting . Vadodara District Electoral Officer Rishin Bhatt said, "Garba of Gujarat is very popular in the country and abroad. We want to attract thousands of people, especially those in the 18 to 21 age groups, who take part in it. Therefore, we have made garba a medium for the people to be aware of their voting rights." Dhriti Mankodi, the writer of the election garba song, said, "The responsibility given by the state election commission was a challenging one for me. We know the importance of each and every vote. Therefore, I deliberately chose the words such that the garba participants become aware about voting besides getting entertained." It is only hoped that this year's garba would be a different one and would also help educate the people about their rights as a citizen. With inputs from Vashishth Shukla --- ENDS --- The rally took place outside the United Nations building in midtown New York while Rouhani was addressing the leaders of other nations that had gathered there. Rouhani vowed that, if the United States rescinded the controversial 2015 nuclear deal that was led by the Obama administration, Iran would take resolute and decisive action. Irans threat comes a day after Trumps threat that he would rescind the deal. Trump had very harsh words for Iran, slamming it for its corruption, its dictatorship, its deception and its violence. He did not mince his words: 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. Members of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) gathered outside the United Nations building yesterday. The NCRI is a coalition of hundreds of Iranian opposition groups and individuals. A US representative of the group emphasised that the people of Iran want regime change. Sonia Samsami said in an interview with Fox News that there is no other way forward and the people want a democratic, secular and non-nuclear republic of Iran. She added: Regime change at the hands of the people is the only solution to the Iran crisis. The NCRI is calling on the United States to support the viable and legitimate opposition to the theocracy in Iran. It already has bipartisan support from many officials and former officials in the United States, and it has a huge support among members of the European Parliament. The opposition is currently calling on the United Nations to conduct an investigation into the 1988 massacre in Iran. During the summer of 1988, around 30,000 political prisoners were executed after a fatwa was issued by the Supreme Leader of the country. So-called death commissions were set up all over the country to coordinate the executions. Last year, an audio recording was released providing more details about the crime. We can hear the voice of Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri a high-ranking official at that time who was set to be the next Supreme Leader telling other individuals that they would be taking part in the greatest crime ever committed by the country. He warned them that history would condemn them. Because of this Montazeri lost his position of power, but the real crime has never been punished. Those who were involved in the 1988 massacre went on to occupy high-level positions in the leadership of the country. Human rights organisations and the people of Iran are calling for impunity to end. 700 Iranians were surveyed by phone nationwide, and 70 percent of those questioned said that multinational companies have been slow to commit to trading with, or investing in, Iran. Concern about U.S. pressure was the reason that most respondents cited. Goods manufactured by multinationals have become more accessible, said 43 percent of respondents. However, nearly 57 percent said more jobs for locals have not been created by the firms. Additionally, according to the report, which was provided to Bloomberg ahead of its release, some 43 percent perceived their level of investment as unchanged. President Hassan Rouhani, who began his second term as Irans president last month, may struggle to deliver on his campaign promises, according to the surveys findings. Rouhanis second term was won with a pledge to build on the benefits of the nuclear deal, which came into effect last year. He vowed that more foreign investment would be enjoyed by Iran, which would help boost employment. The poll suggests that Iranians arent seeing any change. Meanwhile, the fate of the nuclear deal is now in question, as the U.S. applies additional sanctions and lobbies European signatories to add restrictions on Irans nuclear program. Still, 62 percent of respondents said that they still approve of the nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or JPCOA. Iran has made major deals in both energy and transportation, but many companies and major banks have been hesitant to look into business opportunities. Their uncertainty comes from U.S. President Trump, and the risk of further sanctions. On September 20th, foreign ministers of the nations that signed the deal, including the U.S., Iran, the U.K. and France will meet on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. American and Iranian officials have said that at this meeting the deals flaws, as seen by the U.S., will be discussed, and Iran will have the chance to talk about what it considers U.S. violations of the agreement. Details of the survey, conducted in cities across Irans 31 provinces last August, will be presented at next months Europe-Iran Forum, where businesses working in, or with an interest in Iran will come together. However, in terms of severity of punishment, the Islamic Republic is the worlds highest ranking country for executing its people. Tehran is also known as the leading state for the execution of minors. Zaid Raad Al-Hussein, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, recently made statements about Irans human rights situation that are alarming. Speaking out last week at the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Hussein, who is in his last year in office, stated, Iran continues to severely restrict freedom of opinion and expression. My office has received numerous reports of human rights defenders, journalists and social media activists being arrested and detained. Hussein continued, Iran also remains the country with the highest reported rate of executions per capita. Many of those executed are drug offenders not guilty of most serious crimes under the terms of international law. Since the beginning of the year, at least four children have been put to death, and at least 89 other children remain on death row. He added, Last month, the Iranian Parliament passed a long-awaited amendment, which raises the threshold for capital punishment in drug trafficking cases, although some narcotics offenders will still face the possibility of capital punishment. The amendment now awaits approval from the Guardian Council. However, executions have continued while this approval is pending. The Press Freedom Organization and Amnesty International have both condemned Irans treatment of journalists and human rights activists. They requested the release of several detainees including Alireza Rajaee, a board member of the Association of Iranian Journalists, and Raheleh Rahemipour, a human rights activist whose brother and baby niece disappeared in Irans notorious Evin Prison. When the nuclear deal was negotiated, human rights violations were neglected. And while Rouhani is viewed by the West as a moderate president, he does not have the final say in Irans domestic and foreign policy. That power is held by Irans hardline Supreme Leader. Additionally, the international community appears to have paid little attention to Irans direct and indirect human rights violations in Syria and Iraq, through the engagements of the IRGC and its elite branch, the Quds Force. Western governments policy vis-a-vis Iran must require Irans commitment to the protection of human rights. Human rights are an important issue that was neglected under the nuclear deal. Putting pressure on Tehran over its poor human rights record can be done via sanctions. Iranian institutions that violate human rights in Iran and abroad, including the IRGC, are the same organizations that pursue nuclear ambitions and violate UN resolution 2231 regarding ballistic missile activities. Governments who argue that imposing sanctions on Iran for its ballistic missile activities is not possible because the rules are ambiguous in this area, can put pressure on Tehran for its human rights violations. There is no ambiguity in this area. Trumps comments on Iran predictably focused particular attention upon the 2015 nuclear agreement, which he has called the worst deal ever negotiated. But Irans various other behaviors were cited as reasons why the US and the international community should take a more assertive approach to dealing with Tehran. Rouhanis speech rejected his American counterparts allegations about these behaviors, calling them baseless but making no further effort to refute the claims. In the past, numerous Iranian officials have disregarded criticisms of the countrys human rights record while attempting to portray such criticisms as politically biased. But accounts of Tehrans human rights abuses come from various independent sources, including the United Nations special rapporteur on the topic, international human rights groups like Amnesty International, and Iranian activist and dissident groups like the Peoples Mojahedin Organization of Iran, which maintains an active intelligence network inside the country. Rouhanis arrival at the UN was met by protests organized by Iranian expatriates, many of them affiliated with the PMOI and its parent coalition, the National Council of Resistance of Iran. A key goal of these protests was to call attention to the persistence of human rights abuses under the Rouhani presidency, and to shame the international community for allowing Rouhani to speak without challenging him on such matters. Since before he first took office in 2013, Rouhani has been regarded by some Western policymakers as a moderate, by the standards of the clerical regime. The NCRI and other opposition groups have vigorously disputed this notion, however, and the PMOI even organized a nationwide boycott of the polls following Rouhanis reelection campaign in May of this year. The boycott was intended to emphasize the lack of a genuine reformist position in Iranian electoral politics, and this message was underscored by illegal public displays urging the Iranian people to vote for regime change. While some Iranians may have at one time pinned their hopes on Rouhani to make small steps toward reform, these hopes have steadily evaporated as he has failed to take action on any of his progressive-sounding campaign promises. The Iranian publics dissatisfaction with the Rouhani administration has been on prominent display since he was sworn in for a second term in August. On Monday, the Center for Human Rights in Iran released a brief video cataloging some of the Iranian presidents broken promises, including his failure to appoint a single woman or minority to a cabinet-level position in his administration. The CHRI video accurately predicted that Rouhani would not make mention of any such promises in his speech at the UN General Assembly. Trump did not explicitly call attention to this aspect of Irans domestic situation, either. But he did address the popular opposition to the regime, saying that apart from the US military, Irans people are what their leaders fear the most. This fear has been implicitly acknowledged by Iranian officials in their reaction to certain organized protests and social developments in the Islamic Republic. For example, in the midst of a long-term hunger strike by approximately two dozen inmates in Rajai Shahr Prison, Tehran Prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dowlatabadi described such protests as threats and promised that the judicial system will not surrender to them. Accordingly, the authorities at Rajai Shahr have largely ignored the hunger strike and have denied the participants access to medical treatment. This is a common practice in the Iranian prison system, especially with political detainees. The Rajai Shahr hunger strike was the result of the forcible relocation of some 50 prisoners of conscience to a ward where they could be kept under more extensive video and audio surveillance, in harsher conditions. During the transfer, inmates also had personal belongings confiscated, including medicine, and since then the hunger strikers have been barred from family visits and prevented from even receiving deliveries of replacement medicine. After weeks of neglect, most of the protesting inmates have shifted from a full-scale hunger strike to a daytime fast, following appeals from their loved ones. But according to a report published by CHRI on Wednesday, three or four political prisoners have persisted in their hunger strikes, with at least two of them having surpassed 50 days of self-imposed starvation. Despite the predictably severe impact on their health, these inmates continue to be deprived of medical treatment. The pressure faced by these holdouts is indicative of Tehrans obsession with stamping out any protests that seem particularly capable of garnering sympathy and international attention. This effort to impose silence was also underscored by an earlier CHRI report on the persistent hunger strikers, which noted that several individual had been arrested outside of Rajai Shahr Prison for supporting the protest by merely holding roses. The report noted that one arrestee claimed to be surprised by the disproportionate response despite the fact that he had been detained on several previous occasions for participation in peaceful gatherings. While these arrests arguably serve to silence ongoing protests, the Iranian regimes repressive efforts are not limited to immediate threats. A report noted on Monday that plans are underway for the regime to demolish sections of the main cemetery in Tehran where political prisoners were buried after being executed in the early years of the Islamic Republic. The report compares this to the former destruction of one of several mass graves for persons who were executed during the 1988 massacre of political prisoners, which claimed an estimated 30,000 lives. The main target of that massacre was the Peoples Mojahedin, and the NCRI has been tracking the development of other regime plans to destroy evidence of the killings and mass burials. Regarding the section of Tehrans main cemetery that is slated for destruction, IranWire concludes, Every section of the cemetery is a symbol of a brutal chapter of Irans troubled history. Destroying Section 41 seems to be part of a larger plan to further sanitize the history of the blood-stained republic. In the meantime, numerous reports indicate that the modern history of the Islamic Republic is continuing along much the same lines. For instance, the website Iran Human Rights reported on Tuesday that another execution had been carried out in public, as had been done with at least 33 executions in 2016. And Iran Human Rights Monitor added on Wednesday that two other public hangings had taken place on the same day that six other executions were carried out in two other facilities. The same outlet reports that the previous week, an inmate in Ardabil Prison was subjected to a cruel mock execution. Various other reports have detailed how prisoners may be transferred to solitary confinement to prepare for hanging, only to then be sent back to their regular cells, leaving them constantly uncertain as to when their executions are going to be carried out. But the Ardabil case takes this practice to another level and may represent escalating tactics for exerting psychological pressure on prisoners, at a time when the regime is trying to silence accounts of its human rights abuses without actually curtailing them. They also called for the United Nations to take charge of instigating an investigation into the 1988 massacre which ended with the brutal execution of around 30,000 political prisoners. Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), the biggest coalition of opposition groups, addressed those that participated in the gathering. She thanked them for their perseverance and solidarity with the people of Iran. Mrs. Rajavi said that this gathering serves as a voice for those who have been silenced by the Iranian regime. For the first time, she highlighted, the report by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran focused on the 1988 massacre. The release of this report coincides with Rouhanis participation in the General Assembly, she noted. Mrs. Rajavi said that the report challenges admission of the regimes president to the United Nations. Our demand, which is the demand of our oppressed nation, is the expulsion of the president of the regime of massacre from the United Nations. She said that it was essential that the United Nations does not become a pulpit for defending a state-sponsor of terrorism and its brutal tyrannical regime. We do not need any reminder that the Iranian regime has violated all international laws and UN covenants and has totally disregarded the 30 articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The regime has refused to welcome UN rapporteurs and the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights to Iran. So it is only logical that the United Nations refuses Irans ruling religious fascism. Why should a regime that has executed and tortured its people for almost four decades be accepted by the United Nations? Mrs. Rajavi emphasised: More than 3,000 people were executed during Rouhanis first term. Over the same period, the regimes war budget exceeded those of all the previous years. Every year, Rouhani wasted a major portion of the countrys revenues on the slaughter of the people of Syria and the regimes destructive interventions in Iraq and Syria. Now, Rouhanis government includes people who were on the death commissions or were high-ranking officials that were in charge of executing and torturing political prisoners. I must reiterate that as long as the international community, including the United Nations, keeps its doors open to the murderers of the people of Iran, the latter will continue their rights abuses and warmongering. The time has come for the international community, particularly the Western governments, to stop being lenient and making concessions to the religious dictatorship in Iran and remain silent and passive towards their crimes in Iran and abroad. Mrs. Rajavi emphasised that the international community has a responsibility to compel the regime to stop supressing the people of Iran and to stop terrorising its neighbours. Rouhani also made it clear that the Islamic Republic is not interested in renegotiating the nuclear deal. President Trump who has already spoken negatively about the deal declared earlier this week that it is an embarrassment to the United States. Some experts are concerned that if the deal collapses, a regional arms race will be triggered and worsen the conflict in the Middle East. He said that he knows what action he is going to take regarding the deal, but he will not elaborate for the time being. The United States, France, Germany, Great Britain, China and Russia the nations that negotiated the deal met with Iran to discuss it. Sources indicate that there were long talks between the foreign ministers of the US and Iran. The EU is a strong supporter of the deal and leaders maintain that chaos will ensue if the deal collapses. The EUs foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, said that after the talks everyone was in agreement that there have been no violations. She alluded to the North Korea nuclear threat when she said that we definitely (do) not need to go into a second one (nuclear crisis). When asked whether the US would stay in the deal, she refused to answer. Trump had previously said that he was left with the Iran nuclear threat because his predecessor did not deal with it properly. This week, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson reemphasised that Trump would be dealing with the problem head on and will not leave it to another president to sort out. Tillerson also emphasised that Trump, who described the deal as one of the worst and most one-sided transactions the United States has ever entered into, is going to make a very careful decision about the nuclear deal and how it impacts the national security interests of the United States. By the 15th October, Trump will have made a decision about whether Iran will be granted compliance with the nuclear deal. The decision will greatly impact the future of the agreement, because if he decides that Iran will not be granted compliance, Congress will have sixty days to decide on whether to reimpose sanctions that were lifted as a result of the nuclear deal. It is certain that if Trump pulls out of the deal, the other signatories of the deal will not be happy. French President Emmanuel Macron has said that it would be a mistake for Trump to pull out. However, Macron did say that he would welcome much tougher action towards Iran. Although he said that the deal was good, he admitted that it did not address key issues. Reports indicate that during the months of July and August there were at least 16 back carriers and petty tradesmen killed and at least 12 injured. Normally there is an average of 4 deaths per month. In 2016, there was a total of 49 deaths and 47 wounded. The work of a porter is very mentally and physically draining. It is a dangerous job that carries many risks and it is a job that is done by the poorest people in society. The public has become outraged that people are having to resort to this just to be able to support their families. Porters carry heavy loads on their backs, often between 100 to 150 kilograms, with items such as tyres, electronic equipment, fuel, clothing, and so on, at great risk to their health. They transport the goods in extreme weather conditions including intense heat during the summer and bitterly cold winters where they risk frostbite, drowning, getting stuck in an avalanche or getting injured or dying. The terrain is also rough and unstable as the porters have to navigate through mountainous terrain and valleys. As well as the natural risks they are exposed to, porters also have to work with the threat of being shot by the regimes security forces. It is estimated that there are up to around half a million porters, although the regime states official figures of around 68,000. As usual, the regime underestimates real figures so as not to reveal the true extent of the countrys poor social conditions. Shockingly, many porters are children, young people and the elderly. Security forces break the laws of Iran by shooting porters. They state that they are fighting against the trafficking of goods, however Iranian laws state that the security forces are not allowed to shoot in any circumstances other than self-defence or to protect others against an imminent serious injury or death. Furthermore, a third amendment states: Armed forces cannot, in any way, target a defendant on the spot. The former Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran Ahmed Shahid has previously said that he is concerned about the killing of porters, saying that they are carried out outside the law of the country. The smuggling of goods should be punishable by a fine or small prison sentence not an on-the-spot execution. In the Western City of Baneh, people have taken to the streets to protest against the killings of porters by the security forces and by the countrys Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). At the beginning of the month, many people gathered outside the Governors Office to call for an immediate halt to the attacks that the porters face. Protest and Clashes Erupts Over killing of Porters by IRGC Iranian security forces Watch this video on YouTube This is just one example of the Iranian regimes cruel and callous treatment of its own people. NCP chief Nawab Malik told media that, "We demand Raj should tell nation, how, and where this settlement is happening between Dawood and the government. He should also share other information related to Dawood." By Mayuresh Ganapatye: After Raj Thackeray levelled allegations that dreaded underworld don Dawood Ibrahim wants to come back to India and he is negotiating with the Centre. Now NCP has slammed MNS chief Raj Thackeray and have asked him to produce the proofs with time, date, venue of these negotiations. NCP chief Nawab Malik told media that, "We demand Raj should tell nation, how, and where this settlement is happening between Dawood and the government. He should also share other information related to Dawood." advertisement NCP called Raj Thackeray the biggest Modi bhakt . Before 2014 elections, Raj Thackeray used to praise Modi and he also extended his support to him. Raj had also gone to visit Gujarat as a guest of state govt to see the development work there. Malik further added that, "Today, if Raj is criticising Modi it shows how the biggest bhakt of Modi is not happy with this government and is changing his stand." NCP is also planning to send legal notice to a news channel which broadcasted pictures of Sharad Pawar and NCP symbol in Iqbal Kaskar's recent arrest. In a press conference, Thane CP didn't take name of our party and our party leader. However, few channels showed our party symbol and photos of our chief Sharad Pawar. We are in the process of sending legal notice to all of them. DO WATCH: Politics-underworld nexus revealed; Encounter specialist Pradeep Sharma on Kaskar arrest; more --- ENDS --- By PTI: By Shirish B Pradhan Kathmandu, Sep 21 (PTI) Nepal has proposed opening 13 more border points with China to improve connectivity between the two countries, according to a media report. China and Nepal have been stepping up efforts to improve road connectivity while speeding up plans to build a railway line connecting to Nepals border after K P Sharma Oli, pro- China former Nepalese Prime Minister, signed a Transit Trade Treaty with Beijing last year during his tenure. advertisement During a meeting with a Chinese team, Nepalese officials forwarded a proposal to open up 13 order points to ease the connectivity between the two countries. However, the talk ended inconclusively as the Chinese side did not agree to Nepals proposition, Kathmandu Post reported. "We could not reach any agreement with China during the discussion," an official was quoted as saying by the daily. However, the Chinese side had indicated that they were "positive" on opening three border points in eastern region, the official said on condition of anonymity. But no formal agreement was reached in the matter during the discussion. "The Nepali side had proposed opening up nine more border points with China at a time when an agreement is already there to open up four border points," he said. Earlier, Nepal and China had agreed to open border points at Yari, Kerung, Olangchungola and Tatopani, according to the officials. The Tatopani border point has been closed since an earthquake hit Nepal in April, 2015. Besides, Nepal also tabled a proposal on opening the border at nine more points, including Hilsa, Korola, Dolpa, Darchula, Taklakot, Olangchungola and Kimathanka. The Road and Transpiration Agreement reached between the two countries in 1994 paved way for two countries to reach some kind of understanding in the matter. The agreement facilitates opening up border points, movement of people and in some special cases, Nepal can use the Chinese highways for trade in certain parts that are not linked with road connectivity from the Nepali side. The Nepalese side was led by Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transportation Saroj Pradhan. PTI SBP UZM --- ENDS --- A United Nations report says Afghanistans version of the Islamic State group has expanded its activities to all seven provinces in the country. It said the group operated in just one province last year. The UN Office of Humanitarian Affairs reported an increase in fighting between Afghan forces and Taliban militants this year. But it said attacks by the Islamic State of Khorasan Province (ISK-P) weakened security in the country. The UN report said the growing insecurity is not only characterized by increased attacks on district centers, but also by a doubling of attacks attributable to...(the) Islamic State of Khorasan to more than 230 in the first half of the year. The report noted that until the first half of 2016, the Islamic State forces operated only in the eastern province of Nangarhar. United States and Afghan officials have repeatedly said that the group is operating in southern Nangarhar and parts of nearby Kunar province. They claim that ground and air attacks in recent months have killed hundreds of fighters linked to the group and reduced the territory it controls. The UN group said an increase in fighting in Afghanistan displaced more than 50,000 civilians in August. That is the largest monthly displacement of Afghan civilians this year. It also said that Taliban-led militants attacked or fought for control of at least eight district centers in seven Afghan provinces during the month. From January to the end of July, anti-state armed groups attacked and took control of more than 12 district centers across the country. Afghan security forces have since retaken control of just two of them. There has usually been heavy fighting involved in retaking the centers. The U.S. military dropped more than 550 bombs in August, the most in one month. Last week, a U.S. official told VOA that most of the bombs were dropped on Helmand and Nangarhar provinces. The United Nations says the number of Afghan civilians killed or injured this year has reached record levels. It has called on all sides to protect civilians. The UN agency says insecurity in Afghanistan is likely to increase during the rest of 2017. It said no seasonal end to the fighting is expected because winter is expected to arrive later than normal Afghan winters. Fighting is expected to increase after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a new strategy on Afghanistan last month. The new policy is designed to end the conflict with the Taliban in what has become the longest foreign military operation in U.S. history. On Monday, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis announced that the U.S. is sending another 3,000 troops to the country. That is an increase of more than 25 percent in the number of American troops there. The latest deployment will increase the number of U.S. forces in Afghanistan to more than 14,000. The Afghan war began almost 16 years ago when U.S. forces were ordered to overthrow a government led by the Taliban and members of the al-Qaida terror group. The invasion followed the al-Qaida-led attacks against New York and Washington on September 11th, 2001. Im Kelly Jean Kelly. Correspondent Ayaz Gul reported this story from Islamabad. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted the report for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, or visit our Facebook page. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story characterize v. to describe the qualities of someone or something attributable - adj. of or related to qualities belonging to a person or thing district n. a territorial division; an area strategy n. a careful method or plan The highest court in Iraq has approved a request by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to suspend an independence referendum in Iraqi Kurdistan. The area planned to hold the referendum later this month. The Iraqi supreme court announced on Monday that the election will be suspended until it studies cases related to the constitutionality of the vote. Abadi has repeatedly spoken out against the referendum. He told an Iraqi news agency that the Kurds would be "playing with fire" by pushing for the vote in the Kurdish autonomous region. The Kurdish area has repeatedly ignored efforts to cancel the referendum. And the court has little power to execute its order. Iraqi Kurdistan regional President Masoud Barzani supports the referendum. Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim warned last week that the Iraqi Kurdish plan to hold a vote on independence was a "grave mistake." "We dont want to impose sanctions, he continued, but, if we arrive at that point, there are steps that have been already planned that Turkey can take." Turkey shares a border with Iraqi Kurdistan. Some Turkish officials fear an independent Kurdish state could cause similar demands for independence in Turkey. The United States has voiced strong opposition to the independence vote. The Trump administration released a statement on the vote last Friday. It said the United States "does not support" the Kurdish plan to hold a referendum. It added that the plan "is distracting from efforts to defeat ISIS (the self-declared Islamic State group) and stabilize the liberated areas." The Trump administration wants the Iraqi Kurds to cancel the vote. Instead, administration officials want them to take part in "serious and sustained dialogue with Baghdad." The U.S. government has offered to assist in possible talks. Im Jonathan Evans. Chris Hannas reported this story for VOANews.com. Jonathan Evans adapted his report for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. ____________________________________________________________ Words in this Story autonomous adj. existing or acting separately from other things or people; independent stabilize v. to make something unlikely to change distract v. to cause someone to stop thinking about something sanction n. an action taken to make a country obey a rule or law The earthquake that struck near Mexico City Tuesday came exactly 32 years after an 8.0 magnitude quake hit the area. The 1985 earthquake killed nearly 10,000 people. Mexican officials say more than 200 people are confirmed dead following Tuesdays quake. Many buildings were damaged, while others were destroyed. Rescue workers searched the capital and other areas on Wednesday in hopes of finding survivors. Mexican Interior Minister Miguel Osorio Chong says his countrys armed forces and police will continue working until they explore all possibilities of finding more people alive. Civilians joined the search and rescue teams shortly after the quake. They used heavy machinery and, in some cases their hands, to clear away wreckage from homes, schools and other buildings. Scientists say the earthquake had a magnitude of 7.1. The United States Geological Survey defines magnitude as a number that represents the relative size of a quake. The quakes epicenter was near the city of Puebla, 120 kilometers southeast of Mexico City. Ken Hudnut is a science adviser with the U.S. Geological Survey in Pasadena, California. He told VOA that the land on which the buildings were set up could be a reason for the collapses. "Some of the buildings are on old lake beds, and that can amplify the shaking and cause the shaking to last longer, and that can make for more damage. On Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump sent a message of support on Twitter. He wrote, God bless the people of Mexico City. We are with you and will be there for you. On Wednesday, Israel announced plans to send 70 people to Mexico to help with rescue efforts. A military spokesman said the team will help examine buildings to identify their damage and safety levels. The earthquake hit less than two weeks after another quake killed more than 90 people in southern Mexico. The U.S. Geological Survey said the two quakes appeared to be unrelated. The Earths outermost surface is made up of large tectonic plates. As many as 20 tectonic plates cover the planet. They move slowly, sometimes sliding under one another. When that happens, earthquakes can take place. Ken Hudnut says the two recent quakes in Mexico have similarities. So both of them occurred within the plate that's going down underneath the plate that is overriding up on top. And both of them had some extensional movement, which is unusual. The more typical thing is like the 1985 earthquake that did much more damage in Mexico City than either of these Im Ashley Thompson. George Grow wrote this story for Learning English based on VOA, AP and Reuters news reports. Hai Do was the editor. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story lake n. a large, inland body of standing water amplify v. to expand; to make larger or greater tectonic plate n. large pieces of the Earths outer shell occur v. to happen; to exist or appear typical adj. normal for someone or something We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. Hundreds of thousands of ethnic Rohingya people have been forced out of western Myanmar in what the United Nations is comparing to ethnic cleansing. Officials of Myanmar including State Councilor Aung San Suu Kyi say the problem is complex and will require time to work out. Officials say Muslim terrorists are responsible for destruction of villages and displacement of people. Who are the Rohingya? The Muslim Rohingya people are one of the many ethnic minorities in Myanmar, also known as Burma, which is a Buddhist majority country. Most have lived in Myanmars western Rakhine state. The government considers the Rohingya migrants from Bangladesh who are seeking better economic conditions. They are not recognized as citizens although many can show that their families have been in the country for generations. This is not the first time the Rohingya have fled the area. Hundreds of thousands left in 1978 and again in the early 1990s, fleeing military and government oppression. In 2012, another 100,000 fled by boat as Myanmar was transitioning from a half-century of military dictatorship to democracy. The violence in Rakhine state has continued since late August when Rohingya militants attacked several police and army positions there. However, military operations to answer the attacks have killed hundreds of Rohingya and many of their villages have been burned. It is estimated that more than 300,000 Rohingya have fled to neighboring Bangladesh. Thousands more remain in Myanmar where they are in need of food and aid. Not clear what is happening in Rakhine state The United Nations has described the treatment of the Rohingya as a textbook example of ethnic cleansing. Recent efforts to bring aid to the area have faced setbacks. In one incident, nine aid workers transporting humanitarian assistance died when their truck crashed into a ditch. In another incident, a mob of about 300 protesters blocked a shipment of humanitarian aid in the port of Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine state. The protestors attacked a boat that was being prepared to take 50 tons of supplies including food, water and mosquito nets from the International Red Cross. The aid was to be sent to Rohingya in the northern part of Rakhine. Some Buddhist religious leaders urged calm. But, the mob began throwing stones and gasoline bombs at police who fired warning shots in the air. Eight people were detained during the unrest. Reporters and rights activists say they cannot find out what is happening in Myanmars western Rakhine state. Recently, the government permitted a group of reporters to visit Hindu villagers who said they were attacked by Muslim terrorists. However, when the reporters investigated, they found that two of those identified as victims had also been shown as Bengali terrorists on social media sites. Phil Robertson is the Asia Division deputy director for the activist group Human Rights Watch. He said the government brings out these fake photos or these fake narratives and then they attack the human rights groups like us saying why dont you guys investigate. Robertson added, Let us in. Let us go where we want to go and do what we want to find the truth. International reactions The crisis in western Myanmar has gained international criticism This week, United States Vice President Mike Pence called on the U.N. Security Council to take action to end the violence. Myanmars leader Aung San Suu Kyi has also faced international criticism for not speaking out strongly about the actions of Myanmars military. She has called on the military to avoid harming innocent civilians. However, she said there is no simple answer to the problem. Building up trust and harmony between two communities that have in many parts of that region been hostile to one another is not done easily, she said. Im Mario Ritter. Richard Green and Steve Sanford reported this story for VOA News. Mario Ritter adapted it for VOA Learning English with additional material from Victor Beattie. Hai Do was the editor. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story Fake adj. false, not true Narratives n. a story that is told or written Ditch n. a hole Harmony n. working together effectively We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. North Korea prepares to observe the death anniversary of Kim Jong Uns grandmother as world leaders increase criticism of its missile and nuclear test program. Kim Jong Sook was the grandmother of the North Korean leader. A popular figure in North Korea, she was the first wife of the countrys founding leader, Kim Il Sung. He ruled for more than 45 years until his death in 1994. Upon his death, the son of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Sook, Kim Jong Il, came to power. He ruled until his death in 2011. At that time, his son, Kim Jong Un, became leader. He has ruled North Korea ever since. Major observances are planned to mark the September 22 anniversary, according to sources who spoke to Radio Free Asia. North Korea began to emphasize the role of Kim Jong Sook after last years 7th Congress of the ruling Korean Workers Party, a source said. At one event on August 15, she was called the Mother of the Revolution, the source added. Flowers from Kim Jong Un will be placed on a statue of Kim Jong Sook at her birthplace in North Hamgyong province, said another source. The celebrations will be a way for officials to emphasize Kim Jong Uns direct blood ties to North Koreas founding couple. According to another source in North Hamgyong province, the observances under former leader Kim Jong Il were handled more quietly. But this has become a more important event now that Kim Jong Un is in charge, the source said. International pressures The observances come as the international community attempts to put more pressure on North Korea to end its nuclear weapons program. North Korea has a history of marking anniversaries with nuclear and missile tests. The country tested its fifth nuclear device on the anniversary of its founding last year. More recently, it tested its sixth nuclear device and several missiles. Earlier this week, U.S. President Donald Trump used powerful language to warn North Korea. In a speech to the United Nations General Assembly Tuesday, Trump said that if the U.S. is threatened, in his words, We will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea. He also called Kim rocket man, saying he seemed to be on a suicide mission. On Thursday, Trump signed an executive order permitting the U.S. to sanction individual companies and institutions that do business with North Korea. He announced the action during a working lunch with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean President Moon Jae-in. Speaking to the U.N. General Assembly Thursday, Moon said he approved of sanctions being placed on North Korea to help resolve the nuclear conflict. But he urged North Korea to agree to hold talks on the issue to prevent a possible conflict. Although South Korea is backing sanctions against North Korea, it also decided to move forward with a planned aid package worth $8 million to its communist neighbor. Im Caty Weaver. Sunghui Moon reported this story for Radio Free Asias Korean Service. Bryan Lynn adapted it for VOA Learning English, with additional material from the Associated Press. Hai Do was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story sanction n. action taken to make a country obey a rule or law emphasize v. show that something is important or needs special attention achievement n. result gained through work or effort The Vietnamese government has set aggressive targets for reducing the amount of cash used by people across the country. The goal is to reduce the amount of ready money changing hands. The government says it wants to cut the total number of cash transactions nationwide to just 10 percent by the year 2020. The effort is part of a campaign aimed at making it easier for Vietnamese citizens to use banking services. The campaign calls for greatly increasing the number of electronic transactions for many goods and services. It includes a goal of having up to 70 percent of utility payments made electronically. Vietnam has already made progress in this area. Many people now make water and power payments electronically at small stores, especially around cities. In the past, people had to either pay in cash at the local post office or wait for a collector to come. In an effort to cut down on cash payments, banks are using creative methods to reach people who live far from bank offices. For example, VietinBank sends employees on motorbikes to areas outside the city to help its customers do banking. Another company, DongA Bank, sets up vehicles with cash machines near factories for laborers to use. Many businesses also have mobile phone tools linked to banks for people to pay for products and services. While such tools, sometimes called e-wallets, are now widely available, many people have been unwilling to use them. Experts say the main reason for this is a fear that personal banking information and money can be stolen. Le Anh Dung is payment director for the State Bank of Vietnam. He recently spoke at a conference dealing with digital payment technologies. Dung praised companies like Alibaba, Amazon and Uber for offering people one-click pay tools. Google also lets people buy things in its Google Play store with phone credits. Dung said that such payment methods are good because they make it effortless for people to hand over their money. But he added that because digital payment technologies are still new to many people, cash will not disappear anytime soon. DongA Banks deputy chief executive officer Nguyen An agrees. He says it will take time for people to trust the new technology. He said many bank employees also did not want to accept electronic pay methods instead of cash when the system was launched about 10 years ago. The government also hopes digital payments will become more common because online retail sales are growing at a fast rate. Vietnams e-commerce market was $400,000 in 2015, but it is predicted to grow to $7.5 billion by 2025. The government is pleased to see that more people are moving to the internet to buy products. But leaders are concerned that 89 percent of Vietnams online shoppers still choose to use cash on delivery. Vietnam also has plans to digitize many public services. This means people could make electronic payments someday soon to services such as hospitals and schools. But for now, the mobile banks will keep traveling the streets in search of new customers. Im Bryan Lynn. Ha Nguyen reported this story for VOA News. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story cash n. ready money; paper money and coins transaction n. a deal involving the buying or selling of something utility n. organization that supplies people with water, electricity, gas, etc. e-commerce n. activities that relate to the buying and selling of goods and services over the Internet delivery n. the act of taking something to a person or place mobile adj. able to be moved by vehicles Your Ultimate Investing Toolkit Sign up for MarketBeat All Access to gain access to MarketBeat's full suite of research tools: Portfolio Monitoring Top Stock Lists Premium Reports Stock Screeners Live News Feed Premium Support Free for your first month. By PTI: By Shirish B Pradhan Kathmandu, Sep 21 (PTI) For the first time, Nepal will re-measure the height of the Mt Everest on its own, amid reports that the height of the worlds highest peak has changed after the deadly 2015 earthquake in the Himalayan nation. The height of the peak was last determined at 8,848 metres in 1955, by an Indian survey. advertisement "The Department of Survey, government of Nepal will re- measure the height of Mt Everest very soon," said Deputy Director General of the Department Neeraj Manandhar, who is directly involved in the task of conducting the survey. "There are reports that changes are noticed in the height of the Everest due to the recent earthquakes. We are conducting the survey of the Everest on our own," he said. The department is currently working on preparing infrastructure such as acquiring equipment for the survey, he told PTI. After the necessary infrastructure becomes ready the survey work will begin within the current fiscal year, he informed. Various international experts have claimed that the height of the Everest has changed over the time. The US and Chinese teams have given different heights of the Everest, sparking controversy. This has necessitated the task of re- measuring the height so as to ascertain the correct height, Manandhar said. In 2005, Chinese team concluded that the height of the Everest is 8,844 metres on the basis of the rock without taking into account the snow covering the mountain peak. However, Nepal government has taken the snow as the basis for measuring the height. Another important reason for re-measuring the height is that we wanted to know if the devastating earthquake of April 2015 made any significant change in the height, he pointed out. "The Department of Survey possesses all the technical know-how for measuring the height of the mountain and we will bear the cost on our own," he said. The department has estimated two years time period for completing the survey and a budget of 250 million Nepalese rupees has been allocated for the purpose. "Nepal has not measured the height of the Everest on its own and this time we are doing so," he added. The base of measuring the height will be Indian mean sea level, he added. PTI SBP AMS AKJ AMS --- ENDS --- Trinity Industries, Inc. provides rail transportation products and services under the TrinityRail name in North America. It operates in two segments, Railcar Leasing and Management Services Group, and Rail Products Group. The Railcar Leasing and Management Services Group segment leases freight and tank railcars; originates and manages railcar leases for third-party investors; and provides fleet maintenance and management services. As of December 31, 2021, it had a fleet of 106,970 owned or leased railcars. This segment serves industrial shipper and railroad companies operating in agriculture, construction and metals, consumer products, energy, and refined products and chemicals markets. The Rail Products Group segment manufactures freight and tank railcars for transporting various liquids, gases, and dry cargo; and offers railcar maintenance and modification services. This segment serves railroads, leasing companies, and industrial shippers of products in the agriculture, construction and metals, consumer products, energy, and refined products and chemicals markets. It sells or leases products and services through its own sales personnel and independent sales representatives. Trinity Industries, Inc. was incorporated in 1933 and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas. Suncor Energy Inc. operates as an integrated energy company. The company primarily focuses on developing petroleum resource basins in Canada's Athabasca oil sands; explores, acquires, develops, produces, transports, refines, and markets crude oil in Canada and internationally; markets petroleum and petrochemical products under the Petro-Canada name primarily in Canada. It operates through Oil Sands; Exploration and Production; Refining and Marketing; and Corporate and Eliminations segments. The Oil Sands segment recovers bitumen from mining and in situ operations, and upgrades it into refinery feedstock and diesel fuel, or blends the bitumen with diluent for direct sale to market. The Exploration and Production segment is involved in offshore operations off the east coast of Canada and in the North Sea; and operating onshore assets in Libya and Syria. The Refining and Marketing segment refines crude oil and intermediate feedstock into various petroleum and petrochemical products; and markets refined petroleum products to retail, commercial, and industrial customers through its other retail sellers. The Corporate and Eliminations segment operates four wind farms in Ontario and Western Canada. The company also markets and trades in crude oil, natural gas, byproducts, refined products, and power. The company was formerly known as Suncor Inc. and changed its name to Suncor Energy Inc. in April 1997. Suncor Energy Inc. was founded in 1917 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada. 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 Duck Creek Technologies, Inc. provides software-as-a-service core systems to the property and casualty insurance industry in the United States and internationally. The company provides Duck Creek Policy, a solution that enables insurers to develop and launch new insurance products and manage various aspects of policy administration ranging from product definition to quoting, binding, and servicing; Duck Creek Billing that provides payment and invoicing capabilities, such as billing and collections, commission processing, disbursement management, and general ledger capabilities for insurance lines and bill types; and Duck Creek Claims that supports entire claims lifecycle from first notice of loss through investigation, payments, negotiations, reporting, and closure. It also offers Duck Creek Rating that allows carriers to develop new rates and models and deliver quotes in real-time based on the complex rating algorithms; Duck Creek Insights, an insurance analytics solution that allows carriers to gather and analyze data from internal and external sources and facilitate analysis and reporting on a single system; Duck Creek Digital Engagement that offer digital interactions between property and casualty insurers and their agents, brokers, and policyholders; and Duck Creek Distribution Management that automates sales channel activities for agents and brokers, including producer onboarding, compliance, and compensation management. In addition, the company provides Duck Creek Reinsurance Management that automates financial and administrative functions; and Duck Creek Industry Content that provides pre-built content, including base business rules, product designs, rating algorithms, data capture screens, and workflows for insurance lines of business, such as commercial auto, inland marine, and workers compensation. It has a partnership with Shift Technologies, Inc. to implement AI fraud detection. The company was founded in 2016 and is based in Boston, Massachusetts. By PTI: Colombo, Sep 21 (PTI) Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Thilak Marapana today said no provable evidence has been filed against former army commander Jagath Jayasuriya who has been accused of committing war crimes during the countrys three- decade-long civil war. The suits are based on Jayasuriyas role as a commander in the final phase of Sri Lankas civil war in 2009. The lawsuits against Jayasuriya allege he oversaw military units that attacked hospitals and killed, disappeared and tortured thousands of people in the final phase of Sri Lankas civil war in 2009. advertisement But Marapona said that there is no credible evidence against him for alleged war crimes. Responding to a question raised by joint opposition MP Dinesh Gunawardane, Marapana said the case was not a new thing and added that two similar cases had been filed against Sri Lankan security forces by NGOs in the US and Switzerland in 2011 which were later withdrawn. Jayasuriya left Brazil last month to return to Sri Lanka after completing his two-year tour of service. Jayasuriya had diplomatic immunity in the countries where he was ambassador, and the groups pursuing the suits had hoped to compel governments to expel him. President Maithripala Sirisena had earlier said his government wont allow any military personnel to be tried for alleged war crimes. Marapona said the government maintains Sirisenas stand on Jayasuriya. PTI Corr UZM --- ENDS --- Bose is launching the first headphones with built-in support for Google Assistant. As spotted in leaked pictures, the new Bose QuietComort 35 II noise-canceling headphones have a built-in action button that you can use to trigger Google Assistant. You do need to pair the headphones to a phone via Bluetooth though so its not like the QC35 II headphones have Assistant baked in. They just provide easy access to a feature thats running on your iPhone or Android device. The Bose QC35 II headphones are available starting today for $350. Thats a pretty hefty price tag, but Bose is a premium headphone maker that makes some of the best noise-canceling headphones on the market. The QC35 II model is a set of Bluetooth headphones that you can also plug in via a 4 foot audio cable that comes in the box. The headphones offer up to 20 hours of battery life and charge via a USB cable. Bose says a 15 minute charge should give you 2.5 hours of listening time. Google says Assistant will be available for the QC 35 II headphones in the US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and the UK. Theres no word on if or when well see other Assistant-optimized headphones, but Id be surprised if Google wasnt working with other companies to offer more affordable options. via Google Google has been selling its own hardware for years. The Chromebook Pixel line of laptops and the Chromecast line of media streamers are all Google. But when it comes to phones, the company has long relied on partnerships with other companies: Nexus phones have been built buy HTC, Samsung, LG, Huawei, and Motorola. Things sort of changed in 2016, with the launch of a new line of products including Google Home, Daydream View, and the Pixel phones but even those phones were built by HTC. Now it looks like Google is going all-in on the idea of building its own phones. The company has announced a $1.1 billion deal to hire about 2,000 people away from HTC and to license intellectual property from the company. Google is officially becoming a phone maker. The deal is actually a little smaller/more complicated than some folks had expected: HTC is offering its IP in a non-exclusive arrangement. And the company will continue to make phones and other products (like the HTC Vive VR headset) under its own brand name. HTC says this will let the company streamline its product portfolio, although there was obviously never anything stopping HTC from doing that before. the bigger news is that HTC, which has been struggling to compete with rivals like Samsung, Apple, and Huawei in recent years, now has $1.1 billion more to play with. That could help the company shift its focus in the coming years. For now, HTC says its already working on the follow-up to this years HTC U11. So it looks like HTC isnt exiting the phone business just yet. This isnt the first time Google has bought significant assets from a phone maker. The company acquired Motorolas phone business in 2012, but sold it to Lenovo two years later. In that case Google was only really interested in the patents. The HTC deal comes at a time when Google is doubling down on its Pixel line of premium devices which the company says offer the best Google experience in hardware, software, and services. In the past Google, like Microsoft, has basically offered software and services and relied on partners for the hardware. But, like Microsoft, the company has decided to have it both ways in recent years but offering a premium line of products for a best-in-class experience, while also continuing to make its software available for third-party device makers to give customers a range of choices when it comes to features and price points. It remains to be seen what kind of impact this will have on Googles consumer hardware lineup. The company is holding an event on October 4th to unveil new products including phones, smart speakers, and a laptop. But all of those items were in the works before the HTC deal was announced. read more at a lot of sites, via Techeme Apple TV is joining the ranks of 4K media streamers this week. But the companys kind of late to the party: Amazon, Google, and Roku already offer 4K TV boxes. And NVIDIAs Shield TV has been one of the most powerful 4K-ready TV boxes since it launched more than two years ago. But The NVIDIA Shield TV has also been one of the pricier options, selling for $199 and up. Now NVIDIA is offering a (slightly) cheaper option. Starting today, you can pre-order a Shield TV with a multimedia remote control for $179. But you wont get the wireless game controller that the company includes with more expensive configurations. If youre just looking for a 4K media streamer with support for content from pretty much every major online music and movies services except for iTunes and Apple Music, that makes the Shield TV a pretty good, option, albeit a rather expensive one. Of course, you could also get a lot of those features by purchasing a $69 Xiaomi Mi Box, which runs the same Android TV software as NVIDIAs device. But the Shield TV has an NVIDIA Tegra X1 processor and support for some Shield-exclusive games as well as the ability to stream games from a PC or the cloud using NVIDIAs GameStream technology. In other words, gaming is probably the Shield TVs key point of differentiation so shipping a model without a game controller seems like an odd move. But it does bring the starting price for a Shield TV down to $179, which is exactly the same price as Apple is charging for its new 4K-ready Apple TV. Meanwhile, Amazon and Roku are both expected to ship new 4K-ready devices this fall. I suspect both companies will have options that are around half the price of a Shield TV or Apple TV. I met my husband about a year after he broke up with his ex. We've been together for a few years and got married about a year ago. He's a wonderful man and a match for me in all the ways I want. There is an issue, though. I moved into his house about a year after we started dating with the understanding that there was an agreement to sell the house within a few months. His ex's name is on the house, and every year she comes up with another reason not to sell it. We can go to court over it, but it opens a huge can of worms since their children's schooling is based on the shared house. The inability to move from the house has me feeling trapped and gives me anxiety. It seems there's a lot of talk between them about the house, but nothing ever comes of it. He needs her permission to sell, and she keeps coming up with things she wants before she will agree. The whole dynamic between him and his ex has pushed me to the point where I'm ready to leave. I love my husband and have no plans to divorce, but I don't want to be in this house anymore. I want to pack up my things and move out until it is settled. I want our own place that we can build and grow together. Is this unreasonable? I can see that he's trying, but he's also very timid and afraid to push too far because of the possibility of losing primary residence for his children. Is moving out until the house is resolved a solution to end my anxiety? We've been to a marriage counselor over this, but haven't been able to get a solution. Stuck A nationwide study that reviewed 16 years of Medicare beneficiary data showed a steady reduction in carotid endarterectomy the surgical procedure used to remove plaque built up inside a carotid artery. The Yale-led study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, examined data from 1999 to 2014 to better understand national trends in carotid revascularization among populations that are not regularly included in clinical trial data. "This database provided information in age and race subgroups that may not be well represented in clinical trials. This is very important because these data provide information about procedure performance and outcomes for patients in diverse demographic groups, including older persons," said lead author Judith H. Lichtman, Ph.D., associate professor and chair of the Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology at the Yale School of Public Health. Study subjects had a median age of 75 an important age group for heart and stroke research, but a demographic not usually included in clinical trials. Lichtman says these "real world" data provide complementary surveillance to clinical trials, and understand how procedures are being utilized over time. Rates not only decreased for carotid endarterectomy, but also for carotid artery stenting placing a small expandable tube in the artery among both sexes and within most age and race subgroups. The data also revealed an improvement in post procedure outcomes. Despite lower hospital procedure volume, there were improvements in mortality and ischemic stroke outcomes for both procedures after accounting for demographic characteristics, comorbidities, and symptomatic status. Lichtman says they cannot say yet what is contributing to the annual decrease in these invasive procedures, but she noted that better clinical care e.g. the use of medications to manage risk factors such as high blood pressure and cholesterolmay be keeping surgeries among at-risk groups down. Better education, guidelines, and follow up with patients regarding self-care and prevention, exercise and nutrition, may also help patients manage their blood pressure and other contributing issues with non-invasive methods. (HealthDay)Some people may safely donate blood as often as every eight weeksbut that may not be a healthy choice for all, a new study suggests. The study was done in the United Kingdom, where experts recommend that blood donors wait 12 to 16 weeks before giving again. That's in contrast to the United States, where blood donations are already allowed at eight-week intervals. The studya large clinical trial involving more than 45,000 blood donorswas set up to answer a critical question: Do frequent donors suffer ill health effects? The answer, researchers found, was "nuanced." There was no evidence that frequent donations caused "major adverse effects," such as draining donors' physical energy, dimming their mental sharpness or harming their general quality of life. "Frequent," in this trial, meant every eight weeks for men and every 12 weeks for women, over two years. On the other hand, one-quarter of frequent donors did develop iron deficiency by the two-year mark. And some complained of symptoms like fatigue, dizziness and trouble breathing. The study results were published online Sept. 20 in The Lancet. What does it all mean? According to the researchers, the report suggests that strategic use of frequent blood donations could work. "This study suggests that more frequent blood donation is a feasible and safe option for donors in the U.K.," said senior researcher Dr. John Danesh, a professor at the University of Cambridge in England. It could be a good "short-term option" at times when the donor blood supply falls, or demand rises, Danesh said in a journal news release. On the other hand, donating frequently on a routine basis may be needlessly risky, according to an expert who was not involved in the study. "The shorter interval between donations is probably not ideal," said Dr. Edward Murphy, a researcher with the Blood Systems Research Institute, in San Francisco. Blood donors give about a pint of blood each time, explained Murphy, who co-authored an editorial published with the study. That depletes them of about 200 to 250 milligrams of iron, he said. And it takes the average donor about six months to fully recover those iron stores, if no supplements are used. That window shrinks to around 90 days if a donor takes a standard daily iron pill, according to Murphy. Yet the currently recommended blood-donation intervals do not reflect that. In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration has set eight weeks as the minimum for men and women. In France and Germany, men can donate every eight weeks, and women every 12while the United Kingdom has longer wait times. Why? The recommendations are actually "poorly supported" by scientific evidence, Murphy said. And historically, practical concernslike maintaining an adequate donor blood supplyhave entered the picture, he said. The new study is the first clinical trial to test the effects of different donation intervals. "That's the innovation of this research," Murphy said. Danesh and his colleagues randomly assigned more than 45,000 U.K. donors to different intervals: Men donated every 12, 10 or eight weeks over two years; women gave every 16, 14 or 12 weeks. At the two-year mark, the donors took standard tests of memory, attention and other mental skills. They also filled out questionnaires on their physical activity habits and quality of life. Overall, the study found, frequent blood donors did just as well on those measures as other donors. But they were more likely to say they'd had symptoms that could be due to donationincluding fatigue, dizziness and "restless legs" (uncomfortable sensations in the legs and an irresistible urge to move them). Those problems affected a minority of donors overall. There was no correlation, however, between those symptoms and depleted iron stores. "That's part of the problem," Murphy said. Donors cannot rely on symptoms to know whether their iron stores have dropped too low. Murphy said some U.S. blood banks have started measuring donors' iron levels, and shifting to longer donation intervals for people who are deficient. Another solution would be to provide donors with iron supplements, he suggested. The typical blood donor probably gives two or three times a year, Murphy said. "But," he added, "there are those people who come back religiously, six or seven times a year." He suggested that frequent donors talk to their blood bank about the risk of iron deficiency, and decide whether they should be tested and/or donate less often. More information: Edward Murphy, M.D., M.P.H., professor in residence, laboratory medicine, University of California, San Francisco, and senior investigator, Blood Systems Research Institute, San Francisco; Sept. 20, 2017, The Lancet, online. Edward Murphy, M.D., M.P.H., professor in residence, laboratory medicine, University of California, San Francisco, and senior investigator, Blood Systems Research Institute, San Francisco; Sept. 20, 2017,, online. The American Red Cross has more on blood donation and iron levels. Journal information: The Lancet Copyright 2017 HealthDay. All rights reserved. (HealthDay)For hepatitis B virus (HBV) carriers, hepatitis B virus core-related antigen (HBcrAg) levels are associated with progression to cirrhosis, according to a study published online Sept. 15 in the Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology. Toshifumi Tada, M.D. from Ogaki Municipal Hospital in Japan, and colleagues examined the predictive impact of HBV markers on progression to cirrhosis in HBV carriers. The study included 529 hepatitis B e antigen seroconverters with FIB-4 index 3.6 not on nucleos(t)ide analog therapy. The researchers found that during the follow-up period, 84 patients progressed to cirrhosis (FIB-4 index >3.6). In univariate Cox proportional hazards models, there was a significant correlation for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), HBV DNA, HBcrAg, and basal core promoter (BCP) status, but not genotype and precore status, with progression to cirrhosis. HBsAg 3.0 log IU/mL and HBcrAg 3.7 log U/mL were independently associated with progression to cirrhosis (hazard ratios, 0.53 and 3.28) after adjustment for HBV genotype, HBsAg, HBV DNA, HBcrAg, precore status, and BCP status. Hazard ratio and 95 percent confidence intervals gradually increased as HBcrAg levels increased in the hazard ratio spline curve analysis; this was not seen for increasing levels of HBsAg and HBV DNA. "Elevated HBcrAg levels in HBV carriers increases the risk for progression to cirrhosis," the authors write. "HBcrAg is an excellent predictor of the development of cirrhosis." Copyright 2017 HealthDay. All rights reserved. Percent difference in expected and observed incidence of Japanese encephalitis following vaccination campaign, by district, Nepal. Credit: Public Library of Science From 2006 through 2011, Nepal conducted a mass immunization campaign against Japanese encephalitisa mosquito-borne viral disease. Now, investigators have reported in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases that the vaccination effort prevented thousands of cases of Japanese encephalitis (JE) and cut JE rates in Nepal by at least 78%. In many Asian countries, JE is associated with significant mortality; nearly a third of cases are fatal in some places, and up to half of survivors are left with neuropsychiatric sequelae. There is no treatment for JE, but vaccines can prevent disease. In the Nepalese campaign, the SA 14-14-2 JE vaccine was first administered in 23 districts with the highest JE rates, and then expanded to additional districts as well as integrated into the normal childhood vaccine schedule. An impact assessment in 2010 found that the post-campaign JE rate was 72% lower than expected without any immunizations, but data in some districts was still early and limited. In the new work, Shyam Upreti of the Ministry of Health in Nepal, along with colleagues from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and others, used a more complete dataset, collected through Nepal's routine surveillance system from 2004 through 2014. At least three years of post-vaccination campaign data were available for 31 districts in the country. The rate of JE after the immunization campaign0.7 cases per 100,000 peoplewas 78% lower than would be expected without the vaccine, and an estimated 3,011 cases were prevented. The rate of acute encephalitis syndromea broader term which encompasses JE as well as other diseaseswas 59% lower than expected and an estimated 9,497 AES cases were prevented, according to the new analysis. "The overall impact on JE cases was likely about three times higher than suggested by the laboratory-confirmed cases alone, supporting the idea that a JE immunization program will result in reductions in the incidence of both clinical AES cases and laboratory-confirmed JE cases," the investigators say. "These findings support continued implementation of the JE immunization program in Nepal." More information: Upreti SR, Lindsey NP, Bohara R, Choudhary GR, Shakya S, Gautam M, et al. (2017) Updated estimation of the impact of a Japanese encephalitis immunization program with live, attenuated SA 14-14-2 vaccine in Nepal. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 11(9): e0005866. Journal information: PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases Upreti SR, Lindsey NP, Bohara R, Choudhary GR, Shakya S, Gautam M, et al. (2017) Updated estimation of the impact of a Japanese encephalitis immunization program with live, attenuated SA 14-14-2 vaccine in Nepal.11(9): e0005866. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0005866 Even when dogs bark, the parade goes on - that is how the North Korea foreign minister reacted to US President Donald Trump lambasting Pyongyang for its pursuit of nuclear weapons. By Reuters: North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho called US President Donald Trump's address to the United Nations "the sound of a dog barking", brushing aside Trump's remarks that the United States may be forced to "totally destroy" North Korea. "There is a saying that goes: 'Even when dogs bark, the parade goes on'," said Ri in televised remarks to reporters in front of a hotel near the United Nations headquarters in New York. advertisement "If (Trump) was thinking about surprising us with dog-barking sounds then he is clearly dreaming." When asked by reporters what he thought of Trump calling North Korean leader Kim Jong Un "rocket man", Ri quipped, "I feel sorry for his aides." Ri is slated to make a UN speech on Friday. His comments were the first official reaction from North Korea after Trump had issued his sternest warning yet to Pyongyang in his address to the United Nations, urging member states to work together to isolate the Kim regime until it halts its hostile behaviour. If North Korea threatens the United States or its allies, Trump said: "We will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea." "Rocket man is on a suicide mission for himself and his regime," he added. South Korea's presidential office had later said Trump's warning to North Korea had been "firm and specific". WATCH | Trump urges UN member states to isolate Kim govt until it ceases its hostile behavior --- ENDS --- The startling global resurgence of pertussis, or whooping cough, in recent years can largely be attributed to the immunological failures of acellular vaccines, Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) researchers argue in a new journal article. The article, published in F1000 Research, points to the differences in mucosal immunity between whole-cell pertussis (wP) vaccines and the newer acellular pertussis (aP) vaccines, first introduced in the 1990s, as playing a pivotal role in the resurgence of the disease. "This disease is back because we didn't really understand how our immune defenses against whooping cough worked, and did not understand how the vaccines needed to work to prevent it," said Christopher J. Gill, associate professor of global health at BUSPH and lead author of the article. "Instead we layered assumptions upon assumptions, and are now find ourselves in the uncomfortable position of admitting that we may made some crucial errors. This is definitely not where we thought we'd be in 2017." Up until the 1950s, there were millions of cases of whooping cough around the globe each year, with numerous fatal cases in infants. The introduction of whole-cell pertussis (wP) vaccines led to a 99 percent reduction in cases. Later, as wP vaccines raised concerns of possible rare neurologic adverse events, aP vaccines were licensed and used in a number of countries starting in the early 1990s. Since then, cases of whooping cough have risen sharply. In 2014, there were more than 32,000 cases reported in the US. "The resurgence of pertussis in the US to its highest levels since the 1940s emphasizes the need for answers to these questions," the authors wrote. The researchers examined mathematical models of pertussis transmission, data derived from the aP and wP vaccines responses in animals, and recent insight into the immunology of pertussis and pertussis vaccines. They found that, contrary to existing assumptions, although both vaccines blocked symptomatic disease, wP vaccines blocked also infections in animals while aP vaccines did not. Other differences included wP vaccines' ability to induce a stronger herd immunity and robust TH17 responses, which confer mucosal immunity, while aP vaccines only induced TH2 responses. Experimental and immunologic data has shown that aP vaccines do not provide herd immunity, while mathematical models imply otherwise. The researchers proposed a hypothesis to reconcile the contradictory findings: Herd effects from aP vaccines may be the result of modifications in disease presentation that lead to reduced possibility of transmission rather than induced resistance to infection. The researchers also considered the role of several known factors in the rise of whooping cough cases, including detection bias, waning of immunity, and evolutionary shifts in the bacteria's genome. They found that, while contributing to the increase in incidence, these factors alone do not fully explain existing epidemiologic data. Citing the urgency of the growing health crisis, the authors emphasized the need to go beyond the limitations of animal models and provide human data to further examine the arguments put forth in their article. "The resurgence of pertussis in the aP vaccine era is evolving into a slow-moving global public health crisis," the researchers wrote. "But, with the public's trust in vaccines waning, this has also become a public relations crisis." Credit: CC0 Public Domain Could cutting calories in food and keeping it quiet be the new way to trick people into losing weight? Danish researchers have suggested 'silent' reformulation of foods may help consumers eat fewer calories without realising it. Professor Jrgen Dejgard Jensen and his team undertook a study using 12 months of weekly sales data from a Danish supermarket chain. Secret mission to alter food content The study chose eight popular processed foods to reform. These included bread, fruit yoghurt, muesli and mayonnaise. The ingredients were altered to reduce fat and sugar (and thus calories) or add more grains. But no sign was put on the food to tell shoppers that a change had been made, except for updates of the nutrition facts labels. Jrgen says the items chosen were fairly easy to reformulate without changing the taste, appearance and texture of the products. Shoppers on autopilot when purchasing "Looking at the sales data for the eight products, we found the sales were largely unaffected by the reformulation," he says. Jrgen says consumers don't study food labels very carefully and are usually on autopilot when purchasing their weekly shopping. But for items such as mayonnaise, which tends to be bought less frequently, a different response was observed. In this case, the change seems to have triggered a substitution from 'light' mayonnaise to 'regular' (but reformulated) mayonnaise. "I think more consumers study the label when buying mayonnaise," Jrgen says. "When they observed the difference in calories between the 'regular' and the 'light' product variety [as] smaller, they were more likely to choose the 'regular' variety, presuming that they prefer the taste of the regular mayonnaise." Greater changes should equal greater weight loss Jrgen says this study's 'silent' reformulations were small in terms of calorie reductionbetween 0.5% and 8.2%. Previous studies found that it is possible to do larger reformulation via a sequence of smaller reformulations. "This could be in relation to salt reduction and also energy content." "We would expect to see similar effects where a sequence of 'small' reformulations like the ones we have studied are undertaken over a period of time." "This will add up to more significant changes in the nutritional characteristics of the product," he says. When asked about the obstacles in implementing this type of reform, Jrgen thinks they would be relatively small. "The sales turnover of the retailers was not significantly affected, and hence the retailers should not be negatively affected." "And in many cases, the extra manufacturing costs of products with, for example, less sugar or fat are probably low and hence not as crucial for the profitability in manufacturing." A careful balance to retain taste Of course, he says there are food product types for which such reformulation is a challenge. "Lowering the content of sugar, fat or salt may affect the taste, appearance, texture and shelf life." "This may be too much for the change to be unnoticed by the consumers." As long as it tastes the same, this solution sounds like a great idea. It's something that could definitely be investigated by food manufacturers in Australia. And with two in three Australian adults and one in four Australian children overweight or obese, isn't it worth a shot? This article first appeared on Particle, a science news website based at Scitech, Perth, Australia. Read the original article. (HealthDay)Reducing affiliate stigma and strengthening the quality of family-centered care may improve health-related quality of life for primary family caregivers of people with schizophrenia, according to a study published online Sept. 7 in the Journal of Clinical Nursing. Chiu-Yueh Hsiao, Ph.D., R.N., from Asia University in Taiwan, and colleagues examined factors of health-related quality of life in 122 primary family caregivers of people with schizophrenia receiving in-patient psychiatric rehabilitation services. The researchers found that the factors tied to poor health-related quality of life included primary family caregivers who were parents, older, less educated, and had a lower monthly household income, increased affiliate stigma, and decreased quality of family-centered care. The most critical determinants of health-related quality of life were monthly household income, affiliate stigma, and quality of family-centered care. "Findings may assist in the development of culturally integrated rehabilitation programs to decrease affiliate stigma and increase family engagement as a means of promoting quality of life for primary family caregivers living with people who have schizophrenia," the authors write. Copyright 2017 HealthDay. All rights reserved. Credit: CC0 Public Domain A new study of the human microbiomethe trillions of microbial organisms that live on and within our bodieshas analyzed thousands of new measurements of microbial communities from the gut, skin, mouth, and vaginal microbiome, yielding new insights into the role these microbes play in human health. The study, from researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, and University of Maryland School of Medicine, presents a three-fold expansion of data from the National Institutes of Health Human Microbiome Project, providing unprecedented depth and detail about human microbial diversity. The new information allows researchers to identify differences that are unique to an individual's microbesjust like some human genome variants are unique to each individualand track them across the body and over time. The study will be published online September 20, 2017 in Nature. "This study has given us the most detailed information to date about exactly which microbes and molecular processes help to maintain health in the human microbiome," said Curtis Huttenhower, associate professor of computational biology and bioinformatics at Harvard Chan School, associate member of the Broad Institute, and senior author of the study. This study is an expanded second phase of the Human Microbiome Project, originally launched in 2007 to identify and characterize human microbes, explore microbes' relationship to health and disease, and develop computational tools to analyze the microbes. The microbiome has been linked to everything from allergies to cancer. The researchers analyzed 1,631 new samples from 265 individuals, from diverse body sites and at multiple points in time. The scientists used DNA sequencing tools that allowed them to precisely identify which organisms are present in various body sites, as well as what they might be able to do. Examining microbes at multiple time points further allowed them to determine which parts of the community might change slowly, rapidly, or stay relatively stable over time. The findings: Provide one of the largest profiles of non-bacterial membersviruses and fungiof the microbiome across the body Identified microbes with specific strains within each body site Profile the biochemical activity that allows microbes to help maintain human health Identify how the microbes and their biochemistry change over time Huttenhower said the new study also emphasizes how much scientists still don't know about the makeup and function of the human microbiome. Learning more about it will take time, he said. "Just as sequencing one human genome, without information about variability or context, didn't immediately lead to extensive new drugs or therapies, so too will we need to look at the microbiome with an extremely fine lens, in many different contexts, so that we can understand and act on its specific, personalized changes in any individual disease or condition," said Jason Lloyd-Price, postdoctoral associate at the Broad Institute, postdoctoral fellow at Harvard Chan School, and lead author of the study. He added that the study also provides a large data resource to the scientific community that will help drive future research, discoveries, and the development of new methods in studying the human microbiome. More information: Jason Lloyd-Price et al, Strains, functions and dynamics in the expanded Human Microbiome Project, Nature (2017). Journal information: Nature Jason Lloyd-Price et al, Strains, functions and dynamics in the expanded Human Microbiome Project,(2017). DOI: 10.1038/nature23889 (HealthDay)Thyroid surgery restores quality of life (QOL) for patients with benign goiters, according to a study published online Sept. 4 in Head & Neck. Jesper Roed Sorensen, M.D., from Odense University Hospital in Denmark, and colleagues evaluated 106 patients with goiters scheduled for thyroid surgery and 739 individuals from the general population. The Thyroid-Related Quality-of-Life Patient-Reported Outcome questionnaire was administered before surgery, as well as at three and six months after surgery. The researchers found that before surgery, patients with goiters experienced poorer scores on all scales versus the general population. Moderate-to-large improvements were seen in goiter symptoms, tiredness, anxiety, and overall QOL following surgery. All scales returned to values equal to the general population after surgery, with anxiety lower than in the general population. "Thyroid surgery leads to significant benefit among patients with benign nontoxic goiters by restoring QOL equal to that in the general population," the authors write. One author disclosed financial ties to the medical device industry. Copyright 2017 HealthDay. All rights reserved. If youre looking to make a quick buck on the volatile and rapidly-growing cryptocurrency market, it may be wise to step back and learn a bit first. While the market is a good place to make quick profits, the volatility of cryptocurrencies makes any investment a risky one especially if you are investing in smaller coins. This, coupled with the complex technology behind cryptocurrencies and what makes each coin unique, means it is not a foolproof path to riches. Volatility While the success stories of Bitcoin and Ethereum investors continually encourage fresh investment into cryptocurrencies, the volatility of the market means you can lose a significant portion of your investment overnight. This was demonstrated recently when the prices of almost all major cryptocurrencies dropped by around 30% in less than a week. This followed news of a cryptocurrency crackdown in China. Blockchain expert Simon Dingle told MyBroadband that cryptocurrencies do carry risk and people must not invest more than they can afford to lose. If newcomers are chasing profits, then cryptocurrencies are as good a place as any to do it, he said. People chasing a quick buck usually just get their faces ripped off by the market. Thats fine if they feel like doing it, but Id prefer to spend my energy elsewhere. Dingle said investing in cryptocurrency purely to make quick profits is risky, and many people lose a considerable amount trying. Security Another issue plaguing newcomers to cryptocurrency is a lack of knowledge about how blockchain technology works. This means new investors are often scammed, lose their private keys, or send their coins to the wrong address. Make sure you do your homework on where you are buying your cryptocurrencies from. Only use reputable exchanges like Luno in South Africa, or Bitstamp in Europe, said Dingle. Dingle recommends using a hardware wallet like a Trezor or Ledger Nano S, or a secure software wallet like Bread, Blockchain, or Copay to store cryptocurrency. Many phishing scams prey on a newcomers lack of knowledge, asking them to provide their wallet details to avoid a hard fork, or pose as third-party wallet providers. Scammers also leverage the unregulated nature of the environment to create their own cryptocurrencies, presenting no real product and holding ICOs aimed at inexperienced newcomers. Dingle said potential investors must learn about how funds move around on the blockchain and how they can control their funds. Take time to learn about the difference between controlling your own keys and how to back them up, versus trusting an exchange to look after your keys for you, said Dingle. Technology Dingle stated that many cryptocurrency investors do not fully understand how blockchain technology works or the concepts behind the coins they have bought, but are looking to profit from the growth of those coins. The blockchain technology underpinning cryptocurrencies has the potential to disrupt global banking, legal, and financial systems, and each cryptocurrency is usually backed by a development team which is building a specific infrastructure or application on the technology. Id venture that most investors have a limited knowledge of what theyre investing in, said Dingle. That isnt just true of cryptocurrencies. People follow the crowd and very few take the time to truly understand what theyre doing and why. Dingle believes that learning about the technology behind cryptocurrencies is more rewarding for newcomers, rather than just judging their potential to make money. If newcomers want to learn about one of the most exciting developments in human history, then I believe learning about cryptocurrency has a lot more to offer than just the potential of profits. South African cryptocurrency startup Project UBU has launched its initial token sale (ITO), letting investors purchase its UBX tokens. UBX is an ERC-20 token which runs on the Ethereum blockchain and represents a stake in the Project UBU platform. Project UBU is a basic universal income project which aims to reduce poverty in sub-Saharan Africa by distributing digital currency to all participants, which can be used as payment for goods and services. The team behind the project includes Bridge Capitals Dudley Baylis, former Vox CEO Douglas Reed, Tuluntulu CCO Justin McCarthy, and former Anglo American and Altech CTO Steven Sidley. Funds raised from the UBX token sale will be used to implement the Project UBU platform, and UBX holders will receive UBU tokens based on the amount of UBX tokens they hold. Buying UBX The UBX token sale will have a standard ICO format consisting of three phases the pre-sale, public sale, and contract sale. Tokens are stored in a smart contract and released to investors who bought into the token sale. The UBX token sale phases are: Pre-Sale 18-29 September 2017 White paper released Register you interest in UBX Early investment managed by Bridge Capital Public Sale 29 September 21 October Crowdsale of UBX tokens Collection of public investor pledges Contract Sale 21 October 15 November Smart contract releases UBX tokens to buyers Early investment funds released from escrow Token purchases still possible The coin offering will close on 15 November and the delivery of UBU tokens to UBX holders will commence on 30 April 2018. In the first phase of the sale, buyers can make early deposits in fiat or digital currency, but the public and contract sale will only accept deposits in ether (ETH) and Bitcoin (BTC). To purchase tokens in the later phases, you will need to send the funds from a Bitcoin or Ethereum wallet. Investors who purchase UBX in the pre-sale phase will receive an extra 25 tokens for every 100 they purchase, a bonus of 25%, said Project UBU. Wallet addresses will be published on the Project UBU website at the start of the public sale, and users can purchases tokens by sending cryptocurrency to the addresses. A total of 13.3 million UBX tokens will be available across the phases. UBU vs UBX Project UBU leverages two linked coins to implement its plan, UBU and UBX. UBX is the token provided to investors which grants them access to an allocation of UBU tokens, intrinsically linking the two cryptocurrencies. UBU is a token issued to all participants on the UBU platform, and is meant to be a decentralised token for payment and trade. The UBU token draws its value from unlocking inefficient assets in the economic system, while the UBX token draws its value from the Project UBU ecosystem and UBU token itself. UBU tokens are issued on a monthly basis to all registered users who elect to receive them. The tokens decay over time, incentivising the spending of the digital currency and releasing greater value into the economy. More information on Project UBU and its roadmap can be found in the projects white paper. This article is not intended as investment advice. As with any cryptocurrency offering, always do thorough research before investing. Now read: The dangers of buying cryptocurrency to make a quick profit Copyright 2017 TASS. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Project 22350 frigate Admiral Gorshkov was laid down in early 2006 and launched in the autumn of 2010. The ship started undergoing trials in November 2014. The final stage of its state tests began on March 20, 2017.The Project 22350 frigate has a displacement of 4,500 tons and a speed of up to 29 knots. It is armed with Oniks (NATO reporting name: SS-N-26 Strobile) or Kalibr (SS-N-27 Sizzler) missiles and the Poliment-Redut surface-to-air missile system.The Russian Navy is expected to receive six frigates of the type before 2025. As Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said, frigates of the type are expected to become main combat ships in the imminent future White House: Biden and Xi Jinping agree on Blinken's visit to China Putin signs decree allowing stateless persons to serve in Russian army Airbus CEO: There is no question of them breaking off trade ties Britain and France sign agreement on strengthening cooperation on illegal migration Potatoes prices grow by 20%: expert claims agriculture collapse in Armenia Peskov says Russian-American talks in Ankara initiated by Washington Morgan Stanley: UK and euro zone economies are likely to face recession Japan proposes to deploy Australian nuclear submarines Biden calls talks with Xi Jinping at G20 summit frank WB: Debt levels among low- and middle-income countries soared in 2021 Xi Jinping: China does not intend to challenge the U.S. Scholz: Adopting a joint G20 summit statement is a tough task Biden and Xi Jinping oppose use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine Nikol Pashinyan receives Russian co-chair of OSCE Minsk Group 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 NSG commandos are training to be prepared for lone wolf terror attacks. The intelligence agencies have warned that terror outfits may adopt new methods to carry out attacks in India. By Kamaljit Kaur Sandhu: The National Security Guard (NSG) commandos may have been out of action for some time but not out of practices. The counter-terror force is looking at new global challenges in Indian perspective. The NSG commandos are being trained to deal with "Lone Wolf Attacks". Sources in the force said that the real danger was from lone wolf attacks, including the recent global trend of "trucks mowing down innocent civilians." advertisement Though in each of the incidents, terrorists have either been neutralised or contained in Europe. In Indian context, the black cats are training to deal with such attacks taking into consideration the specific setting of the country. The counter terror force has trained with commandos of several countries. Sources said that a study was conducted on the recent terror attacks in France, Germany and also the London Tube explosion to understand the latest techniques used by terror outfits. LONE WOLF ATTACKS IN EUROPE Earlier in June this year, a terror suspect calling himself a "soldier of the caliphate" attacked a policeman on patrol outside Notre-Dame cathedral in the heart of Paris. He was armed with a hammer and two knives as he shouted, "This is for Syria". On 14 July 2016, Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel drove a truck into crowds celebrating Bastille Day in Nice, France killing 86 people. On December 19, 2016, a truck was deliberately driven into the Christmas market next to the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church at Breitscheidplatz in Berlin, Germany leaving 12 people dead and 56 others injured. The NSG commandos are being given training to deal with similar terror attacks. TERROR ALERT IN INDIA The national capital Delhi has been put on high alert following inputs about a possible lone wolf-attack by a terror outfit earlier this year. A machete attack or truck mowing down is serious possibility, say the intelligence agencies. "Since this is a global trend, we are developing our own technique. We are also using our association with the forces that have dealt with similar attacks effectively. Also with several arrests of ISIS recruits and a recent arrest of Al Qaeda operative have only made the resolve of the force stronger," a source privy to information said. Training of the NSG commandos has been diversified given the varying climatic and weather conditions of different parts of the country. The NSG is also working with its counterpart in Japan to learn their methods of operating in an emergency situation. advertisement --- ENDS --- By PTI: Bhagalpur(Bihar), Sept 21 (PTI) The NTPC today dismissed the allegation that an underpass constructed by it below a canal could have weakened the canal and led to its breach in Bhagalpur as "baseless and far from reality". "NTPC has to submit that the allegations so levelled against us are baseless and far from reality. We are a Government of India, Maharatna Company who is well aware of our reputation and our responsibilities. More so, when we have to take up any work in the public domain," a statement from NTPC Kahalgaon said on the canal breach incident. advertisement Water Resources Minister (WRD) Rajiv Ranjan Singh Lallan had yesterday alleged that construction of an underpass by the NTPC beneath the Batheshwarsthan canal on Ganga which probably weakened it resulting in caving in of portion of wall of the canal due to force of ganga water after pump was started as trial run on Tuesday, a day before inauguration of the project. The minister had raised doubts if NOC was acquired before construction of the underpass. The canal was built during the period 1985-88 and underpass is believed to have been constructed a little after that time. Even, principal secretary of WRD Arun Kumar Singh, entrusted with probe into the canal breach, had "pointed" to construction of underpass beneath the canal by NTPC. "The construction of the public road underpass was done with all due approvals after securing the NOC from the State Irrigation Department. The drawings were developed through a competent consultant M/s Alumnus Technology, Boring Road, Patna," the NTPC statement said in its defence. "The underpass construction has been taken up as per design intent having all the relevant Wing walls and returning walls," it added. "When the construction of the underpass was taken up the canal embankment works adjacent to underpass were partially completed. It means that the underpass work was already completed prior to integration of canal earthen embankment work on either side of the underpass. There were no such situation that a tunnel was bored through the canal embankment to take up the underpass work. "It is also observed that seepages at this location through the adjoining areas was persisting during rainy season and the irrigation deptt was well aware of this," it said. The Bihar government yesterday ordered a probe into the breach of a canal in Bhagalpur, which led to the cancellation of inauguration of the irrigation project by Chief Minister and a barrage of criticism from opposition RJD and JD(U) rebel Sharad Yadav. The Rs 389.31-crore Bateshwarsthan Ganga Pump Canal Project is aimed at providing irrigation facilities in the state and neighbouring Jharkhand. The wall broke up after being forcefully hit by the Ganga river waters when the pump was switched on for a trial run. Gushing waters entered Kahalgaon, about 3 km from the project site, and inundated areas in an NTPC township. PTI CORR SNS RG --- ENDS --- advertisement On the occasion of the 26th anniversary of independence of the Republic of Armenia, President Serzh Sargsyan has held a festive reception at Administrative Complex of the Ministry of Defense. During the reception, Armenias president has sent a congratulatory message on the occasion of Independence Day. "I cordially congratulate you on the occasion of the 26th anniversary of Independence. The restoration of the independent Armenian statehood was the fulfillment of our age-long dreams. It also crowned the protracted and heroic battle fought by numerous generations of Armenians. We belong to the happy generation that eye-witnessed this grand day. Twenty-six years have elapsed since that day, which is quite long. In general, time is on the side of the one who does not waste it. Over this period, a lot has been accomplished, but one shall admit that we have not been always using these 26 years with utmost efficiency. I am sure that it was possible to do more, but we have been moving in the right direction, and nowadays, too, we are on the right track. Moreover, we shall try to make up for lost time. We shall do that with optimism and great faith in our own capability. Pessimists have never accomplished any work, either for the humankind, or for their nation. All the great deeds in the world have been accomplished by optimists, by those who had faith in human being, and in the future of their country, of the people, and of the mankind in general. Optimism is not about being cut off from the reality, and it is not about daydreaming. Optimism is about the resolve to change the reality. It is about intentions, desires and aspirations to make the reality better. Yes, we have projects, desires and aspirations, and making them come true is the historical duty of the present-day generation. I have no doubt that we will do it. I am an optimist. I have faith in human being, I have faith in our peoples collective capabilities, and I have faith in the peaceful and more prosperous future of our country and the entire mankind. Yes, indeed, currently there is great deal of tension all over the world. There are numerous and serious challenges facing nearly everybody and we are no exception. But problems exist for solving them and not for getting disheartened. In front of our eyes, entire religions rose and fell, empires emerged and declined, ancient nations disappeared and new ones came into being, but the world has not perished of it while we continue moving along our path. Today, on the 26th anniversary of Independence of the Republic of Armenia we state the following with optimism: Firstly, the people of Armenia continues its movement along its path drawing upon its historical, cultural and, broadly speaking, civilizational legacy, keeping its commitment to the ideas of freedom and humanism. Secondly, the people of Armenia continue its movement along the path along with the friends, allies and partners. Thirdly, the people of Armenia continue strengthening defense capability and prosperity being clearly aware that independence, first of all, is their very own responsibility. Fourthly, the people of Armenia establish their government by legal and democratic means. The people of Armenia are law-abiding and freedom-loving, and do not tolerate any form of government they did not establish. These four prerequisites are the important foundation for future successes. Armenia of tomorrow will present itself to the world as a fast developing country, as information society equipped with advanced technologies. The new science and technology revolution that is underway in the world today is an ally of the Armenian people. This powerful ally of ours is changing and will be yet changing all our notions of resources, natural, human, financial, and so on. New technologies enable people and nations with modest resources to achieve incomparably lavish results. It is a gift of destiny to Armenia with its scarce resources, and we cannot afford refusing this historic opportunity. In those sectors where we are not ready yet, we shall learn, train, grow, and move at an outperforming rate. Our goal is clear: all the spheres of economy and social life shall follow the path of successful countries. However, one shall not expect that economic development as such will solve all our problems. Migration flows have dramatically grown in the modern world. I also referred to this problem recently at the Armenia-Diaspora Forum. The reasons for these flows are numerous and diverse. We are, indeed, sensitive to the outflow of population, and rightly so. In our context, it is a matter of national security. We set up a goal to bring Armenias population to 4 million. Serious steps have been planned to increase natural population growth and to organize repatriation. My fellow compatriots, The issue of security is a top priority for any country. Each country resolves this issue depending on its own conditions and, especially, abilities. The past 26 years have vividly demonstrated that the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Artsakh are viable and defense-capable. They have demonstrated the futility of insinuations according to which Armenia under blockade was doomed to fail while the oil-and-gas rich Azerbaijan was surely to succeed. Moreover, attempts were made to make us believe that Azerbaijans economic achievements would predetermine the obliteration of Artsakh and Armenia. Reality is the most cruel but fair enemy of propaganda and political myths. And the two free and developing Armenian states are getting stronger and prosperous day by day, and they are the reality. Security issues in our context are related to all the spheres of vital activity in this country. There are no matters of minor or secondary importance here. This is our collective response to all our security challenges. It is also symbolic that these words are being pronounced here, in the administrative compound of the Ministry of Defense, fit for our Armed Forces. This day, back in 1991, our people voted for the independent and democratic Armenia. Only the optimistic and confident citizen can vote this way. I am sure that over the next 26 years of this countrys independence we will continue to move forward with greater optimism and self-confidence. Long live the Armenian people! May the memory of those who gave their lives for Armenias freedom live forever! Long live the Republic of Armenia! " Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, without revealing many details, claimed that his country has developed short-range nuclear weapons in order to counter the Indian Army's cold start doctrine. By Press Trust of India: Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said today his country has developed short-range nuclear weapons to counter the 'cold start doctrine ' adopted by the Indian Army. Abbasi was also assertive of Pakistan's nuclear arsenals being safe and secure. "We have a very robust and secure command-and-control system over our strategic nuclear assets. Time has proved that it's a process that is very secure. It's a process that has complete civilian oversight through the NCA," Abbasi said in response to a question at the Council on Foreign Relations, a top American think-tank. advertisement The Nuclear Command Authority (NCA) of Pakistan is the authority responsible for command, control and operational decisions regarding India's nuclear arsenals. "As far as tactical nuclear weapons (are concerned), we do not have any fielded tactical nuclear weapons. We have developed short-range nuclear weapons as a counter to the Cold Start doctrine that India has developed. Again, those are in the same command-and-control authority that controls the other strategic weapons," he said. Moderator David Sanger said Pakistan has the fastest growing nuclear arsenal in the world. "There's no nuclear arsenal in the world that is growing faster. And there's no nuclear arsenal in the world, other than North Korea's, that tends to worry American more, because they worry about the safety of the arsenal. They worry about the command and control of the arsenal," Sanger said. Abbasi said that the command-and-control systems they have in place are as secure as anybody else's in the world. "The last 20 years are testament to that," Abbasi said in response to another question. "So let there be no doubt that any extremist element or somebody like that can gain control of fissile material or a nuclear weapon. There is just no possibility of that. And it's time-tested, and it's a very secure system that has been put in place," he said. "Pakistan is a responsible global citizen, and we've shown a responsibility on the ground with this huge war on terror that we've been fighting for the last 15 years," Abbasi said. The Pakistan premier sought to dispel the notion surrounding the country's alleged inability to handle its nuclear programmes properly. "We do have nuclear capability. There's no doubt about that. And we know how to handle nuclear waste. We had a nuclear program in the early '60s, one of the first countries in Asia to have a nuclear program. So if we've managed it for over 50-odd years, I think we can continue to manage it," he said. DO WATCH | India launches nuclear capable missile Agni 5 --- ENDS --- advertisement Rand Paul and Susan Collins are supposedly firm nos. McCain and Murskowski are looking like nos as well. The vote is suppose to happen next week. Call 202-224-3121 to be connected to your senator. Edited at 2017-09-21 04:24 am (UTC) Reply Thread Link Murkoski is probably the easier target because she seems to care about women's health and thus is not going to be happy about what this bill does to PP. McCain seems to oppose how this bill is being shoved through, but lol Graham is one of his bffs so he might vote for it anyway? And Paul is a spineless coward so he might flip too. WHO THE FUCK KNOWS I HATE OUR GOVERNMENT. Reply Parent Thread Link Yeah, I really don't have faith in anyone and will assume it'll pass until it doesn't. Reply Parent Thread Link Agreed about Murkowski. She's probably in the safest position to go against the party. She just won re-election and is popular enough in Alaska that she won in 2010 as a write in after getting primaried. And it's not like Murkowski is an easy name to spell. She's on solid ground so she can actually do the right thing and not worry about GOP retaliation. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link We just need one more to say no right? Reply Parent Thread Expand Link lol what. he flip flops more than a pancake. you gonna pet celebrities and take pics w/ them or you gonna blast them?? Reply Thread Link oh wait i might be lmao. that's fair, my brain is fried and he looks just like the other one Reply Parent Thread Expand Link i read this comment and all the replies and i still wasn't convinced that this isn't the other jimmy until i looked at the thumbnail for a good 10 minutes and the other jimmys slightly rattier face popped into my mind. tl;dr: i feel u Reply Parent Thread Expand Link if your senators are already voting no what are the best things to do? call other state senators? Reply Thread Link I'm from NH, and if those politicians have any presidential hopes, they'll fucking listen. also works for Iowa. Reply Parent Thread Link No, if you call other Senators they don't write it down. They are listening to people in their state only. Reply Parent Thread Link thats not true. its imperative that you call other senators right now. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link move to a purple state to save america Reply Parent Thread Link I grab zip codes from the wealthiest part of their state and call in saying I'm in that zip. Reply Parent Thread Link call your senators and tell them to encourage their republican colleagues to vote no! also, if you have any friends or family in purple or red states, encourage them to call their senators Reply Parent Thread Link This is super late BUT Indivisible has a solution for that -- call red staters who feel the same way you do and urge them to call! https://www.trumpcareten.org/calls-to-kill-trumpcare/ Reply Parent Thread Link I appreciate him speaking up but like..he only spoke up when it affected him directly.Get ur shit together kimmel Reply Thread Link It's typical white male behavior so I'll excuse it At least he's saying something now unlike some Jimmys... Reply Parent Thread Link all the jimmy's are flops jimmy is an ugly name anyway Reply Parent Thread Expand Link It's not even a white male thing it's just a human thing in general, most people don't really care about or understand the impact of something until they are personally affected. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link true (like other late night host should be putting the number up)... but ill take it for now cause at least he's using his platform for good Reply Parent Thread Link To be fair, it didn't actually affect him. He has $$$$$. His child would never be affected by this bill. But going through the experience made him empathize with OTHER families who are not as lucky as he is so he became an advocate for them. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Well he did admit tonight that he didn't realize there were children out there without health insurance struggling through the same health issues his son was born with until they did go through all of that with Billy earlier in the summer. I can totally buy that, he's had three children before this and all were, I would imagine, the picture of health, along with the children his cousin's had, but ever since Billy was born, he's been regularly using his monologue time on the various awful health care bills the GOP's been trying to force through, inviting Cassidy onto his show to discuss it and everything. At least he's trying to do some good, you know? Reply Parent Thread Link But that's human nature. Most people don't realise how bad things are until they are affected directly. The huge majority will always vote in their own interest and it would be delusional to think otherwise. Reply Parent Thread Link better late than never, honestly Reply Parent Thread Link Yeah but people are saying he should shut up and stay in his lane since he's just a celebrity. He made it personal so the media ate it up and people listened. Even Cassidy at first. If he had just spoken up people wouldn't care as much without his son. Reply Parent Thread Link My senators are Cassidy and Kennedy :/ I'm calling still, but they aren't going to budge. Reply Thread Link mine are corker and alexander. they can rot in hell tbh. Reply Parent Thread Link same ://// Reply Parent Thread Link how is such an iconic city like new orleans in such a deep red republic*nt state Reply Parent Thread Link Same. Both are hot garbage about literally everything. Reply Parent Thread Link Mine are Graham and Scott. Fuck these assholes. Graham is such a slimy little demon. Reply Parent Thread Link Same. They are both garbage. I am still pissed Cassidy beat Landrieu. Reply Parent Thread Link Cornyn and Cruz here. I'm literally just getting a finger workout from calling. Cruz isn't even answering his phone anymore. Reply Parent Thread Link Mine are Rand Paul, who already opposes, and Mitch Melting Candleface McConnell. ...*Tina Belcher groan* Reply Parent Thread Link i cant believe this is what 2017 in america is like. late night talk show comedian begging people to call our senators so they can have healthcare and also schooling brazenly heartless senators on their own "healthcare" bill that will basically kill people Reply Thread Link Right? I 110% support what Jimmy Kimmel is doing, but when a late night comedy host is a better advocate for the people than our actual elected officials, well...I'm pretty sure it shouldn't be that way???? Reply Parent Thread Link I was screaming when he was like "oh and Brian? The same Brian who always kisses my ass and wishes he was a Hollywood elite? He's not working in Hollywood because nobody will hire him. OK Brian??" Also he's more effective at messaging than the entire Democratic Party tbqh Edited at 2017-09-21 04:27 am (UTC) Reply Thread Link Also he's more effective at messaging than the entire Democratic Party tbqh lol that's a very low bar, honestly Reply Parent Thread Link This is also true. Reply Parent Thread Link That was amazing! He pulled no punches. Reply Parent Thread Link I looked at Brian's twitter feed to see if he responded yet and he's whining about 3rd graders disrespecting the national anthem lmao Reply Parent Thread Link lol Reply Parent Thread Link I loved that shit. My parents eat Brain and Steve's Douchebag's assholes all day and I can't wait to text them this clip then promptly block them forever again. Reply Parent Thread Link that was one of my favorite parts lmao Reply Parent Thread Link Lol that was so good Reply Parent Thread Link YESSS JIMMY! FUCKING DRAG THEM!!! Reply Thread Link it's awesome Reply Parent Thread Link I feel like this is the most heated and expressive I have seen him... when I was part of his live audience before, I thought he was very cold, would not look or interact with the audience and just focuses on reading the script in between filming. Maybe because he is saying something he really believes in and not just what his writers wrote on the teleprompter? Good for him, I doubt he is losing a fanbase anyway since most Trump voters would rather watch Bill O'Reilly Reply Thread Link Bill was fired a few months ago bb Reply Parent Thread Link Hi ONTD! Are you done talking about how traumatized and scared you were about Hurricane Irma? Because I have barely seen ONE mention about Hurricane Maria and all the damage it inflicted on a US territory. 3.5 MILLION MINORITY AMERICANS have no power. We don't even know how many lives have been lost due to it. Stay ~woke tho. Reply Thread Link Are you surprised? The Southern states are trash, all they do is cry about themselves. Reply Parent Thread Link wow Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Nah. Gringos in general stay being trash. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link hon, I feel for you and many people should do what they can to help, etc. but ONTD is first and foremost a gossip celebrity site, not the epitome social justice hub of people who care about everything and anything going on in the world. You will stay disappointed if you come here for that.... like, the only reason political posts get through here is because a celebrity mentioned it. After 8 years on this site, I learned to just come here for trivial escape from all the crazy news in this country since God knows my other social media feed is filled with it. Edited at 2017-09-21 04:40 am (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I've seen quite a few people talking about it. The earthquake and this bill has stolen some of it's attention. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I haven't seen talk about the earthquake in Mexico either, or the wildfires that were happening in the PNW recently. But then again I don't check the comments in every post, so... Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Are you going to forget it destroyed an 85% black island before it even got to Puerto Rico? Or how Irma destroyed another majority black island before it made landfall on PR and the contingent USA? Don't bitch about people not focusing on one island while you straight up ignore the other majority black islands that were obliterated. Stay ~woke yourself. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Irmas impact was heavy on the Caribbeans and now they have to deal with Maria. I cant believe Puerto Rico as a whole has no electricity. Reply Parent Thread Link Reading your comments throughout this thread highly suggest that your anger/worry towards not knowing about your family (understandably so) is being misdirected. If you want something discussed here, make your own post. Reply Parent Thread Link My senators are Lindsey Graham and Uncle Tim Scott. I guess I shouldn't bother calling Reply Thread Link Call them and tell them how unchristian they're being. Reply Parent Thread Link Link 14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, Go in peace; keep warm and well fed, but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. ***** James' epistles are pretty good; Paul's are usesless. ... and quote James 2:14-1614 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them?15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food.16 If one of you says to them, Go in peace; keep warm and well fed, but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.*****James' epistles are pretty good; Paul's are usesless. Reply Parent Thread Link lol. Call them anyway. It could be cathartic to tell them what garbage humans they are! Reply Parent Thread Link hit on Linds, maybe he'll take you up on it. then blackmail him into voting proper. Reply Parent Thread Link Put a hex on them. Pull an Azealia Banks on them. Reply Parent Thread Link do ppl in your state think graham is gay tbh i've always wondered how that plays Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I have burr and tillis and they both might as well be brain dead. Reply Thread Link I called Burr's office. I said I knew full well he would vote for this bill which could kill millions of Americans. I said I'd never voted for him but now I would spend the rest of my life doing everything I could to cause him to lose his seat in the Senate. It felt good. Reply Parent Thread Link He should just stick to the angry jokes, he's not really funny otherwise. Though the fact that he's in this situation is so absurd I feel bad for him. Reply Thread Link fuck all of these shit healthcare bills. I already have such a hard time figuring out what insurance plan won't fuck me over and all of these attempts to make it worse are so scary. It's just going to make things so much more difficult after having a heart transplant three years ago and of course for my parents, especially my dad who's had a stroke and a heart attack and has asthma. Ugh. /rant Question: Is it worth it for me to call from California to senators that are thinking of voting yes? Especially when I live in a super liberal area? Edited at 2017-09-21 05:35 am (UTC) Reply Thread Link don't call other states' senators, but you can call your own senators and thank them, and encourage them to talk to their republican colleagues Reply Parent Thread Link ah okay, that's what I thought. =/ Just makes nervous since I keep seeing Tweets about how the lines aren't jammed like last time. Thanks for the clarification! :) Reply Parent Thread Link Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister : We have all heard the story of Cinderella, the beautiful child cast out to slave among the ashes. But what of her stepsisters, the homely pair exiled into ignominy by the fame of their lovely sibling? What fate befell those untouched by beauty ... and what curses accompanied Cinderella's looks?Set against the backdrop of seventeenth-century Holland, Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister tells the story of Iris, an unlikely heroine who finds herself swept from the lowly streets of Haarlem to a strange world of wealth, artifice, and ambition. Iris's path quickly becomes intertwined with that of Clara, the mysterious and unnaturally beautiful girl destined to become her sister. While Clara retreats to the cinders of the family hearth, Iris seeks out the shadowy secrets of her new household -- and the treacherous truth of her former life. The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories by Angela Carter : Angela Carter was a storytelling sorceress, the literary godmother of such contemporary masters of supernatural fiction as Neil Gaiman, David Mitchell, Audrey Niffenegger, J. K. Rowling, and Kelly Link, who introduces this edition of Carter's most celebrated book, published for the seventy-fifth anniversary of her birth. In The Bloody Chamberwhich includes the story that is the basis of Neil Jordan's 1984 movie The Company of WolvesCarter spins subversively dark and sensual versions of familiar fairy tales and legends like "Little Red Riding Hood," "Bluebeard," "Puss in Boots," and "Beauty and the Beast," giving them exhilarating new life in a style steeped in the romantic trappings of the gothic tradition. Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan : Tender Morsels is a dark and vivid story, set in two worlds and worrying at the border between them. Liga lives modestly in her own personal heaven, a world given to her in exchange for her earthly life. Her two daughters grow up in this soft place, protected from the violence that once harmed their mother. But the real world cannot be denied forevermagicked men and wild bears break down the borders of Ligas refuge. Now, having known Heaven, how will these three women survive in a world where beauty and brutality lie side by side? Lost Boy: The True Story of Captain Hook by Christina Henry : From the national bestselling author of Alice comes a familiar story with a dark hooka tale about Peter Pan and the friend who became his nemesis, a nemesis who may not be the blackhearted villain Peter says he isThere is one version of my story that everyone knows. And then there is the truth. This is how it happened. How I went from being Peter Pans firstand favoritelost boy to his greatest enemy.Peter brought me to his island because there were no rules and no grownups to make us mind. He brought boys from the Other Place to join in the fun, but Peter's idea of fun is sharper than a pirates sword. Because its never been all fun and games on the island. Our neighbors are pirates and monsters. Our toys are knife and stick and rockthe kinds of playthings that bite.Peter promised we would all be young and happy forever. Cinder by Marissa Meyer : Sixteen-year-old Cinder is considered a technological mistake by most of society and a burden by her stepmother. Being cyborg does have its benefits, though: Cinder's brain interference has given her an uncanny ability to fix things (robots, hovers, her own malfunctioning parts), making her the best mechanic in New Beijing. This reputation brings Prince Kai himself to her weekly market booth, needing her to repair a broken android before the annual ball. He jokingly calls it "a matter of national security," but Cinder suspects it's more serious than he's letting on.Although eager to impress the prince, Cinder's intentions are derailed when her younger stepsister, and only human friend, is infected with the fatal plague that's been devastating Earth for a decade. Blaming Cinder for her daughter's illness, Cinder's stepmother volunteers her body for plague research, an "honor" that no one has survived.But it doesn't take long for the scientists to discover something unusual about their new guinea pig. Something others would kill for. What's your favorite fairy tale book?? // Book Post! The 6-year-old boy, who was studying at Chandivali's Pawar Public School died after he collapsed in the school premises on Thursday morning By India Today Web Desk: Close on the heels of 7-year-old Pradyuman's murder at Ryan International School in Gurgaon, a six-year-old boy has reportedly died in a school in Mumbai. The 6-year-old boy, who was studying at Chandivali's Pawar Public School died after he collapsed in the school premises on Thursday morning. The class 1 student, identified as Swarang Dalvi, was playing with his friends during the short break when he collapsed outside their classroom on the second floor. advertisement Swarang's classmates informed the school authorities who in turn took him to the medical room in the school from where he was taken to the hospital as he was not responding to the first aid given to him at the school. Swarang was rushed to the nearby Hiranandani Hospital where the doctors pronounced him dead. Mumbai: Police probe underway after 6-yr-old student of Pawar Public School, Sakinaka died after he allegedly fell while playing. pic.twitter.com/jqaQujEPOK Swarang had no medical history and looked fine in the morning, the shocked school officils said referring to the incident. The Police is conducting an investigation into Swarang's death at the Pawar Public School, Sakinaka after he allegedly fell while playing. We have registered an Accidental Death Report and we have sent the body for post-mortem: Navinchandra Reddy, DCP pic.twitter.com/ObOvVpVLL8- ANI (@ANI) September 21, 2017 "We have registered an Accidental Death Report and we have sent the body for post-mortem," Navinchandra Reddy, DCP said. The principal of the Pawar Public school said that CCTV footage shows that student fell unconscious suddenly. She also said that the parents had said that there was no history of illness. CCTV footage shows tht student fell unconscious suddenly; Parents said that there was no history of illness: Principal. Pawar Public School pic.twitter.com/wYMWigoJpn- ANI (@ANI) September 21, 2017 --- ENDS --- Amendments to Canada's Motor Vehicle Safety Act Proposed The most significant proposed amendments involve recalls of motor vehicles and equipment. One would authorize the Minister of Transport to be able to order a company to correct a defect or a non-compliance in a vehicle or equipment if the Minister considers it to be in the interest of public safety. A bill has been filed to strengthen Canada's Motor Vehicle Safety Act, which was enacted in 1971 and regulates safety requirements that apply to new and imported motor vehicles and to new motor vehicle equipment. Canada's government said the proposed changes will give it new, better tools for making the country's roads safer. The most significant proposed amendments involve recalls of motor vehicles and equipment. One would authorize the Minister of Transport to be able to order a company to correct a defect or a non-compliance in a vehicle or equipment if the Minister considers it to be in the interest of public safety. This would give the manufacturer three options: repair the vehicle or equipment, replace the vehicle or equipment with a reasonable equivalent, or reimburse either the cost of repairs to the vehicle or equipment that have already been undertaken or the sale price of the vehicle or equipment, less reasonable depreciation. The bill also would permit the Minister to order companies to ensure that defects and non-compliance are corrected before the vehicles are sold to consumers. Also, the bill includes the authority for the Minister to order companies to conduct tests, analyses, or studies on a vehicle or equipment and to require them to provide those results to Transport Canada. All of Milwaukee, it seems, has been buzzing about Brooklyn-based artist Tom Fruin's multicolored "water tower" sculpture that Coakley Brothers announced a couple weeks ago would be installed in the moving, storage and business interiors company's Walker's Point headquarters, 400 S. 5th St. This morning, the artwork was hoisted onto the roof by a crane and installed atop the steel platform upon which the building's original wooden water tower once sat. This, after Fruin has been keeping Milwaukee and the world updated on the work's progress this past week via his Instagram account, which has about 9,000 followers. A post shared by Tom Fruin (@tomfruin) on Sep 20, 2017 at 10:41am PDT You can read more about the work, about Fruin and about how Coakley Brothers' owner Peggy Coakley discovered and fell in love with the artist's work here. The translucent and kaleidoscopic water tower was fabricated from steel and plastic by Fruin in his Brooklyn studio and each panel was wrapped in plastic for protection during shipping. "Forty pieces make up the wall and 20 pieces make up the roof, and each piece is 4 feet by 6 feet," Fruin told me this morning as a crew of Coakley Brothers employees worked to complete the assembly. "They're staggered like bricks," he says of the pieces. "They bolt together left to right and up and down. There's a structural cube inside that bolts to the I-beam that's part of the foundational structure. We're about to hoist the whole thing up to the roof. Then it gets field welded right in place." Though he worked to make sure the bolt holes lined up back in his DUMBO studio, Fruin didn't do a test-run assembly in Brooklyn. "It was really like Christmas Day here (when he arrived Monday) when we unwrapped the panels and saw how they were lining up. There's a very specific order in which they all go together. They lined up perfectly. These guys have big bags of tools and they really know what they're doing." Fruin has created a pair of similar works that have been installed in Brooklyn Bridge Park and the DUMBO neighborhood in Brooklyn. But those are smaller than this one "This thing is huge; it's shocking," the artist said. "It's bigger than anything I've ever done. I used to think I worked large-scale. Now I know I do." The water tower seems to have captured Milwaukee's imagination in a way that no publicly visible artwork has (unless you consider Santiago Calatrava's Milwaukee Art Museum building public art I know I do) in recent memory. Unlike Mark di Suvero's "The Calling" or the Dennis Oppenheim's ill-fated "Blue Shirt" at the airport and the variety of opinions on the many works in this year's Sculpture MKE every comment I've seen or heard about Fruin's work has been unwaveringly positive. I can't disagree. Once it's lit, I think it's going to be something Milwaukee talks about for years to come. Based on the response so far, it could ultimately become the kind of iconic hometown image all Milwaukeeans embrace. "We had some tractor trailers hemming us in before so you couldn't see (the water tower) from the street but now every car that passes by slows down, the iPhones come out, taking photos," Fruin says. "Some trucker came by with something unrepeatable shouted out the window in support. "It's been a slog, three 10-hour days, but there's been great support (from Milwaukee). It's just such an exciting project." An official lighting ceremony for this new artistic beacon of light on the city's skyline is set for Tuesday, Sept. 26 at 7:30 p.m. Coakley will offer remarks at 7:15. I dont know if youve noticed, but weve got a rather large lake quite close by. That luxury might mean you dont need to head inland to check out some of the other fine bodies of water in the area. If so, thats a shame, because while we may not be the land of 10,000 lakes, we prize quality over quantity and there are some great places for recreation and reflection within a quick drive from Milwaukee. Here are some of our favorites, in no particular order. 1. Geneva Lake Not only is this former kettle that's now filled with water one of the states deepest lakes at 144 feet, it is among the loveliest. If you doubt it even for a second, go to Big Foot Beach on the eastern shore for sunrise, sunset or on a frigid day when the frozen lake is stunning. Plus, there are three towns full of fun, as well as boat tours, a fine beach, a public path that circumnavigates the entire 8-square mile pond and more. 2. Green Lake Geneva Lake may be one of the deepest, but Green Lake (which has its own county named for it) is indeed the most profound at a whopping 237 feet. There are many reasons to love Green Lake and I discuss eight of them here. Its less than a two-hour drive to get there, so hit the road early and you can make a great day of it. 3. Elkhart Lake (PHOTO: Elkhart Lake Tourism) Even closer, at just about an hours drive, is Elkhart Lake. In addition to the pampered resort life you can find here discussed in this post the crystal-clear Elkhart Lake is great for fishing for walleye, trout, northern pike, muskies and large and smallmouth bass. Theres a public boat launch up on the northwest corner of the lake. Like Green Lake, theres a quaint downtown to explore, too, with shops and restaurants. 4 & 5. Lakes Nemahbin (PHOTO: barpanga.com) I say "lakes" because theres an upper and a lower, both of which you can see when traveling on I-94 toward Madison. The 277-acre upper lake (pictured above) is the deeper of the two, with a max depth of 60 feet. Its good for fishing but you often see water skiers and other pleasure-seekers out there. A good perch for watching is the tavern on the southern edge. These days its called Panga Bar & Grill, 34422 Delafield Road, and is run by Milwaukees Mike and Kristyn Eitel. The lower lake is a tad smaller at 239 acres and just 36 feet deep. It feels more serene, too, and therefore seems like a better fishing spot, with panfish, walleye, pike and bass. Theres a great canoeing travelogue called "Bark River Chronicles," that talks about both Nemahbins. Definitely worth a read. 6. Lac La Belle (PHOTO: City of Oconomowoc) Lac La Belle is that big lake upon which Oconomowoc sits and, consequently, its definitely no secret. But it is beautiful and fun for the whole family. You can rent paddle boats, you can water ski, you can swim. You can fish for bass, walleye, pike and panfish though its not an especially clear lake. There's a bandshell and a playground and a concession stand. You can walk up the street and get real Italian gelato. Best of all, perhaps, you can stretch out a towel and lounge on the clean and fun City Beach, one of the best public beaches in the greater Milwaukee area. In season, you can stop at The Kiltie, a real frozen custard drive-in with carhops. 7. Mauthe Lake Also known as Moon Lake (not sure why as its shaped more like a human stomach), Mauthe Lake and its northern Kettle Moraine sister, Long Lake (which is quite aptly named), are an hours drive from Milwaukee and both have popular state park campgrounds. The peaceful Mauthe Lake is great for quiet fishing, kayaking or lazing in a canoe under the sun. You can also fish for bluegill, pike, largemouth bass and walleye off the pier rangers are often on hand to help kids cast their first lines into the drink but youll likely be more successful out on a boat. Or simply enjoy the beach, which is quite popular, so get there early. Theres plenty of parking, plus a playground, a pavilion you can rent, grills and other amenities. While youre in the neighborhood, stop for a burger at the unbeatable (cash only) Burger Haus in Campbellsport. Warning, the ice cream cones are insanely portioned. Share one. 8. Rock Lake Ive saved the oddest for last. Rock Lake is in Lake Mills and its alternately named Tyranena, which is the name of a local microbrew you should enjoy while youre there pondering the surface of this 87-foot-deep lake. Keep a close eye because while you cant see the pyramids under the water believed to have been built by the same native peoples who built Aztalan between here and Fort Atkinson and Cahokia just across the mighty Mississippi from St. Louis you just might see the legendary lake monster pop its head up above the gentle waves. Yes, Rock Lake has its own Nessie and its alternately called The Terror and, rather more affectionately, Rocky. During the aerosol observing system (AOS) transition at the Southern Great Plains atmospheric observatory, the sun poetically sets on the original AOS (left) and on the next-generation AOS (right). After two decades of service, the original AOS will be decommissioned. Credit: US Department of Energy Harmony is a state of accord and cooperation. That state of being is also necessary for the aerosol observing systems (AOS) operated by the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Facility, a scientific user facility for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). A few years ago, experts at ARM discovered differences in the final data products linked to one set of AOS instruments in place before 2010, and another set designed and deployed after that. In response, ARM triggered an intensive project three years ago to harmonize aerosol observation instruments and the streams of archived data that originate with them. This AOS harmonization project, in the making for three complicated and busy years, will be largely done by this fall. "The purpose of harmonization is to unify the processing so the final data product can be compared over the measurement history of ARM," says ARM Technical Director Jim Mather, an atmospheric scientist at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). First-generation processing At the heart of the problem are two generations of measurement systems, both of them funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, but each of them designed by different contractors. Disharmony in aerosol data resulted largely from differences in processing, says Mather. First-generation processing, for instance, averaged all raw data over one minute in the field, and then applied further corrections. Prior to the harmonization effort, there was also another confounder: a significant amount of manual processing. "One of the issuesperhaps a key issue," says Mather, "is that this manual processing was not being communicated to users or being done in a uniform way between the two types of systems." All of these historical cross-currents "made it necessary to automate and describe as much of this processing as possible, so that what was being done to the data was consistent and well described," he says. "The idea of harmonizing was to get closer to uniform formatting across all our sites. And the goal is always to improve user science." Aerosols: high importance, and more data Data and data processing harmony is important because aerosols themselves are important. They are tiny, measured in micrometers and nanometers, but collectively these atmospheric particles exert significant influence on the Earth. By interacting with solar radiation through reflection, absorption, and scattering, aerosols directly affect radiation. In addition, aerosols affect the Earth's energy balance indirectly through their impact on cloud formation. In the early 1990s, aerosols from biomass burning, volcanic eruptions, and other sources were widely recognized for their influence on radiation transfer in the atmosphere, but there was little data on their mass, optical properties, distribution, or other factors. The newest Southern Great Plains AOS platform follows the Brookhaven National Laboratory design. Credit: US Department of Energy Since then, measuring aerosols, Mather says, "is a core capability" at ARM, which for 25 years has collected, processed, quality-checked, and archived a wide range of measurements relevant to the Earth's atmosphere. Ever increasing amounts of AOS data Incrementally, starting in 1996, ARM has collected increasing amounts of aerosol data. Beyond everyday data collection, the SGP was in 2003 the site of a comprehensive Aerosol Intensive Observation Period. In 2005, also at SGP, came the Aerosol Lidar Validation Experiment (ALIVE). That same year, the ARM Mobile Facility, equipped with an AOS system, was ready to be deployed around the world for 6 to 18 months at a time. Its portability made it possible to capture the regional variability of aerosol data. By 2012, ARM had AOS capabilities at its fixed sites, at two mobile facilities, and an ARM Aerial Facility that took aerosol measurements high into the air column. All these AOS data were streaming inand by 2010 from two different types of systems. How did it look? Experts at ARM began to grapple with the need for AOS harmonization in 2014, knowing that two workable but distinct systems were in place. Onecall it the "original AOS"was built by DOE and soon after was mentored by ARM-funded personnel at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The othercall it "next-generation, or second-generation, AOS"was designed and mentored by DOE's Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL). "There's no one right way to do aerosol sampling," says Doug Sisterson, ARM Instrument Coordinator and an atmospheric scientist based at Argonne National Laboratory. The typical AOS platform has a core of at least 10 instruments and a hundred or more datastreams coming from each. The harmonization taskhow to translate aerosol data into a common language"turned out to be quite a massive undertaking," says Mather. "The more complex the instruments, the more challenging these things are." First one system, and then two The first AOS went into operation in April 1996 at the Southern Great Plains (SGP) atmospheric observatory in Oklahoma. Housed in a self-contained trailer, the integrated five-instrument system had been developed by the DOE's Environmental Measurement Program. An attached intake stack sampled from 10 meters above the ground, a height calculated to avoid surface turbidity. Before long, NOAA instrument mentors, funded by ARM, took charge. In addition, ARM also began processing AOS data from a NOAA-owned system in Barrow, adjacent to ARM's North Slope of Alaska (NSA) site. These Barrow AOS data are known as NSA X1 in the ARM Data Center. (NOAA has been operating an AOS system at NSA since 1976.) At SGP and at NSA, NOAA mentors maintained system calibrations, monitored heath and status, and ingested data before forwarding them to ARM. In 2009, ARM contracted with BNL to design, build, and operate several new AOS systems. The second-generation systems presented new opportunities for operating modes and processing instrumentation compared to the original instrument suites for AOS. Today, they represent a significant expansion of new instruments and new measurements. AOS mentors from BNL now include Stephen R. Springston, Art Sedlacek, Chongai Kuang, Tom Watson, and others. (Springston is lead AOS mentor for all the BNL-designed AOS systems.) After the next-generation systems were deployed, ARM recognized that the differences in processing between the first- and second-generation systems needed to be harmonized to provide data sets that users could more easily compare across sites and years. In addition, advances in computational speed and algorithms had also enabled automation of processing of the aerosol data that was not possible in 1996. The AOS harmonization project was initiated to set users at ease with using data from the different systems for their scientific research. Connor Flynn, ARM instrument mentor and data translator, stands atop the Atmospheric Measurement Laboratory at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Washington. Credit: US Department of Energy "Harmonization seeks to put the measurements from all systems on an equal footing," says Springston, "and to make differences immaterial to the end user at bestand at worst to document the differences. A scattering measurement from a site in Oklahoma in 1999 should be comparable to a scattering measurement in Antarctica in 2016." The Flynn factor When the DOE said "Fix this," Connor Flynn stepped in. The PNNL staff scientist, instrumentation expert, and ARM Aerosol Working Group Translator has spent a lot of time in the last three years working directly with the AOS instrument mentors at BNL and NOAA; with Josh King at the ARM Data Quality Office; and with developers Annette Koontz and Brian Ermold at ARM's Data Management Facility at PNNL. "This has been a consensus project from the very beginning," says Flynn. Sisterson holds that Flynn's "greatness is amplified when you realize how big a problem (harmonization) was." Springston praises him for grappling with the "algorithmic consistency" required by harmonization, and says that "Connor has toiled mightily to understand differences across all ARM platforms, mentors, operators, and even instrument models." Flynn started with teamwork. He facilitated partnerships among mentors and others in order to arrive at a state of AOS harmony: uniform automated processing, a uniform data format, and a measured confidence in comparing results from both systems. So far, things are going well. Several elements in the task are already complete, including the harmonization of most of the AOS aerosol optical properties, aerosol number density (the condensation particle counters, or CPC, family), cloud condensation nuclei concentrations (the CNN family), and some AOS trace gas measurements. Still being worked on are the more complex instruments, including those that measure particle-size distributions, hygroscopic growth, and aerosol composition. The two with a higher priority for harmonization include the single particle soot photometer (SP2), used to measure the concentration and mass of soot particles produced by sources such as wildfires down to the nanometer range, and the Aerosol Chemical Speciation Monitor (ACSM). The SP2 still requires manual processing, says Flynn, "but through harmonization we have developed autonomous routines to provide a level of real-time operational health and status." The ACSM, another complex instrument, measures in real time the chemical composition of sub-micron particles. As a mass-spectrometer instrument, says Flynn, its data "are rather complicated to process." The final product may always include a manual review, he adds, "but we are working with the ACSM mentor, Tom Watson, and the instrument vendor, Aerodyne, to improve both real-time operational health and status, as well as the quality of the autonomous chemical species mass concentrations." The migration of the AOS measurements involves integrating mentor activities and data processing within the established norms of ARM operations and of its Data Quality Office. Before developing these automated ingests, calibrations, and data products, says Flynn, "almost all AOS data traveled a circuitous route that included manual mentor processing of data before 'redelivery' of the data to ARM." A plot from the GoAmazon campaign in Brazil shows the comparability of aerosol data being harmonized. It shows how well the measurements agree at three separate wavelengthsred, green, and blue. The slope of each line is very close to the 1:1 line. Credit: US Department of Energy Three processing stages harmonization Taking those integration and automation steps is only the first of three potential processing stages to harmonization, says Flynn. The second is facilitating the comparison of AOS measurements from different instrument suitesthose designed by both NOAA and BNL. Final data products now have "documented levels of comparability," says Flynn, as well as accurate and comprehensive metadata and a uniform "look and feel" for the end product. The third processing stage of harmonization, says Flynn, is "enhancing the synergy of collocated instruments within the same AOS suite." For example, three measurements are presently taken individually for aerosol optical scattering, extinction, and absorption. A new data product, AOS Aerosol Optical Properties (AOS AOP), is being evaluated now that will combine all three collocated measurements. A similar effort will combine measurements of aerosol size distribution from multiple instruments into a common framework. These new data products will make it easier for users to work with ARM data to study aerosol processes. Intercomparison tests on collocated ARM instruments have already been done in Oklahoma and Brazil. Harmonization so far has driven big improvements. Before, comparisons between optical properties reported by co-located AOS systems might show biases of as much as 25 to 50 percent. Once processing was harmonized, says Flynn, measurements from the same instruments show "excellent agreement," with bias as low as 2 to 3 percent. The earlier discrepancies were because of "algorithmic differences in the processing by the two systems," said Springston. "Identifying these differences was a crucial step in harmonization." Most of the major elements of the harmonization project will be done this fall, including harmonization of aerosol size distribution measurements. "However, these products represent foundations that will likely be added to in the future," says Flynn. And what about historical data sets? These can be done on a case-by-case basis, he says, by means of an ARM engineering request. Mather, Sisterson, and Flynn were all in harmony on one point: that ARM data users and their needs come first. All AOS mentors "believe this as well," says Springston. During the harmonization process, says Flynn, users should use and evaluate the AOS AOP C-level product in particular. ("C-level" is considered the best level of data in ARM.) Meanwhile, the ARM Facility will recommend (and archive) the highest processing level of each instrument's datastream. There is a bigger picture to consider, Flynn says: getting aerosol data right is very important in the present state of atmospheric science. "One of the biggest uncertainties is the impact of aerosols on the radiation budget," he says. That budget is the solar balance sheet that affects both change and equilibrium in the planet's atmosphere. An even bigger uncertainty in present models is the formation of clouds, those very big ephemeral vectors of shade, rain, cooling, warming, and planetary albedo that are seeded by very small aerosols. So tying key aerosols data together in a harmonized way, says Flynn, "is huge." Mount Hora in Malawi, where the oldest DNA in the study, from a woman who lived more than 8,000 years ago, was obtained. Credit: Jessica C. Thompson/Emory University The first large-scale study of ancient human DNA from sub-Saharan Africa opens a long-awaited window into the identity of prehistoric populations in the region and how they moved around and replaced one another over the past 8,000 years. The findings, published Sept. 21 in Cell by an international research team led by Harvard Medical School, answer several longstanding mysteries and uncover surprising details about sub-Saharan African ancestryincluding genetic adaptations for a hunter-gatherer lifestyle and the first glimpses of population distribution before farmers and animal herders swept across the continent about 3,000 years ago. "The last few thousand years were an incredibly rich and formative period that is key to understanding how populations in Africa got to where they are today," said David Reich, professor of genetics at HMS and a senior associate member of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. "Ancestry during this time period is such an unexplored landscape that everything we learned was new." Reich shares senior authorship of the study with Ron Pinhasi of the University of Vienna and Johannes Krause of the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History and the University of Tubingen in Germany. "Ancient DNA is the only tool we have for characterizing past genomic diversity. It teaches us things we don't know about history from archaeology and linguistics and can help us better understand present-day populations," said Pontus Skoglund, a postdoctoral researcher in the Reich lab and the study's first author. "We need to ensure we use it for the benefit of all populations around the world, perhaps especially Africa, which contains the greatest human genetic diversity in the world but has been underserved by the genomics community." Long time coming Although ancient-DNA research has revealed insights into the population histories of many areas of the world, delving into the deep ancestry of African groups wasn't possible until recently because genetic material degrades too rapidly in warm, humid climates. Technological advancesincluding the discovery by Pinhasi and colleagues that DNA persists longer in small, dense ear bonesare now beginning to break the climate barrier. Last year, Reich and colleagues used the new techniques to generate the first genome-wide data from the earliest farmers in the Near East, who lived between 8,000 and 12,000 years ago. In the new study, Skoglund and team, including colleagues from South Africa, Malawi, Tanzania and Kenya, coaxed DNA from the remains of 15 ancient sub-Saharan Africans. The individuals came from a variety of geographic regions and ranged in age from about 500 to 8,500 years old. The researchers compared these ancient genomesalong with the only other known ancient genome from the region, previously published in 2015against those of nearly 600 present-day people from 59 African populations and 300 people from 142 non-African groups. With each analysis, revelations rolled in. "We are peeling back the first layers of the agricultural transition south of the Sahara," said Skoglund. "Already we can see that there was a whole different landscape of populations just 2,000 or 3,000 years ago." This visual abstract depicts the findings of Skoglund et al. In their paper, the prehistory of African populations is explored by genome-wide analysis of 16 human remains providing insight into lineages, admixture, and genomicadaptions. Credit: Skoglund et al./Cell 2017 Genomic time-lapse Almost half of the team's samples came from Malawi, providing a series of genomic snapshots from the same location across thousands of years. The time-series divulged the existence of an ancient hunter-gatherer population the researchers hadn't expected. When agriculture spread in Europe and East Asia, farmers and animal herders expanded into new areas and mixed with the hunter-gatherers who lived there. Present-day populations thus inherited DNA from both groups. The new study found evidence for similar movement and mixing in other parts of Africa, but after farmers reached Malawi, hunter-gatherers seem to have disappeared without contributing any detectable ancestry to the people who live there today. "It looks like there was a complete population replacement," said Reich. "We haven't seen clear evidence for an event like this anywhere else." The Malawi snapshots also helped identify a population that spanned from the southern tip of Africa all the way to the equator about 1,400 years ago before fading away. That mysterious group shared ancestry with today's Khoe-San (or Khoisan) people in southern Africa and left a few DNA traces in people from a group of islands thousands of miles away, off the coast of Tanzania. "It's amazing to see these populations in the DNA that don't exist anymore," said Reich. "It's clear that gathering additional DNA samples will teach us much more." "The Khoe-San are such a genetically distinctive people, it was a surprise to find a closely related ancestor so far north just a couple of thousand years ago," Reich added. The new study also found that West Africans can trace their lineage back to a human ancestor that may have split off from other African populations even earlier than the Khoe-San. Missing links The research similarly shed light on the origins of another unique group, the Hadza people of East Africa. "They have a distinct appearance, language and genetics, and some people speculated that, like the Khoe-San, they might represent a very early diverging group from other African populations," said Reich. "Our study shows that instead, they're somehow in the middle of everything." The Hadza, according to genomic comparisons, are today more closely related to non-Africans than to other Africans. The researchers hypothesize that the Hadza are direct descendants of the group that migrated out of Africa, and possibly spread within Africa as well, after about 50,000 years ago. Another discovery lay in wait in East Africa. Scientists had predicted the existence of an ancient population based on the observation that present-day people in southern Africa share ancestry with people in the Near East. The 3,000-year-old remains of a young girl in Tanzania provided the missing evidence. Reich and colleagues suspect that the girl belonged to a herding population that contributed significant ancestry to present-day people from Ethiopia and Somalia down to South Africa. The ancient population was about one-third Eurasian, and the researchers were able to further pinpoint that ancestry to the Levant region. "With this sample in hand, we can now say more about who these people were," said Skoglund. The finding put one mystery to rest while raising another: Present-day people in the Horn of Africa have additional Near Eastern ancestry that can't be explained by the group to which the young girl belonged. Natural selection Finally, the study took a first step in using ancient DNA to understand genetic adaptation in African populations. It required "squeezing water out of a stone" because the researchers were working with so few ancient samples, said Reich, but Skoglund was able to identify two regions of the genome that appear to have undergone natural selection in southern Africans. One adaptation increased protection from ultraviolet radiation, which the researchers propose could be related to life in the Kalahari Desert. The other variant was located on genes related to taste buds, which the researchers point out can help people detect poisons in plants. The researchers hope that their study encourages more investigation into the diverse genetic landscape of human populations in Africa, both past and present. Reich also said he hopes the work reminds people that African history didn't end 50,000 years ago when groups of humans began migrating into the Near East and beyond. "The late Stone Age in Africa is like a black hole, research-wise," said Reich. "Ancient DNA can address that gap." When ECU wildlife ecologist Dr Rob Davis describes surveying birdlife on the island of New Britain as the hardest field work he's ever done, he's not exaggerating. Dense tropical rainforest covers 70% of the Papua New Guinean island, which is known for its hostile terrain, high temperatures and stifling humidity. "Coupled with that, we were actually there in the wet season," Rob says. "It rained for the first 2 weeks we were there. It started flooding, and we had large trees fall down because of the rain." One of the researchers contracted malaria, and the team encountered machete-wielding locals as they navigated the thick forest. A unique region Rob says that, while the expedition wasn't easy, it was certainly rewarding. The team logged more than 400 hours of surveys on New Britain, which is famous for its rich birdlife. There are 14 bird species that live only on the island, and a further 38 birds are restricted to New Britain, nearby New Ireland and a few small satellite islands. But the region's fauna is under threat. Recent decades have seen catastrophic clearing of the forest for palm oil plantations as well as illegal logging. The good, the bad and the ugly Despite the threats, very little is known about New Britain's unique birdlife. Rob says the expedition set out to understand how the birds had coped with the clearing and assess their conservation status for the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The research, published in July, is the most comprehensive dataset ever assembled on birds in New Britain. "We thought there would be a lot of doom and gloom, but in fact there was only a single species that we said should be rated as faring worse than it currently was," Rob says. Bird calls recorded in the New Britain forest. Credit: ROB DAVIS "That was the New Britain kingfisher." The work recommended increasing population estimates for seven birdsthe pied cuckoo-dove, yellowish imperial pigeon, green-fronted hanging parrot, blue-eyed cockatoo, violaceous coucal, New Britain boobook and New Britain thrush. However, despite comprehensive surveys, four birds remain very rarely recordedthe slaty-backed goshawk, New Britain sparrowhawk, New Britain bronzewing and golden masked-owl. Palm oil predicament One of the biggest threats to Papua New Guinea's birdlife in recent years has been the destruction of forest for palm oil plantations. Aerial photography suggests more than 20% of New Britain's forest below 100m was cut down between 1989 and 2000 alone. But the rate of loss has since slowed, and Rob is pragmatic about existence of the plantations. His personal view is that a move to sustainable palm oil production would be better for the region that an outright ban. "The social side is so important in those countries," he says. "The people there are given houses, they get anti-malaria treatments, things like women's education there's flow-on benefits. "It's a tough one, there's not an easy answer." At loggerheads What Rob is less excited about allowing is the emerging threat of helicopter logging, which he says he saw while in Papua New Guinea. "It's often illegal, [Malaysian or Chinese logging companies] buy off ministers to basically turn a blind eye to it," he says. "Then they literally take a helicopter into remote terrain, drop in a crew with chainsaws, cut down all the trees, airlift them out. "It's really quite frightening." Provided by Particle This article first appeared on Particle, a science news website based at Scitech, Perth, Australia. Read the original article. A satellite image of Hurricane Irma spiraling through the Caribbean. Credit: NOAA/AP Hurricane Maria, the 15th tropical depression this season, is now battering the Caribbean, just two weeks after Hurricane Irma wreaked havoc in the region. The devastation in Dominica is "mind-boggling," wrote the country's prime minister, Roosevelt Skerrit, on Facebook just after midnight on September 19. The next day, in Puerto Rico, NPR reported via member station WRTU in San Juan that "Most of the island is without poweror water." Among the Caribbean islands impacted by both deadly storms are Puerto Rico, St Kitts, Tortola and Barbuda. In this region, disaster damages are frequently amplified by needlessly protracted and incomplete recoveries. In 2004, Hurricane Ivan rolled roughshod through the Caribbean with wind speeds of 160 mph. The region's economy took more than three years to recover. Grenada's surplus of US$17 million became a deficit of $54 million, thanks to decreased revenue and the outlays for rehabilitation and reconstruction. Nor were the effects of a 7 magnitude earthquake that rocked Haiti in 2010 limited to killing some 150,000 people. United Nations peacekeepers sent in to help left the country grappling, to this day, with a fatal cholera outbreak. These are not isolated instances of random bad luck. As University of the West Indies geographers who study risk perception and political ecology, we recognize the deep, human-induced roots of climate change, inequality and the underdevelopment of former colonies all of which increase the Caribbean's vulnerability to disaster. Risk, vulnerability and poverty Disaster risk is a function of both a place's physical hazard exposure that is, how directly it is threatened by disaster and its social vulnerability, specifically, how resilient it is. Across most Caribbean islands, hazard exposure is about the same, but research shows that poverty and social inequality drastically magnify the severity of disasters. Haiti, where eight out of every 10 people live on less than $4 a day, offers an example of how capitalism, gender and history converge to compound storm damage. The country is among the Western Hemisphere's poorest in large part because of imperialism. After Haitians successfully overthrew their European enslavers in 1804, global powers economically stifled the island. From 1915 to 1934, the U.S. first militarily occupied Haiti, and then followed a policy of intervention that continues to have lasting effects on its governance. International interference and the resulting weak institutions, in turn, impeded development, poverty reduction and empowerment efforts. In such a context, disasters aggravate a country's numerous existing social vulnerabilities. Take gender, for example. Mental health professionals offering support to victims after Haiti's 2010 earthquake found that an extraordinarily high number of displaced women up to 75 percent had experienced sexual violence. This prior trauma exacerbated the women's post-disaster stress responses. Geography and gender Inequality and underdevelopment are perhaps less marked in the rest of the Caribbean, but from Antigua and Barbuda to St. Kitts and Nevis, socioeconomic problems are now complicating both disaster preparedness and response. A tent city in post-earthquake Haiti. Credit: Fred W. Baker III/Wikimedia Commons Across the region, people spend most of their income on daily essentials like food, clean water, shelter and medicine, with little left over for greeting Irma and Maria with lifesaving hurricane-resilient roofs, storm shutters, solar generators and first aid kits. For the poor, emergency radios and satellite telephones that could warn of impending disasters are largely unaffordable, as is homeowners' insurance to hasten recovery. Poorer Caribbean residents also tend to live in the most disaster-prone areas because housing is cheaper on unstable deforested hillsides and eroding riverbanks. This exponentially increases the danger they face. The low construction quality of these dwellings offers less protection during storms while, post-disaster, emergency vehicles may not be able to access these areas. Caribbean women will also continue to be at particular risk well after Maria passes. In a region where gender roles remain quite rigid, women are typically tasked with childcare, harvesting, cooking, cleaning, washing and the like. Even in post-disaster settings, women are expected to perform household labor. So when water supplies are contaminated (with sewage, E. coli, salmonella, cholera, yellow fever, and hepatitis A, among others), women are disproportionately exposed to illness. The work of nourishing the spirits and bodies of others when food and water shortages occur is also thrust onto women, even though they generally have less access to income and credit than men. No place for politics Politics, too, play a role in how the Caribbean is faring during this tumultuous hurricane season. Longtime colonial rule isn't the only reason Caribbean societies and ecosystems are now so vulnerable. Many contemporary governments in the region are, arguably, also doing their part to make life generally worse for marginalized communities. In Trinidad and Tobago, divestment in public education has hurt working-class university students, youth from low-income communities and older adults who were previously eligible for financial aid. In oil-rich Guyana, dependency upon fossil fuels has invited an eager ExxonMobil in for a round of drilling, despite its track record for extracting, polluting and taking profits largely elsewhere. And, from Jamaica to Belize, widespread corruption and land rights violations have severed relationships of trust between people and the states that are, in theory, supposed to protect them. When storms threaten, such policies and practices intensify the Caribbean's societal and ecological risks. Irma and Maria are surely not the last extreme disasters that will strike the region. To survive and flourish in this dangerous new normal, Caribbean countries would do well to look to the heart of these issues, rethinking the concept of risk and mindfully engaging with factors like poverty, gender and climate change. In practice, this means identifying their most vulnerable communities and working to improve their day-to-day well-being not just their survival in a storm. The Caribbean's own Frantz Fanon (1925-1961), from the island of Martinique, recognized these complexities in his book, "The Wretched of the Earth." Fanon asserted that democracy and the political education of the masses, across all post-colonial geographies, is a "historical necessity." Presciently, he also noted that "the soil needs researching, as well as the subsoil, the rivers, and why not the sun." As the Caribbean looks for solutions to the damage and suffering brought on by both nature's revolt and social inequality, Fanon's words seem like a good place to start. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. A specimen of the trilobite Palaeolenus lantenoisi from the Guanshan Biota in southern Yunnan Province, China. Rarely are internal organs preserved in fossils, but this specimen shows the digestive system preserved as reddish iron oxides. The digestive system is comprised of a crop (inflated region at top of specimen), lateral glands, and a central canal that runs along the length of the body; the iron oxides that extend beyond the fossil are the remains of gut contents that were extruded during preservation. Credit: F. Chen Exceptionally preserved trilobite fossils from China, dating back to more than 500 million years ago, have revealed new insights into the extinct marine animal's digestive system. Published today in the journal PLOS ONE, the new study shows that at least two trilobite species evolved a stomach structure 20 million years earlier than previously thought. "Trilobites are one of the first types of animals to show up in large numbers in the fossil record," said lead author Melanie Hopkins, an assistant curator in the Division of Paleontology at the American Museum of Natural History. "Their exoskeletons were heavy in minerals, and so they preserved really well. But like all fossils, it's very rare to see the preservation of soft tissues like organs or appendages in trilobites, and because of this, our knowledge of the trilobite digestive system comes from a small number of specimens. The new material in this study really expands our understanding." Trilobites are a group of extinct marine arthropodsdistantly related to the horseshoe crabthat lived for almost 300 million years. They were extremely diverse, with about 20,000 species, and their fossil exoskeletons can be found all around the world. Most of the 270 specimens analyzed in the new study were collected from a quarry in southern Kunming, China, during an excavation led by Hopkins' co-author, Zhifei Zhang, from Northwest University in Xi'an. Previous research suggests that two body plans existed for trilobite digestive systems: a tube that runs down the length of the trilobite's body with lateral digestive glands that would have helped process the food; or an expanded stomach, called a "crop", leading into a simple tube with no lateral glands. Until now, only the first type had been reported from the oldest trilobites. Based on this, researchers had proposed that the evolution of the crop came later in trilobite evolutionary history and represented a distinct type of digestive system. The Chinese trilobite fossils, about 20 percent of which have soft tissue preservation, are dated to the early Cambrian, about 514 million years ago. Contradictory to the previously proposed body plans, the researchers identified crops in two different species within this material. In addition, they found a single specimen that has both a crop and digestive glandssuggesting that the evolution of trilobite digestive systems is more complex than originally proposed. The study backs up an earlier announcement made by a separate research team, which found evidence for the unusual crop and gland pairing in a single juvenile trilobite specimen from Sweden from the late Cambrian. But the Chinese material presents the oldest example of this complex digestive system in a mature trilobite, wiping away doubts that the dual structures might just be part of the animal's early development. "This is a very rigorous study based on multiple specimens, and it shows that we should start thinking about this aspect of trilobite biology and evolution in a different way," Hopkins said. This study demonstrates the long-term benefits of sea turtle conservation efforts globally, and the need for continued funding to maintain recovery. Credit: Kostas Papafitsoros New Deakin University research is pointing to signs of recovery in global sea turtle populations thanks to long-term conservation efforts, contrasting with a trend that's seen most endangered vertebrates continue to decline in numbers. The research, completed in partnership with Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece, looked at hundreds of nesting surveys from breeding sites around the world and found a greater trend towards increases in population size, as well as some worrying population declines. Of the 299 time series examined, 95 showed significant increases in turtle abundance, while 35 showed significant decreases. Alfred Deakin Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Deakin's School of Life and Environmental Sciences Dr Gail Schofield said the data, published in Science Advances today, showed efforts to protect nesting and foraging habitat were safeguarding some sea turtle populations. "This study demonstrates the long-term benefits of sea turtle conservation efforts globally, and the need for continued funding to maintain recovery," Dr Schofield said. "Positive trends in abundance are likely linked to the effective protection of eggs and nesting females, as well as reduced harvesting and bycatch in fishing." Six of the world's seven sea turtle species are currently listed as vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered. Historically, adult females were harvested for food while nesting onshore, along with their eggs, as well as being harvested at sea or incidentally caught by fisheries (bycatch). This led to a rapid decline in sea turtle populations by the 1950s. Eggs and hatchlings emerging on the beaches are also consumed by various predators, including crabs, foxes and racoons. Turtle digging in the sand. Credit: Kostas Papafitsoros Dr Schofield said most conservation efforts focussed on reducing illegal harvesting, and caging or relocating nests to hatcheries to maximise protection, with these actions being reinforced by the establishment of marine protected areas. But she said there was still a lot of work to be done. "While the news in this study is encouraging, long-term support for conservation is hard to obtain but is essential to deliver sustained conservation success," she said. "Many populations remain under threat, especially as there may be lags of several decades in detecting survival rates based on nesting data, because of the time required for offspring to reach maturity. "The positive trends we found should not be interpreted as sea turtle populations being out of the woods; rather, we are highlighting the value of long-term sea turtle conservation efforts globally, and the need to continue these efforts into the future." Dr Schofield said that in Australia some positive trends were detected, but conservation concerns remained. "Australia supports the nesting grounds and foraging habitat of five of the seven sea turtle species, along with important foraging habitat for leatherbacks," she said. "Of note, conservation efforts continue to try and improve the nesting habitat for the green turtle nesting beaches at Raine Island, which is the largest green turtle rookery in the world. "Challenges remain to document abundance trends across the massive amount of the Australian coast used by nesting turtles." More information: Global sea turtle conservation successes. Science Advances 20 Sep 2017: DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1600730 Journal information: Science Advances Pleistocene fossils from Lewapaku. Credit: Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences (2017). DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.1278 (Phys.org)A team of researchers from the U.K., Indonesia and Australia has found fossil evidence of several unique creatures that once lived on the Indonesian island of Sumba. In their paper published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, the group describes their expeditions to the remote island, the fossils they found and their theories regarding the evolutionary history of the Wallacean archipelago. Wallacea is an archipelago that lies between Australia and Asiaone of its most famous islands is Flores due to the discovery there in 2004 of fossil remains of Homo floresiensis, subsequently dubbed "the Hobbit" due to its diminutive stature. That discovery caused archeologists to wonder if other islands in the archipelago might harbor other fossil remains of interest. Little research has been conducted in the region, which makes the area attractive for new research endeavors. In this new effort, the researchers chose to focus on the island of Sumba, which lies directly south of Flores. As part of their expeditions (conducted in 2011 and 2014), the researchers report that they found the fossilized remains of several interesting and unique extinct creatures. The list includes small creatures that resembled elephants (Stegodon), two species of giant rats, some large varanid reptiles and even evidence that the Komodo dragon once lived on the island. They note that some of the species were dated to a time as recent as just 12,000 years ago. It is still not known, of course, why the creatures disappeared from the island, though the team suggests it might have been due to the arrival of humans. Evidence of the Komodo dragon on the island, the group points outs, offers the first evidence of their existence on an island other than Komodo, Rinca, Flores, Gili Motang and Padar. And that suggests they likely lived on some of the other unexplored island in the area, as well. The group's findings also indicate that the archipelago overall likely holds evidence of a wide range of undiscovered extinct creatures and possibly the remains of other human relatives. They suggest much more research needs to be done. More information: Samuel T. Turvey et al. Quaternary vertebrate faunas from Sumba, Indonesia: implications for Wallacean biogeography and evolution, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences (2017). DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.1278 Abstract Historical patterns of diversity, biogeography and faunal turnover remain poorly understood for Wallacea, the biologically and geologically complex island region between the Asian and Australian continental shelves. A distinctive Quaternary vertebrate fauna containing the small-bodied hominin Homo floresiensis, pygmy Stegodon proboscideans, varanids and giant murids has been described from Flores, but Quaternary faunas are poorly known from most other Lesser Sunda Islands. We report the discovery of extensive new fossil vertebrate collections from Pleistocene and Holocene deposits on Sumba, a large Wallacean island situated less than 50 km south of Flores. A fossil assemblage recovered from a Pleistocene deposit at Lewapaku in the interior highlands of Sumba, which may be close to 1 million years old, contains a series of skeletal elements of a very small Stegodon referable to S. sumbaensis, a tooth attributable to Varanus komodoensis, and fragmentary remains of unidentified giant murids. Holocene cave deposits at Mahaniwa dated to approximately 20003500 BP yielded extensive material of two new genera of endemic large-bodied murids, as well as fossils of an extinct frugivorous varanid. This new baseline for reconstructing Wallacean faunal histories reveals that Sumba's Quaternary vertebrate fauna, although phylogenetically distinctive, was comparable in diversity and composition to the Quaternary fauna of Flores, suggesting that similar assemblages may have characterized Quaternary terrestrial ecosystems on many or all of the larger Lesser Sunda Islands. Journal information: Proceedings of the Royal Society B 2017 Phys.org Krzysztof Wielicki, a small and wiry 67-year-old who will run the 10-person expedition from its base camp, was the first to scale the world's highest peak, Mount Everest, in the winter, nearly four decades ago By Reuters: Polish climbers hope to pull off one of the last big feats of mountaineering in coming months by scaling K2, the world's second highest peak and the only of the 14 exceeding 8,000 meters (26,246 ft) yet to be conquered in wintertime. If successful, their ascent will also mark the culmination of an era for the Poles, who pioneered winter climbing on the world's highest mountains in the 1980s. advertisement Krzysztof Wielicki, a small and wiry 67-year-old who will run the 10-person expedition from its base camp, was the first to scale the world's highest peak, Mount Everest, in the winter, nearly four decades ago. It took him four attempts to climb K2 in the summer, each time with months of preparation. "K2 has taken 12-14 months of my life," Wielicki told Reuters in his home in southern Poland. "Actually, it gave me those months because it is a wonderful thing to be near K2, to look at it. It makes you happy." First scaled by Italians in 1954, K2 is in the Karakorum mountains along the border between China and Pakistan and is notorious for high winds, especially steep and icy slopes and high fatality rates among climbers. In winter months, scant snowfall means the summit approach can turn into bare ice. The Polish climbers - only the fourth team to ever tackle K2 in winter - will spend two-three months painstakingly laying out camps and ropes along the climb route, and storing supplies of food and fuel. They will wait for a window of good weather, maybe only a day long, to set out for the summit. "The winds need to be below 50-60 km per hour, though even that is strong," said Janusz Majer, 70, a veteran Himalayas climber who is organising the government-funded expedition. Only the fifth person to climb all of the world's 14 highest mountains, Wielicki says the era of big Himalayan conquests is coming to an end. With most peaks already conquered, only the most daring and dangerous approach routes are left to be explored. "We were privileged, so much was to be achieved in the mountains," he said of his earlier climbing days. "People have to weigh safety versus success now. Is it worth it to sacrifice your life to cross serac that crumbles every third day?" he said. Serac is a column or block of glacial ice. "We are moving now from risk to recklessness," he warned. High-altitude climbing gained popularity in Poland in the 1980s, when a government crackdown on popular unrest ahead of the collapse of Communism left many searching for fulfilment in professional life. advertisement "The Poles went to the Himalayas a bit later than other climbers, so we missed the first ascents on top mountains," said Majer, explaining why Poles pioneered the relatively unexplored skill of winter climbing at the time. "When people asked us why so many high-altitute climbers came from Poland, which has few mountains, we said we are used to having little oxygen. We come from polluted coal-mining regions," he quipped. --- ENDS --- University of Illinois atmospheric sciences professor Steve Nesbitt discusses the future of hurricane forecasting. Credit: L. Brian Stauffer Hurricane forecasting depends heavily on government-funded satellites, allowing the communities in their path to prepare and evacuate. Those satellites, monitored and maintained by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NASA, require constant upkeep and frequent replacement. News Bureau physical sciences editor Lois Yoksoulian spoke with Illinois atmospheric sciences professor Steve Nesbitt about the future of the weather satellite program. How are satellites used to inform hurricane forecasts? Satellite data is used mainly for monitoring storms themselves, including clouds and rainfall within the system, as well as observing weather conditions outside of the storms. Both of these factors can give us information that can be used in the prediction of a storm's track, intensity and flooding potential. Last year, NOAA launched the GOES-16 geostationary satellite. Geostationary satellites are placed in a high-altitude orbit (more than 35,000 kilometers) to provide continuous views of the same location on Earth. By contrast, low Earth orbit satellites are in a 400-900 kilometer orbit to gain higher spatial resolution for their sensors the drawback being that atmospheric drag reduces low Earth orbit satellites' lifetime. GOES-16 has greatly enhanced our ability to monitor storm structure, with continuous views of storms with time updates up to every 30 seconds and spatial resolution of about 500 meters. The GOES-16 satellite also has a continuous lightning sensor, which has never previously been available on a geostationary satellite. This information together has helped us monitor in detail the structure and intensity of recent storms such as Harvey, Irma, Maria and Jose, which has improved track and intensity forecasts. Our research group has used low Earth orbit satellite data to show that when deep convection is enhanced in a tropical cyclone's eye, then rapid intensification of the storm is likely within 24-36 hours. We look forward to using sensors on GOES-16 and soon-to-be-launched GOES-17 to improve hurricane intensity predictions. In 2012, the New York Times reported that the U.S. was lacking crucial weather satellite coverage because of low funding and mismanagement, which led to delays in launching replacements. That was five years ago; has anything changed? The future of our weather satellite program is mixed, and uncertain going forward. Clearly the launch of GOES-16 has been a huge leap forward in monitoring hazardous weather. In terms of low Earth orbiting satellites, which typically have a lifetime of three to eight years and must be replaced, pressure from the scientific community allowed for NOAA's Joint Polar Satellite Program to proceed despite earlier program delays, and the first of two satellites in this series are set for launch later this year. In its 2018 budget request, the Trump administration has sought to cut the next two satellites in NOAA Joint Polar Satellite Program, as well as another NASA satellite mission called PACE. Fortunately, Congress restored funding to the NOAA program, which will provide important temperature and humidity measurements and replace older, failing satellites. The future of the funding for the NASA satellite missions remain uncertain. On the positive side, NASA continues to support several missions that fund our research group: the Global Precipitation Measurement and Ocean Vector Winds missions, which continuously monitor tropical cyclone-related precipitation and winds, and TROPICS, which will study the internal structure of hurricanes with a constellation of 12 smaller satellites. What will be the outcome if weather satellite missions continue to see budget cuts? Satellite missions have a finite lifetime, so it takes constant planning and investment to maintain a fleet of operational and research satellites. Disruptions in funding caused by the 2013 U.S. government sequestration, recent proposed cuts to NOAA, and NASA's refocusing on space exploration over weather and climate science under the pressure of the Trump administration have left the future for hurricane-monitoring satellites in doubt. Funding for Earth satellite measurements has demonstrable benefits in terms of protecting life and property, as well as improving our understanding of our planet. Without these satellites and the associated research at NASA and NOAA, which provide for the development for new satellite technology going forward, we risk reducing our capabilities for predicting weather hazard and other unforeseen risks to our national security that may be changing as the climate changes. Hacking worries have hovered over Germany's election campaign As the clock ticks down to elections Sunday, Germany's cyber defence nervously hopes it'll be third time lucky after Russia was accused of meddling in the US and French votes. But even if Berlin avoids a last-minute bombshell of leaks or online sabotage, it sees Moscow's hand in fanning fears of Muslim migrants that are driving the rise of the hard-right. Forecasters say Chancellor Angela Merkel is almost certain to win. But she will also face, for the first time in German post-war history, a right-wing populist and anti-immigration party will have its own group on the opposition benches. The Alternative for Germany (AfD)which calls Merkel a "traitor" for her 2015 welcome to refugeeshas been promoted especially in internet echo chambers by far-right trolls and ultra-nationalists. While mainstream media have treated the AfD with distaste, the most positive coverage has appeared in Kremlin-funded media such as RT and Sputnik, which have also heavily focussed on migrant crime. The London School of Economics (LSE) found that "official Russian media and unofficial pro-Russian trolls offer constant and repetitive support for the AfD and its anti-immigrant message," wrote journalist Anne Applebaum, a participant in the monitoring project. The AfD, meanwhile, has been actively courting the 2.5 million-strong Russian-German community with neighbourhood stands, flyer campaigns and a Russian-language YouTube channel. Especially elderly and poor Russian-Germans have been receptive to xenophobic and anti-Muslim messages amid the 2015 mass migrant influx, said Berlin community leader Alexander Reiser. "The fear was stoked by Russian TV, which presented it as a catastrophe, of Europe being flooded by migrants," he said, pointing also to Russians' "traumatic memories" of the Soviet collapse and Russia's wars against Islamic fundamentalists. Sowing doubt, discord The risk of Moscow attempting to use Russian-Germans as pawns moved into the spotlight with the 2016 case of "Our Lisa". Russian media spread the storyquickly debunked by German policeof three Muslim men who raped a 13-year-old Russian-German girl, and of a subsequent cover-up by police and politicians. It sparked Russian-German street protests that escalated into a top-level diplomatic dispute between Berlin and Moscow. Many Russian-Germans believed the conspiracy tale because they "projected their Russia experience onto the case," said Reiser, who estimated that 15-20 percent remain "stuck in a totalitarian way of thinking and will never fully understand democracy". A top-level government official told AFP the Lisa case was Berlin's "wake-up call" on Russian propaganda. Other fake news stories followed, including one claiming German NATO soldiers in Lithuania raped a young girl. Berlin's biggest fear, however, has focussed on a massive 2015 malware attack that crippled the Bundestag parliamentary network for days. It netted 17 gigabytes of data which, officials feared, could be used to blackmail MPs or discredit them, possibly on new "BTLeaks" websites. German security chiefs said "smoking gun" proof was impossible but blamed the hacker group known as Fancy Bear or APT28, which has been linked to Russia's GRU military intelligence and accused of attacks on Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign. IT security experts sprang into action by drilling MPs and sensitising the public about the risk of online mischief, meme wars and other disinformation designed to sow doubt and discord and delegitimise the democratic process. Security agencies BND and BfV warned of Russian influence operations, the IT security agency BSI started war-gaming attacks, and the military launched a Cyber Command while musing about the option of "hack-back" counterstrikes. Patriotic hackers The Brookings Institution's Constanze Stelzenmueller told a US Senate committee in June that "for a Russia that is clearly bent on destabilising Europe and the transatlantic alliance, Germany is the prize". Russian President Vladimir Putin has denied Moscow seeks to influence foreign elections but said that "patriotic hackers" are beyond Moscow's control. Weeks after Trump's election, Merkel consulted experts about fake news and the bot algorithms that make them go viral. "She was very interested, but not panicking," recalled Simon Hegelich of Munich's Technical University. Media outlets ramped up fact-checking teams, political parties pledged not to use campaign bots, and a new law passed threatening to heavily fine social media giants that fail to speedily remove hate speech and other "illegal content". Days before the election, there has been no mass leak, raising cautious speculation as to why Germany may have been spared. For one, Germany's multi-party elections are harder to swing than a presidential two-horse race, and Merkel enjoys a huge, double-digit lead. Then there is the risk of a damaging backlash, and of alienating pro-Russia lawmakers found across the German party system. Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said Wednesday that "we have no indication that Putin interfered in the election". On a note of caution, he added: "Maybe they decided not to do it, maybe it's still coming." 2017 AFP This illustration shows two merging black holes generating gravitational waves. At large distances from the black hole merger, spacetime may be described by superpositions of two grid sets, depicting the two metrics in the bigravity framework. Credit: Max, Platscher, and Smirnov, based on an image by R. Hurt at Caltech-JPL. (Phys.org)Using data from the first-ever gravitational waves detected last year, along with a theoretical analysis, physicists have shown that gravitational waves may oscillate between two different forms called "g" and "f"-type gravitational waves. The physicists explain that this phenomenon is analogous to the way that neutrinos oscillate between three distinct flavorselectron, muon, and tau. The oscillating gravitational waves arise in a modified theory of gravity called bimetric gravity, or "bigravity," and the physicists show that the oscillations may be detectable in future experiments. The researchers, Kevin Max, a PhD student at Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa and INFN Pisa, Italy; Moritz Platscher, a PhD student at the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics, Germany; and Juri Smirnov, a postdoc at the University of Florence, Italy, have published a paper on their analysis of gravitational wave oscillations in a recent issue of Physical Review Letters. As the physicists explain, the work may help answer the question of what "the other 95%" of the universe is made of, by suggesting that the answer may lie in modifications to gravity rather than new particles. "Only 5% of matter is of a type we think to understand properly," Smirnov told Phys.org. "To address the question of what our universe is made of ('dark matter' and 'dark energy'), most authors discuss alternative particle physics models with new particles. However, experiments such as the ones at the LHC [Large Hadron Collider] haven't detected any exotic particles, yet. This raises the question if maybe the gravitational side needs to be modified. "In our work, we ask what signals we could expect from a modification of gravity, and it turns out that bigravity features a unique such signal and can therefore be discriminated from other theories. The recent detection of gravitational waves by LIGO [Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory] has opened a new window on the dark sectors of the universe for us. Whether Nature has chosen general relativity, bigravity, or any other theory is a different question in the end. We can only study possible signals for experimentalists to look for." Two gravitons instead of one Currently, the best theory of gravity is Einstein's theory of general relativity, which uses a single metric to describe spacetime. As a result, gravitational interactions are mediated by a single hypothetical particle called a graviton, which is massless and so travels at the speed of light. The main difference between general relativity and bigravity is that bigravity uses two metrics, g and f. Whereas g is a physical metric and couples to matter, f is a sterile metric and does not couple to matter. In bigravity, gravitational interactions are mediated by two gravitons, one of which has mass and the other of which is massless. The two gravitons are composed of different combinations (or superpositions) of the g and f metrics, and so they couple to the surrounding matter in different ways. The existence of two metrics (and two gravitons) in the bigravity framework eventually leads to the oscillation phenomenon. As the physicists explain, the idea that there might exist a graviton with mass has been around since almost as long general relativity itself. "Einstein's theory of general relativity predicts one mediator (the 'graviton') of the gravitational interactions, which travels at the speed of light, i.e., which is massless," Max said. "Back in the late 1930s, people were already trying to find a theory containing a mediator that has a mass, and thus travels at a speed less than the speed of light. This turned out to be a very difficult task and was only recently accomplished in 2010. Bigravity is a variation of this 2010 framework, which features not one, but two dynamical metrics. Only one of them couples to matter while the other doesn't; and a linear combination of them becomes massive (slower than the speed of light) while the other is massless (speed of light)." Oscillations The physicists show that, in the framework of bigravity, as gravitational waves are produced and propagate through space, they oscillate between the g- and f-typesthough only the g-type can be detected. Although previous research has suggested that these oscillations might exist, it appeared to lead to unphysical results, such as a violation of energy conservation. The new study shows that the oscillations can theoretically emerge in a realistic physical scenario when considering graviton masses that are large enough to be detected by current astrophysical tests. In order to understand these oscillations, the scientists explain that in many ways they resemble neutrino oscillations. Although neutrinos come in three flavors (electron, muon, and tau), typically the neutrinos produces in nuclear reactions are electron neutrinos (or electron anti-neutrinos) because the others are too heavy to form stable matter. In a similar way, in bigravity only the g metric couples to matter, so the gravitational waves produced by astrophysical events, such as black hole mergers, are g-type since f-type gravitational waves do not couple to matter. "The key to understanding the oscillation phenomenon is that electron neutrinos do not have a definite mass: they are a superposition of the three neutrino mass eigenstates," Platscher explained. "More mathematically speaking, the mass matrix is not diagonal in the flavor (electron-muon-tau) basis. Therefore, the wave equation that describes how they move through space will mix them up and therefore they 'oscillate.' "The same is true in bigravity: g is a mixture of the massive and the massless graviton, and therefore as the gravitational wave travels through the Universe, it will oscillate between g- and f-type gravitational waves. However, we can only measure the former with our detectors (which are made of matter), while the latter would pass through us unseen! This would, if bigravity is a correct description of Nature, leave an important imprint in the gravitational wave signal, as we have shown." As the physicists note, the similarity between neutrinos and gravitational waves holds even though neutrino oscillation is a quantum mechanical phenomenon that is described by the Schrodinger wave equation, whereas gravitational wave oscillation is not a quantum effect and instead is described by a classical wave equation. One particular effect that the physicists predict is that gravitational wave oscillations lead to larger strain modulations compared to those predicted by general relativity. These results suggest a path toward experimentally detecting gravitational wave oscillations and finding support for bigravity. "Since bigravity is a very young theory, there is still a lot to be done, and its potential to address our theories' shortcomings needs to be explored," Smirnov said. "There has been some work along these lines, but certainly a lot is yet to be done and we hope to contribute in the future as well!" More information: Kevin Max, Moritz Platscher, and Juri Smirnov. "Gravitational Wave Oscillations in Bigravity." Physical Review Letters. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.119.111101. Also at arXiv:1703.07785 [gr-qc] Journal information: Physical Review Letters 2017 Phys.org Aequorea victoria, also called the crystal jelly, is a bioluminescent jellyfish that lives near the Pacific coast of North America. Credit: Gary Kavanagh/iStockphoto.com The crystal jellyfish swims off the coast of the Pacific Northwest and can illuminate the waters when disturbed. That glow comes from proteins that absorb energy and then release it as bright flashes. To track many of life's activities, biologists took a cue from this same jellyfish. Scientists collected one of the proteins found in the sea creatures, green fluorescent protein (GFP), and engineered a molecular light switch that would glow or remain dark depending on specific experimental conditions. The glowing labels are attached to molecules in living cells so researchers can highlight them during imaging experiments. They use these fluorescent markers to understand how a cell responds to changes in its environment, identify which molecules interact within a cell and track the effects of genetic mutations. Researchers have studied GFP and other fluorescent proteins for decades to better understand their glowing action and improve their function in scientific studies, but they have never been able to observe the ultrafast changes that occur between "off" and "on" states until now. In a recent experiment conducted at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, a research team used bright, ultrafast X-ray pulses from SLAC's X-ray free-electron laser to create a high-speed movie of a fluorescent protein in action. With that information, the scientists began to design a marker that switches more easily, a quality that can improve resolution during biological imaging. "We think that this approach will open a world of possibilities to tailor fluorescent proteins," says Martin Weik, scientist at the Institute of Structural Biology in Grenoble, France and one of the authors on the publication. "We not only have the structure of the fluorescent protein, but now we can see what is happening between one static state and the other." Nature Chemistry published the study on Sept. 11. Filming a Molecular Light Switch To observe these intermediate states, the scientists initiated a photochemical reaction in the fluorescent protein with an optical laser at the Coherent X-ray Imaging instrument at the Linac Coherent Light Source, followed by X-ray snapshots at distinct time delays. The optical laser provides energy in the form of photons, mimicking what happens in nature. "Atoms move around in the photoactive site of the molecule as a result of absorption of a photon," says Sebastien Boutet, SLAC scientist and a co-author of the paper. "This structural change turns the protein from a dark state to a light-emitting (fluorescent) state." The Coherent X-Ray Imaging (CXI) instrument makes use of the brilliant hard X-ray pulses from the Linac Coherent Light Source. The equipment is tailored for X-ray crystallography experiments. Credit: SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory There's a vast body of literature calculating what might happen between the two states, but no one studying the protein was able to see the structural changes in the switch as the photon is absorbed. The molecular switch was just too fast for traditional X-ray imaging techniques. In this study, the femtosecond X-ray pulses generated by LCLSarriving in just millionths of a billionth of a secondallowed the team to create stop-action images of the process at an extremely close interval after the proteins were activated by the optical laser. A Door Half-Open The high-speed snapshots were used to generate a movie starting from the dark state, and gave the researchers insights that they used to design more efficient switchable light-emitting proteins. They found a clue in the time the molecules spent between fluorescent and non-fluorescent states. "After a picosecond, and for a very short time, this molecular switch is stuck between on and off," says Ilme Schlichting, scientist at the Max-Planck Institute in Heidelberg, Germany and one of the authors on the publication. "People have predicted this, but to actually visualize its structure is extremely exciting." "It's as if there's a door and it's neither closed nor completely open; it's half open," she says. "And now we are learning what can go through the door, what might be blocking it and how it works in real time." In this study, the scientists found that an amino acid blocked the door and prevented the switch from flipping as easily as possible. The researchers shortened the amino acid in a mutated version of the fluorescent protein. This engineered version switched more easily and gave better contrast. These traits will allow scientists to observe cellular activity with greater precision. "Contrast is essential in imaging. It's like on a TV screen, where to see the best picture, you want the dark to be extremely dark and the color to be super bright and colorful," says Jacques-Philippe Colletier, a scientist at the Institute of Structural Biology who contributed to the research. This new molecular movie featuring the jellyfish-inspired proteins lights the way to capture more of life's microscopic details. The team will continue to fine-tune the protein for other desired characteristics that make it ideal for "super-resolution microscopy," a type of light microscopy where scientists are able to see illuminated details of cells not distinguishable with conventional light microscopy methods. More information: Nicolas Coquelle et al. Chromophore twisting in the excited state of a photoswitchable fluorescent protein captured by time-resolved serial femtosecond crystallography, Nature Chemistry (2017). DOI: 10.1038/nchem.2853 Journal information: Nature Chemistry Two new Princeton-led studies provide a detailed look at an essential part of algae's growth machinery, with the eventual goal of applying this knowledge to improving the growth of crops. In this image, the researchers used a technique called cryo-electron tomography to image an algal structure called the pyrenoid, which concentrates carbon dioxide to make it more readily available for photosynthetic enzymes (purple). The yellow tubules inside the green tubes are thought to bring carbon and other materials into the pyrenoid. Credit: Benjamin Engel, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry Two new studies of green algaethe scourge of swimming pool owners and freshwater pondshave revealed new insights into how these organisms siphon carbon dioxide from the air for use in photosynthesis, a key factor in their ability to grow so quickly. Understanding this process may someday help researchers improve the growth rate of crops such as wheat and rice. In the studies published this week in the journal Cell, the Princeton-led team reported the first detailed inventory of the cellular machinerylocated in an organelle known as the pyrenoidthat algae use to collect and concentrate carbon dioxide. The researchers also found that the pyrenoid, long thought to be a solid structure, actually behaves like a liquid droplet that can dissolve into the surrounding cellular medium when the algal cells divide. "Understanding how algae can concentrate carbon dioxide is a key step toward the goal of improving photosynthesis in other plants," said Martin Jonikas, an assistant professor of molecular biology at Princeton and leader of the studies, which included collaborators at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry in Germany and the Carnegie Institution for Science on the Stanford University campus. "If we could engineer other crops to concentrate carbon, we could address the growing world demand for food," Jonikas said. Aquatic algae and a handful of other plants have developed carbon-concentrating mechanisms that boost the rate of photosynthesis, the process by which plants turn carbon dioxide and sunlight into sugars for growth. All plants use an enzyme called Rubisco to "fix" carbon dioxide into sugar that can be used or stored by the plant. Algae have an advantage over many land plants because they cluster the Rubisco enzymes inside the pyrenoid, where the enzymes encounter high concentrations of carbon dioxide pumped in from the air. Having more carbon dioxide around allows the Rubisco enzymes to work faster. In the first of the two studies reported this week, the researchers conducted a sweeping search for proteins involved in the carbon-concentrating mechanism of an algae species known as Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Using techniques the researchers developed for rapidly labeling and evaluating algal proteins, the researchers identified the locations and functions of each protein, detailing the physical interactions between the proteins to create a pyrenoid "interactome." The search revealed 89 new pyrenoid proteins, including ones that the researchers think usher carbon into the pyrenoid and others that are required for formation of the pyrenoid. They also identified three previously unknown layers of the pyrenoid that surround the organelle like the layers of an onion. "The information represents the best assessment yet of how this essential carbon-concentrating machinery is organized and suggests new avenues for exploring how it works," said Luke Mackinder, the study's first author and a former postdoctoral researcher at the Carnegie Institution who now leads a team of researchers at the University of York, U.K. This movie demonstrates how cryo-electron tomography can be used to map the three-dimensional architecture of the pyrenoid, imaging its Rubisco enzymes (positions marked by purple spheres) and tubules that deliver materials to the pyrenoid. Credit: Benjamin Engel, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry. The movie appears in the paper by Elizabeth Freeman Rosenzweig, et al. Cell 2017. In the second study, the researchers report that the pyrenoid, long thought to be a solid structure, is actually liquid-like. Techniques used in previous studies required the researchers to kill and chemically preserve the algae before imaging them. In this new study, the researchers imaged the algae while the organisms were living by using a yellow fluorescent protein to label Rubisco. While observing the algae, Elizabeth Freeman Rosenzweig, then a Carnegie Institution graduate student, and Mackinder used a high-powered laser to destroy the fluorescent label on Rubisco in half of the pyrenoid, while leaving the label in the other half of the pyrenoid intact. Within minutes, the fluorescence redistributed to the entire pyrenoid, showing that the enzymes easily moved around as they would in a liquid. Benjamin Engel, a postdoctoral researcher and project leader at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, further explored this finding using another imaging technique called cryo-electron tomography. He froze and prepared whole algae cells and then imaged them with an electron microscope, which is so sensitive that it can resolve the structures of individual molecules. The technique enabled Engel to visualize the pyrenoid in three-dimensions and at nanometer-resolution. By comparing these images with those of liquid systems, the researchers confirmed that the pyrenoid was organized like a liquid. "This is one of the rare examples where classical genetics, cell biology and high-resolution imaging approaches were all brought together in one investigation," Engel said. The study enabled the team to ask how a pyrenoid is passed down to the next generation when the single-celled algae divide into two daughter cells. Freeman Rosenzweig noted that the pyrenoid sometimes fails to divide, leaving one of the daughter cells with no pyrenoid. Using the fluorescent proteins, the team observed that the cell that failed to receive half the pyrenoid in fact could still form one spontaneously. They found that each daughter cell receives some amount of the pyrenoid in its dissolved form and that these nearly undetectable components can condense into a full-fledged pyrenoid. "We think the pyrenoid dissolution before cell division and condensation after division may be a redundant mechanism to ensure that both daughter cells get pyrenoids," Jonikas said. "That way, both daughter cells will have this key organelle that's critical for assimilating carbon." By fluorescently labeling the proteins in the pyrenoid (green in the left panel of this video), the researchers were able to track the pyrenoid during cell division. On the left, the green pyrenoid proteins are shown in the context of the surrounding chloroplast, in magenta. On the right, a heat-map version of the fluorescence from the pyrenoid proteins highlights changes in their distribution throughout the cell cycle. Credit: Elizabeth Freeman Rosenzweig, et al. Cell 2017. To further explore how this might happen, Jonikas collaborated with Ned Wingreen, Princeton's Howard A. Prior Professor in the Life Sciences and of Molecular Biology. Wingreen and his team created a computer simulation of the interactions between Rubisco and another protein called EPYC1discovered to be crucial to the pyrenoid by Mackinder and others on Jonikas' teamwhich acts like glue to stick together multiple Rubiscos. The computer simulation suggested that the state of the pyrenoidwhether a condensed liquid droplet or dissolved into the surrounding compartmentdepended on the number of binding sites on EPYC1. In the simulation, Rubisco has eight binding sites, or eight places where EPYC1 can dock to a Rubisco. If EPYC1 has four binding sites, then two EPYC1s exactly fill all of the docking sites on one Rubisco, and vice versa. Because these fully bonded Rubisco-EPYC1 complexes are small, they form a dissolved state. But if EPYC1 has three or five binding sites, it cannot fill all of the Rubisco sites, and there are open sites on the Rubiscos for binding by additional EPYC1s, which also have free sites that can attract other Rubiscos. The result is a clump of Rubiscos and EPYC1s that form a liquid-like droplet. The change in the system's phase depending on the ratio of EPYC1 to Rubisco binding sites can be considered a "magic number" effect, a term typically used in physics to describe conditions where a specific number of particles form an unusually stable state. "These magic numbers, besides being relevant for pyrenoid systems, may have some currency in the field of polymer physics and potentially in synthetic biology," Wingreen said. Wingreen and Jonikas are continuing their collaboration and hope to develop the project both theoreticallyby exploring different flexibilities and configurations of Rubisco and EPYC1and experimentally, by combining the two proteins in a test tube and manipulating the number of binding sites. "The previous thinking was that the more binding sites they have, the more the proteins tend to cluster," Jonikas said. "The discovery that there is a magic number effect is important not only for pyrenoids, but perhaps for many other liquid-like organelles found throughout nature." With additional studies, these findings may yield important insights into ensuring the availability of fast-growing crops for an expanding world population. More information: "A spatial interactome reveals the protein organization of the algal CO2-concentrating mechanism," by Luke C.M. Mackinder, Chris Chen, Ryan D. Leib, Weronika Patena, Sean R. Blum, Matthew Rodman, Silvia Ramundo, Christopher M. Adams and Martin C. Jonikas, Cell. DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2017.08.044 "The eukaryotic CO2-concentrating organelle is liquid-like and exhibits dynamic reorganization," by Elizabeth S. Freeman Rosenzweig, Bin Xu, Luis Kuhn Cuellar, Antonio Martinez-Sanchez, Miroslava Schaffer, Mike Strauss, Heather N. Cartwright, Pierre Ronceray, Jurgen M. Plitzko, Friedrich Forster, Ned S. Wingreen, Benjamin D. Engel, Luke C. M. Mackinder and Martin C. Jonikas, Cell. DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2017.08.008 Journal information: Cell Alexa, forget my grocery list and morning traffic reports. Tell me about CPR. Alexa, Amazon's voice-activated digital assistant for the home, has learned a new skill - dispensing medical information about first aid from one of the best-known names in medicine, Minnesota's Mayo Clinic. The information is accessible by speaking to the Amazon device, which users might appreciate if they're busy doing something with their hands, like putting aloe on a burn or examining someone who has stopped breathing. Users who enable the free Mayo Clinic First Aid program and then ask Alexa for information about CPR are told, multiple times, to call 911. The device also advises in its robotic-female voice to begin cardiopulmonary resuscitation for one minute and then call 911 if the person is unresponsive from suffocation. If the user asks for it, the device will go on to discuss specific techniques for doing CPR on an adult, child or baby. "We provide health information in a print newsletter, digital newsletter, desktop web, mobile web, Mayo Clinic app. We view this voice interface, specifically the Amazon Alexa application, as basically a new channel to provide that information," said Jay Maxwell, a senior director in health information with the Mayo Clinic Global Business Solutions, which developed Mayo Clinic First Aid. Although the program includes a disclaimer that Mayo Clinic First Aid should not be used in a life-threatening medical emergency, "instructions for CPR" is one of the suggested topics in the program's description, along with "tell me about spider bites" and "how to treat a cut." Online mega-retailer Amazon sells a variety of hands-free home assistant devices like the Echo and the Echo Dot that can listen to human voices and respond to commands like add eggs to the grocery list, check traffic or play streaming music. Alexa is a cloud-based system that responds directly to the user, similar to Apple's Siri program. And just as apps can be downloaded at will for smartphones, Alexa-enabled devices can add new "skills" created by outside companies like the Pizza Hut program that can order a pie for delivery, or the U.S. Bank program that can securely check balances and recent credit card purchases. Amazon spokesman Daniel Gabis said Mayo developed its First Aid program using Amazon's self-service Alexa Skills Kit, as other organizations have. "We're excited that Mayo Clinic developed its health information skill for Alexa customers. Other developers such as WebMD have built skills for Alexa using our self-service Alexa Skills Kit," Gabis said via email. The WebMD Alexa program, and similar ones like DexMD, include explicit disclaimers that the programs do not provide medical advice. Mayo's First Aid program says it is for "information purposes only" and should not be used in an emergency medical situation or in place of professional medical advice. Rather, the Mayo program offers instructions for self care for "dozens of everyday mishaps and other situations." Dr. Sandhya Pruthi, associate medical director of Mayo Clinic Global Business Solutions, said the content was adapted from entries in the medical library that Mayo already offers for free online. The information is updated in real time as medical evidence evolves. One of the biggest challenges was adapting the information from a format where users can move their eyes around a web page to find what they want, to one in which Alexa reads all the information aloud and users have to wait to hear what they want and think of deeper questions to ask. "It has to be conversational. You can't just read a textbook," Pruthi said. "I think it's more understandable when it's presented this way. ... The way that I talk to my patient today is the way that I would want this to come across on Amazon Alexa." Amazon is not paying Mayo for the content, and there are no ads in the free download program. Mayo already had a relationship with Amazon, through its 60-second audio news feed for medical stories called Mayo Clinic Flash Briefing, before the launch of the First Aid program. A spokeswoman in Mayo's public relations office acknowledged that services like the First Aid program give a boost to Mayo's brand awareness with the public, but she said the primary motivation was to continue to extend the not-for-profit Mayo Clinic's health knowledge beyond its four walls. "The voice-enabled experience is a new and growing global innovation, and may be the largest shift in how people interact with devices since the development of smartphones," Mayo spokeswoman Duska Anastasijevic wrote in an email. "Mayo Clinic is among the first health care organizations in the voice space, and will take what it learns to apply it toward other projects that provide trusted information or potentially address a market or consumer need." 2017 Star Tribune (Minneapolis) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. On Sept. 20 at 10:50 a.m. EDT (14:50 UTC) NASA's Terra satellite provided this visible image as Hurricane Maria was moving over Puerto Rico. The eye had become obscured by clouds. Credit: NASA Goddard MODIS Rapid Response Team Hurricane Maria has caused catastrophic flooding in Puerto Rico and left a wake of heavy rainfall that NASA measured using a fleet of satellites in space. NASA satellite imagery also saw Maria's eye close up as it tracked across Puerto Rico and re-open after its exit. Calculating Maria's Rainfall The Global Precipitation Measurement mission or GPM core satellite, a joint mission between NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency can measure rainfall from space. That rainfall data, combined with data from other satellites provided a tally of Hurricane Maria's rainfall over the course of several days. At NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, NASA's Integrated Multi-satellitE Retrievals for GPM (IMERG) data were used to estimate the total amount of rain that Hurricane Maria dropped from Sept. 17 to early Sept. 21, 2017. During that period Maria dropped heavy rain in the Leeward Islands, Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. IMERG estimated that rainfall totals greater than 10 inches (254 mm) were common along Maria's track. IMERG rainfall estimates indicated that more than 20 inches (512 mm) of rain fell over a large part of Puerto Rico. Extreme flooding was reported in the streets of San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico. The National Weather Service issued flash flood warnings for the entire island. Hurricane Maria has now moved to the northwest of Puerto Rico but is still expected to contribute to rainfall over the island on Friday. Feeder bands of thunderstorms are transporting rain over Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic even as the hurricane moves toward the Turks and Caicos Islands. Hurricane Maria's Eye Winks Hurricane Maria made landfall near Yabucoa, Puerto Rico, around 6:15 a.m. EDT/AST on Sept. 20. Maximum sustained winds in the hurricane were reported to be 149.5 mph (130 knots) as Maria moved toward San Juan, Puerto Rico. On Sept. 20 at 10:50 a.m. EDT (14:50 UTC) NASA's Terra satellite provided a visible image as Hurricane Maria was moving over Puerto Rico. Maria's eye had become obscured by clouds. From Sept. 17 to early Sept. 21, 2017 NASA's IMERG estimated that rainfall totals greater than 10 inches (254 mm) were common along Maria's track. IMERG rainfall estimates indicated that more than 20 inches (512 mm) of rain fell over a large part of Puerto Rico. During that period Maria dropped heavy rain in the Leeward Islands, Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Credit: NASA/JAXA, Hal Pierce On Sept. 21 at 1:54 a.m. EDT (0554 UTC) the VIIRS instrument aboard NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite provided a thermal image of Hurricane Maria after it re-emerged eye moved off the coast of Puerto Rico and as just northeast of Hispaniola. The image showed that the eye had become visible again and powerful thunderstorms with very cold cloud tops surrounded it's eye. Another infrared image of Hurricane Maria was taken from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder or AIRS instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite on Sept. 21 at 2:05 a.m. EDT (0605 UTC). Maria's eye opened up, and there were clear areas where the sea surface shows through. Powerful thunderstorms circle the large eye where cloud top temperatures of strong thunderstorms in Maria's eyewall as cold as or colder than minus 63 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 53 Celsius). Warnings and Watches in Effect on Sept. 21 The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said a Hurricane Warning is in effect for the Dominican Republic from Cabo Engano to Puerto Plata, Turks and Caicos Islands and the Southeastern Bahamas. A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for the Dominican Republic west of Puerto Plata to the northern border of the Dominican Republic and Haiti, Dominican Republic west of Cabo Engano to Andres/Boca Chica. A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for the Central Bahamas. Location and Status of Maria on Sept. 21 At 11 a.m. EDT/AST (1500 UTC), the large eye of Hurricane Maria was located near 20.2 north latitude and 69.1 degrees west longitude. That's about 105 miles (175 km) east-northeast of Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic and about 155 miles (255 km) southeast of Grand Turk Island. Maria is moving toward the northwest near 9 mph (15 kph), and this general motion is expected to continue through tonight. The minimum central pressure based on aircraft data is 960 millibars. Data from an Air Force Reserve reconnaissance aircraft indicate that maximum sustained winds remain near 115 mph (185 kph) with higher gusts. Maria is a category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Some strengthening is possible during the next day or so. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 60 miles (95 km) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 150 miles (240 km). The NHC said "A turn toward the north-northwest is forecast early Friday, with that motion continuing through early Saturday. On the forecast track, Maria's eye will continue to pass offshore of the northern coast of the Dominican Republic today, and then move near or just east of the Turks and Caicos Islands and southeastern Bahamas tonight and on Friday, Sept. 22. Skeleton of the Neanderthal boy recovered from the El Sidron cave (Asturias, Spain). Credit: Paleoanthropology Group MNCN-CSIC The first analysis of a Neanderthal boy's skull uncovered in Spain suggests that he grew much like a modern boy would, in another sign that our extinct ancestors were similar to us, researchers said Thursday. The rare discovery of a child's partial skeleton was found among the remains of seven adults and five other youths at the 49,000-year-old archeological site of El Sidron. The 7.7-year-old boy, known as El Sidron J1 according to the report in the journal Science, is the first juvenile Neanderthal to be studied from the area. "What we see in this Neanderthal is that the general pattern of growth is very similar to modern humans," said co-author Luis Rios, member of the Paleoanthropology Group at Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, during a conference call with reporters. He was still growing when he died, and his brain was about 87.5 percent the size of an average adult Neanderthal brain, said the report. A modern human boy would be expected to have a brain weight about 95 percent of an adult's by that age, it added. An analysis of his vertebrae showed some had not yet fused. These same bones tend to fuse in contemporary people at a younger age, between four and six. Longer growth period Adam Van Arsdale, associate professor of anthropology at Wellesley College who was not involved in the study, described the differences between Neanderthals and humans in the paper as "subtle." The study is "an important contribution to our understanding of human evolution," and "consistent with a now vast and growing body of research that demonstrates the similarities between Neandertals and living humans," he told AFP. It also sheds new light on the history of human development. Neanderthals evolved separatelyin western Eurasiafrom humans who emerged from Africa, but they had plenty in common. Neanderthals made art, practiced rituals, buried their dead and interbred with modern humans before they went extinct some 35,000 years ago. Neanderthals are known to have had much larger skulls than people do today, and possibly larger brains, although this did necessarily make them smarter. But little is known about how Neanderthals got this way. One theory is that they grew up fasterthat Neanderthal kids reached adult size more quickly than we do. (left to right) Antonio Garcia-Tabernero, Antonio Rosas and Luis Rios beside the Neanderthal child's skeleton. Credit: Andres Diaz-CSIC Communications Department Previous studies suggesting this path have relied mainly on dental clues. The latest study is based on a more complete specimen. The Neanderthal child's skeleton included 36 percent of his left side, parts of his skull along with baby and adult teeth. After studying his remains, researchers believe that instead of simply outpacing contemporary people in brain growth, Neanderthals may have grown up over a longer period of time. "One mechanism of growing a larger brain would be expanding the period of growth," Rios told reporters. Mysterious death Just how the Neanderthal child died is a mystery. Scientists have found no evidence of disease, and described him as "sturdy," weighing 57 pounds (26 kilograms) and standing 3.6 feet tall (1.11 meters). But his bones also contained marks similar to other remains at the cave, where other studies have suggested cannibalism may have been rampant. "The bones have some marks, but we do not know the cause of death," co-author Antonio Rosas, chairman of the Paleoanthropology Group at Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, told AFP. Researchers also admitted there are limits to what can be inferred about the social aspects of Neanderthal childhood and development from the study. "We have to be very cautious because we have studied one skeleton," said Rios. Milford Wolpoff, professor of anthropology at the University of Michigan, agreed "that Neandertals may have had extended period of brain growth." But he questioned the authors attempt to age the child so precisely. "Age determination for dead people is at best an estimate, and giving an age estimate to two decimal places (they say 7.69 years of age) really overstates the accuracy that is possible," said Wolpoff, who was not involved in the study. He also questioned the comparison to modern humans, since different rates of brain growth are common across various people and time periods. Furthermore, assessments of Neanderthal brain size could be skewed high, because most of the specimens paleoanthropologists have belong to males, who were physically larger than females. This may lead us to believe Neanderthals were bigger on average than they actually were, he added. Therefore, trying to derive much meaning from small skull size differences might be a fruitless endeavor, when the bigger picture is clear. "Neanderthal brain growth may or may not be like any human population, but surely seems to fit within the normal human range," Wolpoff said. More information: A. Rosas el al., "The growth pattern of Neandertals, reconstructed from a juvenile skeleton from El Sidron (Spain)," Science (2017). science.sciencemag.org/cgi/doi 1126/science.aan6463 Journal information: Science 2017 AFP Glade grasslands are fire-adapted ecosystems that contain diverse plant communities. This glade in Missouri has been managed with prescribed fire and mechanical thinning of woody vegetation. Credit: Jesse Miller/UC Davis Woody vegetation, such as trees and shrubs, has increased dramatically in Ozark grasslands over the past 75 years, according to a study published this week in the journal Landscape Ecology. The study examines grasslands called dolomite glades in the Mark Twain National Forest near Ava, Missouri. It analyzed historical aerial photos and found that woody vegetation cover increased from 8 percent in 1939 to 59 percent in 2014. Fire was largely absent from this landscape between 1939 and 1984 and then was reintroduced within the past 30 years. The study shows that while prescribed fire has helped "hold the line" against woody encroachment, it has not been able to reverse it. It added that the chances of reversing it are unlikely once woody plants cover more than 40 percent of the landscape. Meanwhile, unburned grassland areas have largely become densely wooded. The future of grasslands The study area is characteristic of a range of grassland and savanna ecosystems, and the findings raise questions about the future of grasslands: if, despite intensive management efforts, these ecosystems continue to favor woody vegetation, will it be possible to maintain open grasslands for the foreseeable future? Grasslands represent a major component of biodiversity in the Ozarks. Most plants and animals in these habitats need open grasslands and won't tolerate dense areas of trees and shrubs. Increases in woody vegetation have been especially pronounced in glades where fire has been excluded for long periods. In this glade, which has not been burned in several decades, trees and shrubs have become abundant and few grassland wildflowers or grasses remain. Credit: Jesse Miller/UC Davis Prescribed fire 'essential' "We show that prescribed fire is essential to the continued existence of these grasslands," said lead author Jesse Miller, who completed the research as a Ph.D. student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is now a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Davis. "Fire was largely removed from the landscape for several decades. Now we better understand the ecological importance of fire for grasslands, and we're still trying to reverse changes to grasslands that occurred during the period of fire exclusion." The study said that successful restorations require vigilant monitoring and management. The authors suggest that grassland restoration should not remove all woody plants, as some species, such as oaks, have been present historically. When possible, managers should prioritize maintaining existing grassland habitat and intervening before woody vegetation becomes so dense that it requires mechanical removal. This comparison of an Ozark glade landscape in 1939 and 2014 shows that tree cover has increased substantially. Credit: Jesse Miller More information: Jesse E. D. Miller et al. Holding the line: three decades of prescribed fires halt but do not reverse woody encroachment in grasslands, Landscape Ecology (2017). DOI: 10.1007/s10980-017-0569-9 Credit: CC0 Public Domain The good news: Recognizing the incredible value of forests in providing habitat, storing carbon dioxide, purifying water and more, people around the world are working to restore forests destroyed in the past by human activities such as logging and farming. The bad news: In some places, it's practically impossible. Among the toughest forests to regenerate are tropical dry forests, species-rich ecosystems found near the equator in regions that experience alternating wet and dry seasons. Over the past century most of these forests, which help keep water clean and provide valuable habitat for wildlife, were replaced by farms and cattle pastures. Now, as conservationists work to replant deforested areas, they're finding that the already challenging, high-clay soils underlying them have been degraded to an extent that makes it hard for tree seedlings to sink their roots. A new study led by graduate student Leland Werden and associate professor Jennifer Powers of the University of Minnesota College of Biological Sciences has uncovered some valuable information on ways to maximize the success of replanting efforts, bringing new hope for restoring these threatened ecosystems. The study was reported September 22 in the Journal of Applied Ecology. To find out what works best for reestablishing tropical dry forests, the researchers planted seedlings of 32 native tree species in degraded soil or degraded soil amended with sand, rice hulls, rice hull ash or hydrogel (an artificial water-holding material). After two years, they found that tree species known for traits that make them drought tolerant, such as enhanced ability to use water and capture sunlight, survived better than other species. Some of the soil amendments helped get seedlings off to a good start, but by the end of the experiment there was no difference in survival with respect to soil condition. "This study is important for a number of reasons," Powers said. "First, it demonstrates that it is possible to grow trees on extremely degraded soils, which provides hope that we can indeed restore tropical dry forests. Second, it provides a general approach to screen native tree species for restoration trails based on their functional traits, which can be applied widely across the tropics. Third, it is a great example of CBS researchers partnering with Costa Rican foresters to achieve a shared restoration goal." In follow up, the researchers have planted additional plots using the 12 top-performing species identified in the study. They are using these additional study sites to explore the appropriate mixes of species to plant at different stages of a forest's life. "This continued work will help us to further develop best practices for the restoration of tropical dry forests," Werden said. By PTI: By Lalit K Jha United Nations, Sep 21 (PTI) Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Luis Da Costa has supported Indias bid for a permanent membership of the UN Security Council, asserting that efforts must continue to ensure greater representation in the most powerful wing of the world body. "Achieving sustainable peace will require greater synergies in the Organisations structures and missions on the ground. The ongoing efforts should also give fresh impetus to the reform of the Security Council to ensure a better representation of todays world," Da Costa said in his address to the UN General Assembly yesterday. advertisement "The African continent cannot be denied a permanent presence, and Brazil and India are also two inescapable examples," he said. The Prime Minister said the complexity of the global problems these countries face requires them to foster partnerships, involving not only States, but also civil societies, international financial institutions, public and private entities. He said reforming the architecture of peace and security was an absolute priority. Prime Minister Da Costa had expressed Portugals support for Indias permanent membership of the UN Security Council when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Lisbon in June this year. South African President Jacob Zuma urged that the Security Council be reformed as it was unable to carry out its responsibilities for the maintenance of international peace and security. The time had come to afford Africa the place it deserves on the Security Council, said Macky Sall, President of Senegal. President of Namibia Hage G Geingob said Africa should be included at "the highest decision-making level" within the UN. He pointed out that a more inclusive Security Council would restore faith in the organisation. PTI LKJ MRJ AKJ MRJ --- ENDS --- We interrupt the iPhone mania of late to remind you there are other flagship phones on the market, including the much-anticipated Samsung Galaxy Note 8. There will be plenty of time to review the iPhone when it's actually for sale. But for the past week, I've been using the Note 8, and it is a quite worthy successor to the beloved but ill-fated Galaxy Note 7. I'm sure you all remember the Note 7 with its battery fire issues. Here's hoping Samsung learned to respect the limitations of the battery in the Note 8. I remember being very sad when the Samsung PR representative called me to ask for my loaner Note 7 back. He sent a courier (in person) to physically take the phone from my hands and take it back to the company's offices. Galaxy Note users are a loyal bunch. Many who didn't experience the overheating issues with the Note 7 didn't want to give them up. Samsung had to send out an update to make the Note 7 nonfunctional to make sure all the recalled Note 7 handsets were out of service. SIMILARITIES The Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus have been very popular, and Samsung has upped the ante with the Note 8, which is mostly the same inside but with a few tricks. The S8 and the Note 8 share the same processor, the octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 835, and both offer 64 gigabytes of storage and a microSD card slot to add more storage. The Note 8 has 6 gigabytes of RAM vs. 4 gigabytes in the S8. Interestingly, the Note 8 has a 3,300 milliamp hour battery, which is smaller than the 3,500 mAh battery in the S8. I'm not surprised that Samsung went easy on the power in the Note 8 after the Note 7 overheating issues. The Note 8 is running Android 7.1.1 (Nougat). It measures 6.4-by-2.9-by-0.34 inches and weighs 6.9 ounces. The super AMOLED screen measures 6.3 inches with a resolution of 2,960 by 1,440 pixels. Its pixel density is 522 pixels-per-inch. Like the S8, the Note 8's screen curves off on the edges of each side. Samsung calls this the "infinity display," described as a near bezel-less, full-frontal glass, edge-to-edge screen. There are no buttons on the front. The Note 8 and S8 certainly beat Apple to the punch with the screen stretching to fill most of the front of the phone. DIFFERENCES The Note 8 has two main 12-megapixel cameras; both have optical image stabilization. The lenses have different focal lengths - one for wide-angle shots and one for close-ups. The lenses work together to form a 2x optical zoom. The main cameras can also shoot portraits with a blurred background, much like portrait mode on an iPhone 7 Plus. Samsung calls this Live Focus, which you can adjust on the screen before you shoot the picture. You can also adjust the background blur after you shoot the picture. It's very slick. Subjects have to be at least 4 feet away for the effect to work. The wide angle camera has an aperture of f/1.7, which makes very good photos from very little light. The front-facing camera has an 8-megapixel sensor. The Note 8 can capture 4K video. The Note 8's fingerprint sensor is directly to the right of the main cameras. I mentioned this in my S8 review, and I still can't believe Samsung thinks this configuration makes sense, given the likelihood of a user placing his finger on the camera lens by mistake. Google has the best rear fingerprint sensor location - centered and well away from the main camera. The Note 8 is IP68 dust- and water-resistant and features wireless charging. The phone is synced and charged via USB-C. The Note 8 has 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0. S PEN The heart and soul of the Note series of phones is the S Pen, a stylus that lets the user interact with the phone by drawing directly on the screen. The pen slips into a slot on the bottom of the Note 8. Press lightly on the pen, and it springs out ready for use. You can start writing on the screen, even if the screen is locked. One touch will save your note. If the phone is unlocked when you remove the S Pen, you'll be presented with a circle of round icons with shortcuts to using the pen. You can create a new note, show all notes or make a smart selection of a portion of the screen that you can save or send to someone else. You can mark up pictures or screen shots, send a live drawing and even use the pen to touch words to hear them translated into dozens of languages. When you put the S Pen back into its holder, the S Pen menu disappears. PRICING AND AVAILABILITY The Note 8 went on sale last week and is available from all the major carriers for around $950. Just for comparison, the Galaxy S8 is $750 and the S8 Plus costs $850. So should you pick the Note 8 over the S8 or S8 Plus? Well, the Note 8 has the biggest screen, a two-lens camera and the S Pen. The screen is only 1/10th of an inch longer than the S8 Plus, and while I think the Note 8's camera is great, I think the S Pen is the reason people will select the Note 8 over other phones. If you'd rather take notes with a pen than type with your thumbs, the Note 8 is for you. And for the record, Samsung beat Apple to having three models of the flagship phone. - Pros: Huge, beautiful screen, dual cameras, S Pen Cons: Expensive Bottom line: All the greatness of the S8, and it has a pen. What's not to love? 2017 The Dallas Morning News Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Associate Professor Jennifer Firn in the field. Credit: Queensland University of Technology A partnership between QUT, the NSW Government and farmers could lead to the eventual eradication of the highly invasive African lovegrass which is threatening pastures and native grasslands Australia-wide. What they discovered is that local knowledge is the key to a successful management approach. The results of a research project by Associate Professor Jennifer Firn from QUT's School of Earth, Environmental and Biological Sciences, Emma Ladouceur from Italy's University of Pavia and Dr Josh Dorrough from the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage, have been published in the esteemed international Journal of Applied Ecology. "The impact of invasive non-native plant species like African lovegrass is increasing dramatically," said Professor Firn, who has previously tested control methods for the grass in southern Queensland. "A native of southern Africa it is very hardy and considered valuable for animal production and soil conservation but in Australia, where it is believed to have first arrived in the 1800s, it is considered by many Landholders to be a pest species because it is not selectively grazed by livestock and tends to dominate native pastures reducing biodiversity and essential ecosystem functions. "Landholders are in a unique position to witness species turnover in grasslands as well as learn from their own successes and failures in trying to manage invasive grasses. "For this study, we worked closely with 15 landholders in the Bega region of NSW to examine the changing ecological characteristics of grassy woodlands and the impact on them following the arrival of the non-native African Love Grass which has become an enormous problem for them. "We then conducted a field study testing seven landholder-generated hypotheses at 57 sites on the 15 Landholders properties, which validated many of their management perceptions." Professor Firn said seeds for African lovegrass can germinate even up to 17 years of age and are dispersed by grazing animals, slashing, vehicles, water, fodder and wind. It thrives in drought conditions and paddocks with low ground cover are more susceptible to invasion. "As well as overwhelming endangered native grasses, African lovegrass tussocks can grow so large they restrict the movements of livestock and become a hazard to famers trying to navigate their properties," she said. "Our project has yielded some extremely helpful information and really highlighted the value of a team effort amongst scientists, governments, land care groups and farmers. "One theory we tested was whether mechanically slashing African lovegrass and then putting a large number of cattle into the paddock was effective as some farmers think. We found the opposite was true and it only made the lovegrass more abundant. It was also an expensive exercise for farmers. "Conversely, we discovered that an alternative control technique, "roller-wiping" or spot spraying with herbicide, was effective even with heavy infestations and cost efficient despite its poor reputation. "Overall, we found local knowledge coupled with scientific methods can act in tandem as a smart approach to developing management solutions to African lovegrass, but this approach would likely be useful for understanding and managing other invasive plants and animals." More information: Jennifer Firn et al. Integrating local knowledge and research to refine the management of an invasive non-native grass in critically endangered grassy woodlands, Journal of Applied Ecology (2017). DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.12928 Journal information: Journal of Applied Ecology Orally administered biopharmaceuticals must permeate human small intestinal epithelial cells. This may be done by identifying innovative cyclic peptides that facilitate small intestinal absorption of phage macromolecules that are larger than biopharmaceuticals.(Reprinted from the Journal of Controlled Release, 262, Shunsuke Yamaguchi, Shingo Ito, Mio Kurogi-Hirayama, Sumio Ohtsuki, Identification of cyclic peptides for facilitation of transcellular transport of phages across intestinal epithelium in vitro and in vivo, 232-238, 2017 with permission from Elsevier.) Because biopharmaceuticals are medium- and high-molecular-weight, biologically active macromolecules, they are not easily absorbed by the small intestine, resulting in a bottleneck for oral administration. Now, researchers from Kumamoto University in Japan have found a new, small-intestine-permeable peptide that can facilitate digestive tract absorption of biopharmaceutical products. The discovery is expected to contribute greatly to the development of orally administered drugs for medications that are currently only available by injection, including widely used biopharmaceuticals such as insulin. Orally administered medicines are among the most convenient and safest types of medications. Many drugs currently on the market are low molecular weight compounds that can be absorbed by the small intestine. Bio-medicines such as insulin, antibodies and nucleic acids are almost completely unabsorbed in the small intestine because they are macromolecular compounds with large constituent molecular weights. Therefore, there are currently no oral formulations for these biopharmaceuticals, so they are administered through injections, which are physically and mentally burdensome to the patient. Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) are peptides that facilitate the delivery of molecules with low cell membrane permeability, including proteins and nucleic acids, through the cell membrane. It is therefore a promising method to facilitate small intestine absorption (penetration) of polymer drugs. However, when using existing CPPs to bind to biopharmaceuticals, the effect on intestinal absorption improvement is small. Phage permeability facilitation by identified cyclic peptides across human intestinal model cells and mouse small intestine. [Top] Caco-2 cell permeability experiment, [Bottom] Mouse small intestine absorption experiment. (Reprinted from the Journal of Controlled Release, 262, Shunsuke Yamaguchi, Shingo Ito, Mio Kurogi-Hirayama, Sumio Ohtsuki, Identification of cyclic peptides for facilitation of transcellular transport of phages across intestinal epithelium in vitro and in vivo, 232-238, 2017 with permission from Elsevier.) Kumamoto University researchers thought that even though existing CPPs facilitate the transport from the gastrointestinal tract into small intestinal epithelial cells, transportation from inside the cells to the blood is not well facilitated. Therefore, they searched for "small intestinal permeable peptides" to improve biopharmaceuticals absorption in the digestive tract. Viruses called phages are widely used to search for peptides with specific functions. From a phage library presenting cyclic peptides of amino acid sequences, researchers gathered phages that permeated across the Caco-2 cell layer. They then analyzed the phage peptides that permeated the cell since Caco-2 cells are widely used as a human small intestine absorption model. Since phages are typically larger than biopharmaceuticals, around 1 micrometer in size, cyclic peptides promoting small intestinal absorption of phages should have the ability to facilitate absorption of biopharmaceuticals. Three new cyclic peptides were identified as a result of the analysis. These cyclic peptides facilitated the absorption of phages in Caco-2 cells and in mouse small intestines. An analysis of this cyclic peptide found that it is transferred into the cell through macropinocytosis, a mechanism utilized for incorporating large, extracellular substances into the cell. [Blue] Core of Caco-2 cells, [Green] Novel cyclic peptide incorporated into Caco-2 cells.(Reprinted from the Journal of Controlled Release, 262, Shunsuke Yamaguchi, Shingo Ito, Mio Kurogi-Hirayama, Sumio Ohtsuki, Identification of cyclic peptides for facilitation of transcellular transport of phages across intestinal epithelium in vitro and in vivo, 232-238, 2017 with permission from Elsevier.) "The goal of our research was to enable the oral administration of medicines with large molecular weights. These medications are not readily absorbed by the small intestine and are typically administered through injection. We have cleared this hurdle by binding new intestine-permeable cyclic peptides to biopharmaceuticals," said Professor Sumio Ohtsuki of Kumamoto University's Department of Pharmaceutical Microbiology. "We expect that our developments will lead to improved patient QOL." This finding was posted online in the Journal of Controlled Release on 27 July 2017. More information: Shunsuke Yamaguchi et al, Identification of cyclic peptides for facilitation of transcellular transport of phages across intestinal epithelium in vitro and in vivo, Journal of Controlled Release (2017). DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2017.07.037 Journal information: Journal of Controlled Release Highly educated employees provide higher quality financial data and are associated with improvements in key areas of business practice, said John Campbell, an associate professor of accounting at the University of Georgia. Credit: Dorothy Kozlowski/ UGA The key to a thriving business may be the educational level of non-executive employees, according to new University of Georgia research. Specifically, highly educated employees provide higher quality financial data and are associated with improvements in key areas of business practice, such as mandatory disclosures and management forecasts. "We find that when companies are located in a place where the workforce is highly educated, they produce better accounting information," said John Campbell, an associate professor of accounting in UGA's Terry College of Business and one of the study's authors. "The employees don't have to be experts in accounting, but if they see something that doesn't look right, they're more likely to say something about it and tell their superiors about it." Non-executive employees play a large role in generating and reviewing accounting reports, meaning that they could be best positioned to catch errors or fraud, Campbell said. "After the scandals with Enron and WorldCom, a lot of people were wondering why nobody spotted the fraud," Campbell said. "Auditors seem to catch fraud about 10 percent of the time, and regulators like the Securities and Exchange Commission catch fraud about 7 percent of time. Internal employees, however, catch fraud about 17 percent of the timeas much as the auditors and regulators combined." Superior internal accounting information improves a firm's external financial reporting in many ways, Campbell said. "First, if a manager is trying to use internal accounting systems to predict the future, they do a better job when their workforce is more highly educated. They're more accurate with their forecasts, they're less biased, and they're more precise," he said. "Secondly, there are fewer errors in their SEC filings. There's less manipulation in their accounting and fewer restatements, meaning they're less likely to have to go back and correct errors." The study, published in the Journal of Accounting and Economics, also finds some evidence that when companies move their headquarters to a better-educated area, the quality of their disclosures improves, too. "A lot of the most-educated areas we examined are college towns, which is not surprising. But they don't make up a large percentage of where companies are actually headquartered. The bigger things driving our results are the metropolitan areas that have better-educated people - Washington, D.C.; Silicon Valley; Boston; Raleigh-Durham, N.C.; Seattle; New York. Companies in these areas produce better disclosures," Campbell said. "Toward the bottom are the lesser-educated areas, like Las Vegas; El Paso, Texas; Los Angeles; Decatur, Alabama. That's not to say that there aren't highly intelligent people there. There are. But the industry in those areas may not necessitate higher education, so the population as a whole has less schooling." Campbell and his co-authors were inspired to look into the education levels of non-executive employees after reading about political corruption. "There's a study in political science showing that states that have more educated voter bases have less corruption in their political systems, and we wanted to see if that analogy held in business," he said. "One of the reasons for that might be whistleblowers. In both instances, the better-educated the population is, the more likely there will be a whistleblower if something bad is going on." Despite not reaping the benefits of a well-educated population, companies headquartered in other areas have a reason to be hopeful, Campbell said. "Over time, in the big metropolitan areas, education levels are rising," he said. "That seems to hold true no matter where they rank relative to each other." In 1961, an American astronaut reached space for the first time and soared through the heavens in a gumdrop-shaped capsule. Since then, people have flown to the moon, created space planes and designed rockets that return to Earth for precision landings. But when astronauts lift off next year from U.S. soil for the first time in six years, their vehicle of choice will be another capsule. Boeing Co. and SpaceX are relying on the tried-and-true design as the two companies each develop spacecraft under NASA contracts to ferry astronauts to the International Space Station. Despite the sleek spaceships of sci-fi imaginings or the familiar winged body of the shuttle, engineers have returned to the seemingly clunky capsule again and again for a simple reason - it works. "The capsule is a very durable technology," said Matthew Hersch, assistant professor of the history of science at Harvard University. "It may not be romantic to fly, but it's going to get you there and back safely." Since the end of the shuttle program, the U.S. has relied on Russia to transport its astronauts to and from the space station in the Soyuz spacecraft, another capsule. Boeing and SpaceX said they are confident their vehicles will fly next year, despite recent reports from the U.S. Government Accountability Office noting that delays for the two companies have pushed the first test flights past the initial deadline. The new spacecraft have a number of features that weren't available on earlier capsules - touch-screen displays, large windows, more powerful electronics and lighter materials. The spacesuits that astronauts will wear also have been slimmed down. SpaceX has released several photos of its spacesuit, which Chief Executive Elon Musk said was tested to ensure astronauts would stay safe even if the pressure in the capsule dropped suddenly. Boeing's "Boeing blue" spacesuit is about 40 percent lighter than previous suits, and the gloves were specially designed to let astronauts interact with touch screens. In the early days of the U.S. space program, astronauts lamented riding in anything that allowed for such limited human control. Borrowing the name from something you swallow didn't enhance the appeal. Initially, there was great enthusiasm for making those spacecraft look like airplanes, but it was difficult to create wings that could navigate various parts of a mission and survive the heat of re-entry, Hersch said. Any spacecraft rated to carry humans has a specific set of requirements. It must be efficient in its volume with enough space for all necessary life systems, but have as low a mass as possible. It also has to withstand tremendous G-forces, pressure and heat during launch and re-entry. The heat shield on a capsule's blunt, slightly curved bottom helps protect the crew as the vehicle re-enters the atmosphere. Capsules are aerodynamically stable when traveling at supersonic speeds during re-entry and require little maneuvering to return to Earth in an emergency, giving them "inherent stability," said David Giger, senior director of Dragon development engineering at SpaceX. "What's really interesting about capsule design is it's aerodynamically efficient both on ascent and descent," said David Barnhart, director of the USC Space Engineering Research Center. "It only takes one event to take it back down, which is essentially a re-entry burn, and that's good because it minimizes moving parts and complexities." In creating spacecraft for NASA's commercial crew program, both Boeing and SpaceX have built on the example of their predecessors. Boeing constructed its design based on some of the data from the 1950s- and 60s-era Mercury and Gemini, as well as NASA's Orion, a crew spacecraft that first flew in 2014 and is slated to ride into space atop the agency's Space Launch System rocket in 2019. Rob Adkisson, Boeing's chief engineer for the commercial crew program, said the CST-100 Starliner's compact capsule design matches its mission as a "people mover," compared with the larger space shuttle that essentially functioned as a "truck back and forth." "It looks a lot like Gemini and Mercury," he said of the Starliner. "But it's quite a bit different." The Chicago aerospace giant's Starliner will blast into space on an Atlas V rocket before deploying and docking autonomously at the space station. When returning to Earth, the spacecraft will jettison its service module, deploy parachutes to slow down and drop its heat shield so the vehicle's air bags can inflate for a softer ground landing. Mannequins riding the Starliner during a recent test were "barely jostled" inside, Adkisson said. The capsule is designed to be reused 10 times. A version of the capsule is undergoing tests at a Boeing facility outside Los Angeles where space structures for the Apollo program, the original Delta and Delta II rockets and parts of the space station were also cleared before their missions. The CST-100 Starliner capsule is set to make its debut test flight in June 2018, with a crewed test flight two months later. "You design robust margins into what you do, demonstrate that everything operates as we expect it to," Adkisson said. "That gives us a lot of confidence and gives our customer a lot of confidence that we've got it nailed." One major development is the fine-tuning of the capsule's heat protection. The Starliner's base heat shield has an ablator, a proprietary material that absorbs energy on re-entry and only chars "like a marshmallow," said David Schiller, leader of Boeing's commercial crew aerostructures integrated product team. The base heat shield and its four backshells located around the crew vehicle are made of composite materials. A glass-phenolic honeycomb core is wedged between the composite layers, like an ice cream sandwich, to provide high strength while staying lightweight. The entire vehicle is covered with thermal protection, including a type of woven ceramic "blanket" similar to the ones used on the space shuttle, and ceramic tiles on the backshells to deflect heat. Like Boeing, SpaceX also looked to previous capsules when it first embarked on its Dragon spacecraft. Back then, the company, headquartered near LA, was still very young, so engineers looked at the legacies of the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs. The lessons are incorporated in its Dragon 2 crew transporter capsule, along with those learned from developing SpaceX's Dragon 1 vehicle, currently used by NASA to take supplies to the space station. The Dragon 2's abort system is a marked change from the capsule used in the Apollo program, which used a rocket on a tower located at the top of the capsule and was discarded on the way up to orbit. SpaceX's launch abort system can be used at any time during the ascent and stays on the capsule so it can be recovered on splashdown - part of the company's emphasis on reusability, said Giger of SpaceX. Dragon 2 will also utilize more advanced avionics technology than was possible during the Apollo missions - the capsule's avionics draw less than half the power of the Apollo spacecraft and lunar module combined - and the avionics are smaller and can be consolidated into fewer numbers of components. The most obvious examples are the touch-screen displays inside the capsule. The SpaceX capsule will also utilize more automation, such as its docking ability, to improve safety and allow the crew to focus on crucial tasks, Giger said. The company is also working on developing the capsule's precision landing capability in the ocean so recovery crews can arrive within minutes. "Just because it looks like a capsule does not mean the inherent technology is the same," Giger said. Dragon 2, which will ride into space on a Falcon 9 rocket, is set to make its first test flight in February 2018, and a crewed flight will come four months later. In the meantime, the capsule's hardware is going through qualification testing and software is being developed and evaluated, said Garrett Reisman, director of space operations at SpaceX and a former NASA astronaut who flew on two space shuttle missions. "We're trying to take a giant leap forward in safety," Reisman said. "We have the opportunity to do that through design, improvements in technology and also by leveraging all the history that our partner NASA brings to the table ... to make sure we don't repeat mistakes made in the past." 2017 Los Angeles Times Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Piece of driftwood on a raised beach in Billefjorden, Svalbard. In a new study, researchers used driftwood to reconstruct Arctic sea ice extent during the Holocene. Credit: Marc Macias-Fauria Wood from trees that fell into Arctic-draining rivers thousands of years ago is giving scientists a detailed look at how Arctic Ocean circulation has changed over the past 12,000 years. In a new study, researchers used nearly 1,000 pieces of driftwood collected from Arctic shorelines since the 1950s to track Arctic sea ice extent and ocean circulation since the start of the Holocene. Driftwood enters the Arctic Ocean from rivers. Some driftwood becomes frozen in sea ice, and floats on a raft of sea ice until the ice melts and the wood reaches shore. In the new study, scientists used driftwood samples to show the two main Arctic Ocean currents alternate dominance every few thousand years, with one current favoring sea ice formation and one favoring sea ice decline. Arctic Ocean currents change over time, and insight into past changes in these currents can shed light on how the current rise in temperatures could affect sea ice extent. The new study's results help put the current Arctic sea ice decline into context and help researchers better understand the drivers of Arctic Ocean circulation and climate over time, according to the study's authors. "The insights that can be gained from driftwood on Arctic shorelines give us a broader understanding into the Arctic Ocean, on a resolution in time and space that hasn't yet been possible," said Georgia Hole, a geophysicist at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom and lead author of the new study in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, a journal of the American Geophysical Union. A close up of driftwood in Martensya, Svalbard. Credit: Georgia Hole Arctic sea ice extent has declined steadily over the past three decades and reached a record minimum in 2012. Researchers want to know how Arctic sea ice grew and shrank in the past to understand what might happen in the future. Changes in sea ice are linked to changes in Arctic climate, and the Arctic is warming faster than any other region on the planet. "Now we have satellite imagery for measuring current sea ice change, but it's hard to know what rapid changes were possible in the past," Hole said. "Increasing our knowledge of the scale and pattern of sea ice loss and growth in the Holocene helps to give us a much better picture of how the Arctic's sea ice responds during fluctuating climatic conditions." Reconstructing past ocean changes Sea ice records from before the satellite era are sparse and scientists can't measure past sea ice extent directly. Scientists use proxies like ocean sediment cores to measure past sea ice extent, but ocean cores are expensive to collect and can only show changes in sea ice that happen over thousands of years. Since the 1950s, researchers have used driftwood to gather data about past sea ice and, by extension, Arctic climate. Driftwood is less expensive to collect than ocean cores and can tell scientists about climatic changes on the scale of 250-500 years, rather than thousands of years. This map shows the watersheds of eight rivers that drain into the Arctic Ocean: the Mackenzie, the Yukon, the Kolyma, the Lena, the Yenisey, and the Ob. Together they cover 70% of the pan-Arctic watershed. The red line shows the boundary of the pan-Arctic watershed. Credit: NOAA When trees growing along the banks of the rivers that drain into the Arctic Ocean die, they fall into the water, and driftwood from these trees eventually flows into the Arctic Ocean. Some of this driftwood gets locked up in sea ice that forms in winter and rafted across the sea. When the sea ice melts in the spring, the driftwood washes up on distant shores, depending on where the prevailing ocean current takes it. After collecting a piece of driftwood, researchers use radiocarbon dating to figure out how old it is and use the tree species to determine whether it came from North American or Siberian forests. Knowing the wood's age, place of origin, and where it was collected, researchers can then figure out how ocean waters were circulating during the time the wood was traveling and estimate how much sea ice was present. Tracking ocean currents In the new study, researchers collected all the driftwood data from previous studies that they could find even those going back to the 1950s. They mapped the distribution of 913 driftwood samples and compared it to known records of past climate conditions to reconstruct a history of sea ice extent and ocean circulation over the entire Arctic Ocean during the Holocene. The researchers found that sea ice extent went through several big changes over the past 12,000 years as the two main Arctic Ocean currents alternated in intensity. The Transpolar Drift and the Beaufort Gyre are major ocean currents within the Arctic Ocean. Credit: Brn-Bld They found evidence of more sea ice in the early Holocene, between 12,000 and 8,000 years ago, as the Beaufort Gyre dominated Arctic Ocean circulation. The Beaufort Gyre is a clockwise current that recirculates sea ice in the Arctic Ocean and enables ice to last for several years. In the mid-Holocene, between 8,000 and 4,000 years ago, temperatures rose and the Transpolar Drift dominated. The Transpolar Drift moves water and ice in a nearly straight direction from Siberia westward toward Greenland and Svalbard. It tends to destroy sea ice and make it melt sooner. Finally, in the late Holocene, 4,000 years ago to the present, temperatures cooled again, the Beaufort Gyre strengthened, and more sea ice was able to circulate in the Arctic Ocean. "Overall, the new study is giving us much more of an insight into these changes in Arctic sea ice, and the importance of these two circulation patterns in driving sea ice fluctuations over the past 12,000 years," Hole said. "With the state of the Arctic clearly being such an influential factor in the wider climatic system, increasing our knowledge of past sea ice dynamics is needed for revealing the Holocene Arctic climatic state and to investigate the Arctic system's climatic and biotic responses and feedbacks to increasing global average temperatures." More information: Georgia M. Hole et al. Out of the woods: Driftwood insights into Holocene pan-Arctic sea ice dynamics, Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans (2017). DOI: 10.1002/2017JC013126 This story is republished courtesy of AGU Blogs (http://blogs.agu.org), a community of Earth and space science blogs, hosted by the American Geophysical Union. Read the original story here. Credit: public domain We must move faster towards a low-carbon world if we are to limit global warming to 2oC this century, experts have warned. Changes in electricity, heat, buildings, industry and transport are needed rapidly and must happen all together, according to researchers at the universities of Sussex, Manchester and Oxford in a new study published in the journal Science. To provide a reasonable (66%) chance of limiting global temperature increases to below 2oC, the International Energy Agency and International Renewable Energy Agency suggest that global energy-related carbon emissions must peak by 2020 and fall by more than 70% in the next 35 years. This implies a tripling of the annual rate of energy efficiency improvement, retrofitting the entire building stock, generating 95% of electricity from low-carbon sources by 2050 and shifting almost entirely towards electric cars. This elemental challenge necessitates "deep decarbonisation" of electricity, transport, heat, industrial, forestry and agricultural systems across the world. But despite the recent rapid growth in renewable electricity generation, the rate of progress towards this wider goal remains slow. Moreover, many energy and climate researchers remain wedded to disciplinary approaches that focus on a single piece of the low-carbon transition puzzle. A case in point is a recent Science Policy Forum proposing a 'carbon law' that will guarantee that zero-emissions are reached. This model-based prescription emphasizes a single policy instrument, but neglects the wider political, cultural, business, and social drivers of low carbon transitions. A new, interdisciplinary study published in Science presents a 'sociotechnical' framework that explains how these different drivers can interlink and mutually reinforce one another and how the pace of the low carbon transition can be accelerated. Professor Frank Geels from the University of Manchester, lead author of the study, explains: "Our 'big picture' socio-technical framework shows how interactions between various social groups can increase the momentum of low-carbon transitions." Professor Nick Eyre from the University of Oxford, End Use Energy Demand Champion for the UK Research Councils' Energy Programme, adds: "Accelerating transitions is critical if we are to achieve the goals of decarbonizing and saving energy faster, further, and more flexibly. This international quality study shows the importance of whole systems thinking in energy demand research." Professor Benjamin K. Sovacool from the University of Sussex, a co-author on the study, says: "Current rates of change are simply not enough. We need to accelerate transitions, deepen their speed and broaden their reach. Otherwise there can be no hope of reaching a 2 degree target, let alone 1.5 degrees. This piece reveals that the acceleration of transitions across the sociotechnical systems of electricity, heat, buildings, manufacturing, and transport requires new conceptual approaches, analytical foci, and research methods." The Policy Forum provides four key lessons for how to accelerate sustainability transitions. Lesson 1: Focus on socio-technical systems rather than individual elements Rapid and deep decarbonization requires a transformation of 'sociotechnical systems' - the interlinked mix of technologies, infrastructures, organizations, markets, regulations and user practices that together deliver societal functions such as personal mobility. Previous systems have developed over many decades, and the alignment and co-evolution of their elements makes them resistant to change. Accelerated low-carbon transitions therefore depend on both techno-economic improvements, and social, political and cultural processes, including the development of positive or negative discourses. Professor Steve Sorrell from the University of Sussex, a coauthor of the study, states: "In this policy forum we describe how transformational changes in energy and transport systems occur, and how they may be accelerated. Traditional policy approaches emphasizing a single technology will not be enough." Lesson 2: Align multiple innovations and systems Socio-technical transitions gain momentum when multiple innovations are linked together, improving the functionality of each and acting in combination to reconfigure systems. The shale gas revolution, for instance, accelerated when seismic imaging, horizontal drilling, and hydraulic fracturing were combined. Likewise, accelerated low-carbon transitions in electricity depend not only on the momentum of renewable energy innovations like wind, solar-PV and bio-energy, but also on complementary innovations including energy storage and demand response. These need aligned and then linked so that innovations are harmonized. Prof. Paul Ekins, Director of the UCL Institute for Sustainable Resources, University College London, and project leader to the EU INNOPATHS consortium researching low-carbon transitions for Europe, comments: "One of the great strengths of this study is the equal emphasis it accords to technological, social, business and policy innovation, in all of which governments as well as the private sector have a key role to play. "European countries will become low-carbon societies not only when the required low-carbon technologies have been developed but when new business models and more sustainable consumer aspirations are driving their deployment at scale. Public policy has an enormous role to play at every step in the creation of these changed conditions." Lesson 3: Offer societal and business support Public support is crucial for effective transition policies. Low-carbon transitions in mobility, agro-food, heat and buildings will also involve millions of citizens who need to modify their purchase decisions, user practices, beliefs, cultural conventions and skills. To motivate citizens, financial incentives and information about climate change threats need to be complemented by positive discourses about the economic, social and cultural benefits of low-carbon innovations. Furthermore, business support is essential because the development and deployment of low-carbon innovations depends upon the technical skills, organizational capabilities and financial resources of the private sector. Green industries and supply chains can solidify political coalitions supporting ambitious climate policies and provide a counterweight to incumbents. Technological progress can drive climate policy by providing solutions or altering economic interests. Shale gas and solar-PV developments, for instance, altered the US and Chinese positions in the international climate negotiations. Lesson 4: Phase out existing systems Socio-technical transitions can be accelerated by actively phasing out existing technologies, supply chains, and systems that lock-in emissions for decades. Professor Sovacool comments that: "All too often, analysists and even policymakers focus on new incentives, on the phasing in of low-carbon technologies. This study reminds us that phasing out existing systems can be just as important as stimulating novel innovations." For instance, the UK transition to smokeless solid fuels and gas was accelerated by the 1956 Clean Air Act, which allowed cities to create smokeless zones where coal use was banned. Another example is the 2009 European Commission decision to phase-out incandescent light bulbs, which accelerated the shift to compact fluorescents and LEDs. French and UK governments have announced plans to phase-out petrol and diesel cars by 2040. Moreover, the UK intends to phase out unabated coal-fired power generation by 2025 (if feasible alternatives are available). Phasing out existing systems accelerates transitions by creating space for niche-innovations and removing barriers to their diffusion. The phase-out of carbon-intensive systems is also essential to prevent the bulk of fossil fuel reserves from being burned, which would obliterate the 2oC target. This phase-out will be challenging since it threatens the largest and most powerful global industries (e.g. oil, automobiles, electric utilities, agro-food, steel), which will fight to protect their vested economic and political interests. Conclusion Deep decarbonization requires complementing model-based analysis with socio-technical research. While the former analyzes technically feasible least-cost pathways, the latter addresses innovation processes, business strategies, social acceptance, cultural discourses and political struggles, which are difficult to model but crucial in real-world transitions. As Professor Geels notes, an enduring lesson is that "to accelerate low-carbon transitions, policymakers should not only stimulate techno-economic developments, but also build political coalitions, enhance business involvement, and engage civil society." Additionally, the research underscores the non-technical, or social, elements of transitions. Dr. Tim Schwanen from the University of Oxford, a coauthor, states that "the approach described in this Policy Forum demonstrates the importance of heeding insights from across the social sciences in thinking about low-carbon transitions." While full integration of both approaches is not possible, productive bridging strategies may enable policy strategies that are both cost-effective and socio-politically feasible. More information: F.W. Geels at University of Manchester in Manchester, UK el al., "Sociotechnical transitions for deep decarbonization," Science (2017). science.sciencemag.org/cgi/doi 1126/science.aao3760 Journal information: Science Dive tourists taking a lunchtime break in Palau. Image by Colette Wabnitz. Credit: University of British Columbia Reducing tourist consumption of reef fish is critical for Palau's ocean sustainability, finds a new UBC study that suggests other small island nations might also consider adopting this strategy. Climate change is expected to lead to sharp declines in Palau's reefs, and this new research suggests that the best tourism management strategy includes a more than 70 per cent reduction in the amount of reef fish eaten by visitors. These findings are relevant for sustainable development for other small island developing states that are likely to feel a significant impact from changes to the ocean. "Palau's reefs and the fish communities they host are incredibly beautiful and recognized worldwide as a top diving destination," says lead author Colette Wabnitz, research associate with the Nippon Foundation-UBC Nereus Program at UBC's Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries. "Tourist numbers can reach nine times the local population and most come to enjoy the ocean. This puts enormous pressure on local marine resources that are central to local communities' culture, food security and livelihoods." Palau, an archipelago of 700 islands in the South Pacific, is heavily dependent on tourism. Many studies have focused on damage that tourists cause reefs physicallyfrom stepping on coral to interacting with wildlifebut this is the first to look at the effects of consuming the same fish that tourists are looking at through their dive masks. Giant clam farm in seagrass bed. Koror. Credit: Colette Wabnitz The authors developed a social-ecological computer model to explore policy scenarios involving tourism, climate change, marine conservation, and local food security. Fish consumption emerged as playing an important role in future ecosystem declines. The authors found that the health of reefs can be better maintained by shifting seafood consumption to open water fish, such as sustainably-harvested tuna, instead of reef fishes such as grouper, snapper, and parrotfish. "Dining habits are removing important fish species from local reefs, and it's ironic that viewing these fish is the reason people come in the first place. This is an important step that can be taken now, rather than a future adaptation to climate change," says co-author Andres Cisneros-Montemayor, Nippon Foundation-UBC Nereus Program manager. "Sustainable tourism, especially ecotourism, shouldn't threaten the food security of local people or their environment." The study's recommendations, which align with the government's current proposal of developing an offshore national fishery as part of the recently designated National Marine Sanctuary, may allow Palau to protect reef systems and the industries that rely on them, as well as traditional local lifestyles intimately linked to catching and eating seafood. "The ocean is central to Palau's life and customs; their seafood consumption must be maintained sustainably," says co-author Yoshitaka Ota, Nippon Foundation-UBC Nereus Program director of policy at the University of Washington. "The most important thing is for the people of Palau to keep engaging with the ocean, eating good fish, catching fish sustainably and protecting their way of life, tekoi ra belauas they say in Palau. We are hoping that this study will be used for current Pacific Island Nation policy to address what they can do right now and for the future." The study was published this week in Marine Policy. More information: Colette C.C. Wabnitz et al. Ecotourism, climate change and reef fish consumption in Palau: Benefits, trade-offs and adaptation strategies, Marine Policy (2017). DOI: 10.1016/j.marpol.2017.07.022 Journal information: Marine Policy Yvette Richardson, professor of meteorology and associate dean for undergraduate education, Penn State College of Earth and Mineral Sciences launches meteorology probe into storm. The probe is supported by two helium filled balloons that lift it into the air until one balloon is separated from the package so the probe can drift in the storm sending back temperature and humidity data. Credit: Penn State Some great ideas are born out of years of painstaking research. Others are gleaned from the plotline of the movie "Twister." The latter is how Paul Markowski, professor of meteorology, and Yvette Richardson, professor of meteorology and associate dean for undergraduate education, Penn State College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, set a course to create and launch probes into storms to, as they put it, "revolutionize our understanding of how tornadoes form." In "Twister," probes are launched into a storm by using cruise control to drive a truck filled with sensors into a tornado. Penn State researchers, seeking to fill a void in thermodynamic data captured in and around storms, began seeking ways to devise something similar. Using a pair of helium balloons, Scott Richardson, senior research associate in meteorology and atmospheric science, devised a low-cost delivery system for commercially available probes. The 13-gram probe uses two balloons to achieve altitude before one balloon is remotely jettisoned, allowing the probe, carried by the remaining balloon, to drift with the winds. Each device is capable of measuring temperature, humidity, pressure and GPS location in real time. Researchers are able to track as many as 34 probes, although that number increases to hundreds in the newest probe prototype. "In 'Twister,' probes were levitated by a tornado," Markowski said. "We just float the probes above the ground and the storm's internal wind field draws them in. If you have the right kind of storm and launch from a sensible area, it's hard to miss." In May, Markowski and Yvette Richardson, armed with dozens of probes and three 175-pound tanks of helium strapped to the floor of a passenger van, spent a week traveling 2,200 miles, chasing storms in the Great Plains to test the devices. There, they had several successful launches into supercell stormsthe most likely precursor to a tornadoincluding launches near Mannsville, Oklahoma, and Gove City, Kansas,, where more than 20 probes drifted through each of the storms for about 90 minutes, collecting data that had previously only been estimated using computer modeling. "We would have loved to have flown more but that's how many we could inflate in that time period," Markowski said. "We were lucky that the storm was moving slowly." As Markowski and Yvette Richardson hurriedly filled and tied balloons to probes at about three minutes a clip, amid rain and strong winds in a field, they had one recurring thought as the devices lifted skyward: Will this even work? "Although we'd planned ahead as much as possible, there was a risk that it wouldn't work," said Yvette Richardson. But it did work. Calculations to determine the best launch points, done at Penn State by Shawn Murdzek, an undergraduate researcher, proved effective and the probes efficiently and evenly dispersed. Balloon probes investigate tornado storm formation. Credit: Penn State With radar, meteorologists have a broad view of the windfield of a storm but know little about how forces associated with temperature and pressure can change that wind. This research aims to explain why the winds evolve and what causes tornadoes to form. "The radars are giving us what the winds are doing and these probes tell us what the ttemperature pattern looks like in relation to the wind," Yvette Richardson said. The next step will be to link the newfound temperature data with the radar wind data to begin searching for patterns. Knowing this relationship could help forecasters better predict if a supercell storm will turn into a tornado. "Knowing the thermodynamics within a storm helps us evaluate our theories for how tornadoes form," Yvette Richardson said. "Right now, they're all based on our assumptions of what those look like from either numerical models or from observations we have from cars that drive around underneath a storm. We know how temperature varies along the ground but not above that. This research adds that missing link." Now that they know it works, the next step is to up the ante. The researchers are working with a company that is developing a prototype that is much lighter, which will cut down on the size of the balloons, reducing filling times and increasing the likelihood they'll be sucked in by a storm. Other options, such as balloons that can be inflated in advance, are also being pursued. Soon Markowski and Yvette Richardson will return to the Great Plains with more hands and the updated probes. "We really want to get our students out there. It would be great for them and also give us more sets of hands," Markowski said. "I think you're going to be hearing a lot about this in the next five years. We like the trends. Lighter, smaller, more probes being able to be tracked. Really all the stars are aligning to make gains in our understanding of storms and tornadoes." Early on, Markowski and Yvette Richardson dreamed of efforts to deliver probes to storms. In the early stages of the endeavor, they teamed up with Jack Langelaan, associate professor of aerospace engineering, and aerospace engineering doctoral student John Bird, to use rockets to release parachuted probes that could be drawn into storms. The team also included Mike Hickner, who was tasked with improving the biodegradability of the probes, lessening the environmental impact. In their quest for this high-tech delivery system, Markowski and Yvette Richardson began looking for options that might get their research off the ground. After years of brainstorming, the two-balloon approach emerged as the most field-ready solution. However, many of the goals of the original collaboration, such as creating biodegradable devices at low cost, remain. "Ultimately, understanding is needed to make warnings to the public better," said Markowski. "To improve warnings, you need either an improvement in technology, an improvement in basic understanding, or both. Scientists are usually in the business of improving understanding rather than improving technology, but this project involving both scientists and engineers gave us a chance to do both." 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. By PTI: jailbreak accused Lucknow, Sep 20 (PTI) A high-level inquiry has been ordered by the Uttar Pradesh government on the alleged role of a senior police officer in the arrest and subsequent release of an accused in Nabha prison break case. According to reports in a section of media, Gurpreet Singh alias Gopi Ghyanshyampura was detained and subsequently released at the behest of an IPS officer in the state. advertisement "The government has taken note of the media reports and a high-level inquiry headed by an Additional Director General of Police has been ordered," Principal Secretary (Home) Arvind Kumar told reporters here today. In a sensational jailbreak, a group of armed men stormed Nabha jail in Punjabs Patiala district in police uniforms and managed to free six prisoners - Harminder Singh Mintoo and Kashmir Singh, both terrorists, and gangsters Dhothian, Vicky Gounder, Gurpreet Sekhon and Neeta Deol - on November 27 last year. Gurpreet Singh was reportedly hiding at different places in Uttar Pradesh, including at Lucknow and Shahjahanpur. The Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) had arrested three persons, Sandeep Tiwari alias Pintu, Amandeep Singh and Harjinder Singh, on September 15 from the state capital here. The trio had reportedly struck a deal with the IPS officer in question for Rs 45 lakh to free Gurpreet, official sources said. As the controversy erupted, the Special Task Force (STF) issued a clarification stating that the said media reports were "misleading". PTI ABN SMI SRY --- ENDS --- Retailers Say U.S. Must Compete on Corporate Tax Rate WASHINGTON, September 19, 2017 The National Retail Federation today told Congress that lawmakers need to lower the nations corporate tax rate in order to remain competitive in the global economy and to keep high taxes from hampering job creation. The U.S. economy cannot thrive when we have the highest corporate tax rate in the industrialized world, NRF Senior Vice President for Government Relations David French said. Americans cannot sit by any longer and watch other nations continue to reduce corporate tax rates and attract our businesses and jobs. We must compete for this investment in our country and our workers. French called tax reform vitally important to the U.S. economy, saying it would have an immediate positive impact on economic growth, real wages and consumer spending. Frenchs comments came in a letter to the Senate Finance Committee, which is scheduled to hold a hearing today on tax reform for businesses. The hearing is the second in a series, following one held last week on tax reform for individuals and another scheduled next week on international tax issues. French noted that the U.S. corporate tax rate of 35 percent is the highest in the industrialized world, and that U.S. companies pay almost 39 percent when state corporate taxes are included. By contrast, the average rate for Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development nations is 24.7 percent, and several countries have already passed laws that will lower their rates over the next few years. Retailers benefit from few of the deductions and tax credits that lower tax bills for other industries, and pay at or close to the full 35 percent. French cited a recent NRF analysis that shows that the average employee of a U.S. C corporation is paid $4,690 less per year because of high corporate taxes. The analysis shows that reducing the corporate tax rate to 20 percent could result in higher wages or the creation of between 500,000 and 1.5 million new jobs. French called for tax reform that would eliminate most tax breaks in favor of substantially lower rates for all businesses. He said reform should be neutral among types of business so that companies are not favored on their form of legal entity (such as C corporations vs. small pass through businesses that pay taxes as part of the owners personal income tax), how they own their property (leased stores vs. owned) or distribution channel (online vs. bricks and mortar). Tax reform should also provide an adequate transition period after passage. And reform should not shift the burden to consumers, as would have occurred under the border adjustment tax proposal defeated earlier this year. NRF is the worlds largest retail trade association, representing discount and department stores, home goods and specialty stores, Main Street merchants, grocers, wholesalers, chain restaurants and internet retailers from the United States and more than 45 countries. Retail is the nations largest private sector employer, supporting one in four U.S. jobs 42 million working Americans. Contributing $2.6 trillion to annual GDP, retail is a daily barometer for the nations economy. Some info about Pointofsale.com readership and publication: * Now in our 8th year * Over 100,000 visitors a month to our websites, served over 5 million pages to viewers last year. * 65% SMB (small to medium businesses) * 90% looking for a POS solution or POS information of some kind * Average visitor reads 5 pages per visit * 20,000+ Twitter followers https://twitter.com/thePOSnews * 100,000+ Facebook followers https://www.facebook.com/thePOSnews Other POS News: Inventory needs to be managed and managed well, or you are going to get in recurring trouble, and lose your credibility and hard-earned conversions, whether Read more Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi addressed a gathering of NRIs in the US where he said that peace and harmony are being challenged in India and that the country's reputation in the world is getting ruined. Rahul Gandhi at one of his previous engagements in the US (Photo: Twitter/OfficeofRG) By India Today Web Desk: India's reputation in the world is being ruined thanks to the presence of forces that are dividing the country, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi said today. "Peace and harmony in India are being challenged, and there are force that are dividing the country," Gandhi said while addressing a small group of NRIs in New York, United States. "India's reputation in the world is being ruined," the Congress vice-president claimed. advertisement The Congress vice-president, who during his earlier US events targeted the Narendra Modi government, did not explicitly name any person, group or party during his New York speech. Rahul Gandhi's address to the Indian diaspora mainly focused on two issues - "peace and harmony" in India and the need to create jobs, both topics that the Congress vice-president has extensively covered on his US tour. For 1000s of years, India has had a reputation of peace & harmony. There are forces dividing India & ruining our reputation abroad #RGinUS- Congress (@INCIndia) September 21, 2017 On jobs, Gandhi once again spoke about how India was lagging behind in creating enough employment opportunities for its youth. "Every day, around 30,000 youngsters enter the job market in India. Of these, only 450 get a job," Gandhi said. Job creation is the biggest challenge facing in India, Gandhi said, adding, "India cannot give its youngsters a vision if it cannot give them a job." The Congress vice-president went on to say that his party has a vision to address the concern. "Currently the entire focus is on 50-60 large companies [who will create jobs]. If you want [to generate] millions of job, it has to be done by empowering small and medium industries, and entrepreneurs," Gandhi said. Empowering India's farmers, building India into the world's healthcare centre and connecting the Indian Institutes of Technology to industry are among the other things that can be done to create jobs, Gandhi said. Rahul Gandhi to NRIs: From SF, LA, Washington to NY. I addressed Berkeley, Princeton; wherever I went, you made me feel proud to be Indian pic.twitter.com/yQmDgSx5gw- Supriya Bhardwaj (@Supriya23bh) September 21, 2017 Notably, Gandhi's latest comments on jobs came just a day after he admitted that previous Congress governments had failed to address the employment crisis. However, Gandhi had added yesterday, the current Narendra Modi government too was failing on that front. PEACE AND HARMONY Gandhi began and ended his address on the issues of tolerance and peace and harmony in India. The Congress vice-president claimed that during his US tour, several people asked him about tolerance in India. advertisement "'What is going on in your country?' politicians from the Democratic and Republican parties asked me," Gandhi said. "[There are] forces in the country dividing it (India). India's reputation is [getting] ruined." Biggest questions raised outside India: What happened to tolerance that used to prevail in India? What happened to the harmony? #RGinUS- Congress (@INCIndia) September 21, 2017 India's reputation in the world is very important, Gandhi went on to say, adding, "Countries in a violent world are looking to us saying maybe India has the answer for [a] peaceful coexistence in the 21st century." "We cannot afford to lose our most powerful asset - that is the 1.3 billion people [who have] lived happily, non-violently and peacefully... the world respected us for that," Gandhi continued, adding that the Congress party has to defend that asset. This was Rahul Gandhi's final event in the US. Once back in the country, the Gandhi scion will kick off his party's Gujarat election campaign on September 25. DO WATCH | Sam Pitroda to India Today: Rahul's US tour not an image-making competition with Modi --- ENDS --- advertisement Following the seven large-cap stocks that CIMB Research recommends, we highlight eight more small/mid-cap Malaysian stocks that CIMB Research is optimistic about. 1. Bonia Bonia-min Bonia was recently upgraded by CIMB Research following the closure of its non-profitable licensed brands boutiques. According to CIMB Research, better cost controls and shaving off loss-making boutiques will help Bonia improve its margins and earnings. Moreover, the full-year profit contribution from its Braun Buffel (BB) Indonesia stores will start to be included in its earnings from FY18F. CIMB Research: Bonia Corporation Berhad (KLSE: BONIA) BUY; Target Price RM0.82 2. LBS Bina Group Having turned its focus to the mass-market residential market, LBS Bina has been growing its new property sales by at least 20% in the past two years. LBS Bina plans to boost sales by 23% this year through the launch of more affordable township projects. LBS Binas sales results will be a key catalyst for its share price in the upcoming months. CIMB Research: LBS Bina Group Berhad (KLSE: LBS) BUY; Target Price RM2.55 3. DRB-Hicom DRB-Hicom is a key beneficiary of the proposed joint venture of Proton and Geely. CIMB Research believes that Geely will drive Protons earnings recovery from its platform sharing, technology transfer amongst a slew of initiatives. Another area that DRB-Hicom is expected to benefit from is a consolidation of its logistics assets under Pos Malaysia, enabling DRB-Hicom to ride on the growing e-Commerce activities. CIMB Research: DRB-Hicom Berhad (KLSE: DRBHCOM) BUY; Target Price RM2.35 4. EITA Resources EITA Resources is the leading supplier of electrical contractors, switchboard fabricators, system integrator and Original Equipment Manufacturer of elevator systems in Southeast Asia. With the MRT phase 2 elevator jobs up for grabs, securing a package from the job will catalyse the share price of EITA Resources. The winner of the job should be announced in the next three to six months. In addition, CIMB Research expects tenders for LRT elevator jobs to be out soon. Story continues CIMB Research highlights that the company stands a good chance of securing both the MRT2 and LRT3 elevator jobs as it is the only major domestic player in this market segment. CIMB Research: EITA Resources Berhad (KLSE: EITA) BUY; Target Price RM2.40 5. Unisem Unisem recently appointed a new management team and carried out a restructuring exercise on its Batam operations. After the new management team took over, Unisem took a strategic shift to an advanced packaging portfolio. Moreover, backed by a resilient industry demand outlook, CIMB Research expects Unisem to record stronger earnings in 2H17F. CIMB Research: Unisem Berhad (KLSE: UNISEM) BUY; Target Price RM5.00 6. Kossan Rubber Kossan CIMB Research sees Kossan Rubber Industries as a leader in the glove industry for its strong earnings momentum. Kossan Rubber has been planning to increase its production capacity by 34% by end-2018 adding 7.5 billion annual capacity in phases by 1H18, with the first 3 billion by end-3Q17. CIMB Research thinks Kossan Rubber continues to be undervalued despite its stronger earnings momentum. Its peers are currently valued at 18.2x CY18 PE (Top Glove) and 28x CY18 PE (Hartalega) while Kossan Rubber is only valued at 17x CY18 PE. CIMB Research: Kossan Rubber Industries Berhad (KLSE: KOSSAN) BUY; Target Price RM07.55 7. Inari Amertron Inari Amertron is one of the open-source appropriate technology (OSAT) provider to multinational and local electronics product manufacturers. Given the robust RF semiconductor demand and higher volume loading in its other arms, Inari-Amertons management has guided for a 15% annual revenue growth guidance in FY18-19. In addition, Inari Amertons growth prospects continue to be driven by its strategy of diversifying earnings beyond RF. Inari Amerton remains as CIMB Researchs favourite in the Malaysian semiconductor space. CIMB Research: Inari Amertron Berhad (KLSE: INARI) BUY; Target Price RM2.75 8. Muhibbah Engineering Muhibbah Engineering-min CIMB Research believes that Muhibbah Engineering is attractive both from a business and valuation perspective. Having attained robust Cambodian airport concessions and higher infra margins arising from a substantial overseas variation order (VO) claims, Muhibbah Engineering could potentially report stronger earnings in 2H17. That has convinced CIMB Research to recommend Muhibbah Engineering as the top small/mid-cap pick for growth in domestic marine/port infra contracts. At an attractive CY17-18 P/E of 9-10x, Muhibbah Engineering is priced at a 30-40% to the sector average PE of 15x. CIMB Research: Muhibbah Engineering M Berhad (KLSE: MUHIBAH) BUY; Target Price RM3.36 The backpack and luggage carried by Yahoo News Singapores Senior Correspondent Safhras Khan (left) and News Editor Vernon Lee (right) during their observations of random bag checks conducted at MRT stations recently. (Photo: Dhany Osman/Yahoo News Singapore) By Safhras Khan and Vernon Lee Two men entered a train gantry at Newton MRT station around the same time, with one holding a luggage and the other carrying a backpack. A security officer at the station stopped the man with the luggage and asked for an inspection of the item by a counter. The man who was stopped pointed to the backpack-carrying commuter who had just walked away towards the train platforms and asked the officer, Why do you inspect my luggage and not his backpack? Giving a quick scan of the items inside the luggage, the officer said, Because your bag is very big. About half an hour later, the men arrived at Holland Village station and swapped the luggage and backpack. As soon as they walked through a gantry, the man pulling the luggage was stopped by a security officer while the backpack-carrying commuter managed to breeze past them. An exchange at the bag check counter took place at the station that was similar to the one at Newton. The man who had his luggage checked asked the officer the reason for the inspection and was told it was a random check. When pressed whether backpacks were not the focus of such checks, the officer replied brusquely, We check randomly, all bags. The men carrying the luggage and backpack happened to be the two reporters of this article who recently observed how random bag checks were carried out at MRT stations across all the Lines. In total, they visited nine stations over four hours to observe the security officers on duty. At six of the stations, the reporters were not checked at all when they walked past the security officers. At the start of their assignment, they also observed there were no officers on duty at the bag counters of five stations over half an hour during lunchtime. Yahoo News Singapores Senior Correspondent Safhras Khan had his luggage checked by a security officer stationed at Holland Village MRT station. Photo: Dhany Osman/Yahoo News Singapore A deterrent for potential terrorists When told about the observations made by Yahoo News Singapore, a security expert who is involved in providing security services at MRT stations said there are certain broad guidelines for bag checks given by clients and the authorities. Story continues We look at not only the size of the bags. We also look at the people carrying the bags, ascertain whether they look suspicious and then do the random bag checks. Even small plastic bags are checked, said Kelvin Goh Ching Hua, general manager at Soverus, one of the three companies that provide security services at MRT stations along with Certis CISCO and Henderson Security Services. Goh added that he could not reveal more details on how such checks are conducted due to security reasons. Assoc Prof Kumar Ramakrishna, head of Policy Studies at S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, pointed out that backpacks have been used in past terror attacks, such as in Madrid, London and Manchester. As such, backpacks should be regularly checked as part of the security measures undertaken at train stations in Singapore, he said. Security experts said that the main aim of random bag checks at the train stations is to act as a deterrent for would-be terrorists. For those who may be planning mischief, they will know that Singapore is not so lax or ignorant of what is going on around us, said Ramakrishna. Goh agreed, saying that the randomness of bag checks and the presence of security officers are effective in signaling to the public at large and potential terrorists that the relevant authorities are monitoring train stations closely. Balance between security and smooth commuting Raj Joshua Thomas, managing partner at security services firm TwinRock Global, said that while bag checks are the most visible security element, there is also a layering of other security processes taking place at the same time. These include the monitoring of CCTV cameras and the positioning of other security personnel who are not doing bag checks in different areas of train stations. In addition to the comprehensive security measures in place at the stations, Ramakrishna said the frequency of security checks is based on the prevailing risk assessment at the national level. If intelligence information were to indicate a higher terror threat, then bag checks and armed patrols at the stations would be stepped up accordingly, he added. Ultimately, there is a need to calibrate a fine balance between maintaining the security of the MRT system and facilitating the smooth flow of human traffic at train stations, experts said. When you have an area where there are many members of the public, you dont want the security officers to overwhelm the flow of traffic so a bag check has to be done in an unobstructive manner, Thomas said. Ramakrishna pointed out that train stations are important nodes of Singapores economy. If the relevant authorities were to impose a strict security regime at the stations, it would have an impact on economic efficiency. Goh said that if bag checks were too onerous, commuters would find it inconvenient to travel by trains. More importantly, you may send the wrong signal that we are in a state of heightened alert if we have to do more thorough checks. We should not let the terrorist threat affect our lives too much, he added. additional reporting by Dhany Osman Editors note: This article is dedicated to the memory of the late Safhras Khan, Yahoo News Singapores Senior Correspondent. By Ingrid Melander PARIS (Reuters) - The right-hand man of French National Front chief Marine Le Pen quit the party on Thursday, a split that opens the way for policy changes in the far-right party and shows the depth of internal feuding after Le Pen's presidential election defeat. The departure of Florian Philippot, for years Le Pen's closest aide and a key architect of efforts to detoxify the party's image while campaigning against the euro, had looked increasingly inevitable as the party bickered over who was to blame for a damaging electoral cycle. His exit is expected to allow Le Pen to refocus on core policies around immigration and French national identity, while perhaps softening her anti-euro tone, which many say contributed to Le Pen's resounding defeat in the presidential election run-off. While Philippot's departure is likely to increase turmoil in the party at first and others have already said they would follow him out the door, the FN has survived similar crises in the past and analysts expect it to do the same this time. Philippot is seen as too divisive within the far-right to create a party that would be a serious threat. Le Pen, who has shown a sometimes ruthless determination to hold on to power in the National Front, having already pushed out her father Jean-Marie, the founder of the party, withdrew Philippot's responsibilities within the movement late on Wednesday, leaving him with little choice about his future. "I'm not into being ridiculed, I'm not into having nothing to do. And so yes, of course, I'm quitting the National Front," Philippot, 35 and a graduate of France's elite administrative school ENA, told France 2 television. Le Pen, who just last year spoke of having an "intellectual crush" on Philippot, responded tersely that the FN would have no problems of getting over his departure. "One should stop trying to bury the National Front," she told LCP television. "Every time people have tried to do it, it came out better-structured, stronger and more powerful." The National Front, which has made major inroads in local, regional and European elections over the past decade without winning any major constituency, will hold a congress in March where internal differences since its defeat to Emmanuel Macron and his new party will come to a head. The far-right party has tried to portray itself as the main voice of opposition against Macron. But that mantle has so far been assumed by Jean-Luc Melenchon, the leader of the far-left France Insoumise (France Unbowed), who is calling for mass demonstrations against the president's economic reforms. FAR-LEFT THRILLED Appearing on France's RTL Radio on Thursday, Melenchon revelled in the turmoil on the far-right. "Excellent, that's their business. It's perfect," he said in reaction to Philippot's departure. "It's a party that counts for nothing. Those that were angry but aren't fascists, I urge them to turn their back (on the FN) and come and join us." Jerome Fourquet, an expert on the far-right at polling group Ifop, said Philippot's exit would deprive the party of experienced policy writers. But he said any exodus was likely to be limited and short of those who quit when Bruno Megret left the party in 1988, when it was led by Jean-Marie Le Pen. Megret created his own party but it never attracted many votes. "Those who leave the FN or are pushed out all end up being marginalised," Fourquet said. Philippot joined the party in 2011 and rose quickly to become Le Pen's chief adviser. He was instrumental in crafting her policies and her 2012 and 2017 election manifestos. Sophie Montel, one of Philippot's closest aides and an FN member for over 30 years, said on Twitter she was quitting the party. So did several other Philippot allies. But other more high profile figures rejoiced, including Le Pen's partner Louis Aliot. "The FN will finally have some peace of mind away from a sectarian, arrogant, vain extremist who was trying to muzzle our freedom to debate," Aliot said on Twitter. "He thinks he's right about everything and... for me he's an extremist," he said later, speaking to RMC. "When you show him a poll that says 75 percent of the French people don't want to leave the euro, his reply is 'we don't give a damn, that's where we are going.'" Robert Menard, an FN ally and a mayor in southern France, was even blunter, saying: "We need to stop with the anti-Europeanism and the Melenchon-type (economic) policies." Le Pen said the party would continue to fight the EU and wanted a return to monetary sovereignty. But after many flip-flops on the issue, she did not spell out precisely what that would entail. (Reporting by Mathieu Rosemain, Sudip Kar-Gupta, Simon Carraud, Brian Love; Editing by Luke Baker and Toby Chopra) By Jess Macy Yu and Paresh Dave TAIPEI/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Alphabet Inc's Google said it would pay $1.1 billion for the division at Taiwan's HTC Corp <2498.TW> that develops the U.S. firm's Pixel smartphones - its second major foray into phone hardware after an earlier costly failure. The all-cash deal will see Google gain 2,000 HTC employees, roughly equivalent to one fifth of the Taiwanese firm's total workforce. It will also acquire a non-exclusive license for HTC's intellectual property and the two firms agreed to look at other areas of collaboration in the future. While Google is not acquiring any manufacturing assets, the transaction underscores a ramping up of its ambitions for Android smartphones at a time when consumer and media attention is largely focused on rival Apple Inc . "Google has found it necessary to have its own hardware team to help bring innovations to Android devices, making them competitive versus the iPhone series," said Mia Huang, analyst at research firm TrendForce. The move is part of a broader and still nascent push into hardware that saw Google hire Rick Osterloh, a former Motorola executive, to run its hardware division last year. It also comes ahead of new product launches on Oct. 4 that are expected to include two Pixel phones and a Chromebook. Pixel smartphones, only launched a year ago, have less than 1 percent market share globally with an estimated 2.8 million shipments, according to research firm IDC. Google will be aiming not to repeat mistakes made when it purchased Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion in 2012. It sold it off to China's Lenovo Group Ltd <0992.HK> for less than $3 billion two years later after Motorola failed to produce appealing products that could compete with iPhones. This time around, however, the deal price tag is much smaller and the lack of manufacturing facilities also minimizes risk. HTC'S DECLINE Google's strategy of licensing Android for free and profiting from embedded services such as search and maps has made Android the dominant mobile operating system with some 89 percent of the global market, according to IDC. But it has long been frustrated by the emergence of many variations of Android and the inconsistent experience that has produced. Pushing its own hardware will likely complicate its relationship with Android licensees, analysts said. Some analysts also questioned the wisdom of the deal given HTC's long decline. The Taiwanese firm once sold one in 10 smartphones globally but has seen market share dwindle sharply in the face of competition from Apple, Samsung Electronics Co <005930.KS> and Chinese rivals. "HTC is past its prime in terms of being a leading hardware design house, mainly because of how much it has had to scale back over the years because of declining revenues," said Ryan Reith, an analyst at IDC. "Unless Google really wants to control hardware for its other businesses like Home and Chromebooks in addition to smartphones, then I dont see this as being a bet that pays off." For HTC, the deal will allow it to concentrate more on its virtual reality headsets while also reducing development costs. "This will be a sizeable reduction in our R&D expenses. Overall it should be in the ballpark of a 30-40 percent reduction in operating expenses," HTC Chief Financial Officer Peter Shen told a news conference in Taipei. The Taiwanese firm will continue to run its remaining smartphone business but the sharp downsizing of its mainstay operations has cast some doubt over its longer term future. "HTC can design and produce innovative products but it lacks the deep pockets of the likes of Samsung for marketing promotions and saturation advertising," said Jake Saunders, an analyst at ABI Research in Singapore. "Competitors in the form of Huawei, Oppo, Xiaomi and ZTE are snapping at HTC's heels." HTC's worldwide smartphone market share declined to 0.9 percent last year from a peak of 8.8 percent in 2011, according to IDC. HTC shares were on a trading halt on Thursday. The stock has fallen around 94 percent from a peak in 2011, giving the company a market value of around $1.9 billion. Evercore served as financial advisor to HTC while Lazard was Google's financial advisor. (Additional reporting by Lee Chyen Yee and Jeremy Wagstaff in Singapore and Kane Wu in Hong Kong; Writing by Miyoung Kim; Editing by Edwina Gibbs) By Dave Graham and Robin Respaut SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (Reuters) - Deadly Hurricane Maria caused flooding in the Dominican Republic as it brushed past the country on Thursday after destroying buildings and knocking out power across the U.S. territories of Puerto Rico and St. Croix. The second major hurricane to rage through the Caribbean this month, Maria has killed at least 17 people and devastated several small islands, including St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Dominica. Maria, now a Category 3 with sustained winds of up to 120 miles per hour (195 km per hour), was expected to pass near the Turks and Caicos Islands and the southeastern Bahamas on Thursday night and Friday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. Officials in Puerto Rico were still assessing the damage after Maria slammed the island on Wednesday with winds of up to 155 mph (250 kph). Ranked a Category 4 storm near the top of the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale when it made landfall, it was the strongest hurricane to hit the island in nearly 90 years. U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters the storm "totally obliterated" the island, and that he planned to visit. Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello said there was one death reported so far, a man struck by a piece of lumber hurled by high winds. "It's nothing short of a major disaster," he said in a CNN interview, adding it might take months for electricity to be completely restored to the island, which has a population of 3.4 million. He imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew that runs through Saturday. Utility crews from the U.S. mainland were headed to Puerto Rico to help try to restore the battered power grid and the U.S. military sent both ground forces and aircraft to assist with search and rescue. The storm hit as Puerto Rico is facing the largest municipal debt crisis in U.S. history. The team of judges overseeing its bankruptcy has advised involved parties to put legal proceedings on hold indefinitely as the island recovers from the damage, according to a source familiar with the legal proceedings. In the historic heart of the island's capital San Juan, which has a fort and buildings from the Spanish colonial era, the storm left a litter of debris. Some roads were blocked off entirely by downed foliage as teams of firefighters and rescue officials began wielding chain saws to cut their way through the debris. San Juan airport reopened for military and relief flights on Thursday, with plans for a limited resumption of commercial flights on Friday. With electricity and communications knocked out across the island, workdays evaporated and people busied themselves with securing food and checking on their battered homes. South of the capital in the municipality of Catano, a group of some 10 residents whose homes were flooded sat around a pickup truck on the edge of the waters and mixed drinks of grapefruit juice, cranberry, ice and vodka that they called "matatiempo" or "killing time." FULL TOLL NOT YET CLEAR The Puerto Rican government did not yet have an estimate of how many homes and businesses were destroyed by the storm. Getting a full picture of the toll on Puerto Rico and other islands was complicated by extensive damage to phone services and roads. "There's a lot left to be done to understand the extent of the damage," Kenneth Merten, U.S. principal deputy assistant secretary for Western Hemisphere affairs, told reporters. Maria passed close by the U.S. Virgin Island of St. Croix, which has a population of about 55,000 people, early on Wednesday as a rare and ferocious Category 5 storm, knocking out electricity and most mobile phone service. "The island was affected across the board, but the western end got hammered hard," Governor Kenneth Mapp told WBUR radio. "The amount of debris and roof damage is significant." He said he did not know of any deaths caused by the storm. Maria hit about two weeks after Hurricane Irma pounded two other U.S. Virgin Islands: St. Thomas and St. John. In the Dominican Republic, winds knocked out power to almost all northern areas, said Emergency Operations Center coordinator Ernesto Perez. By Thursday afternoon, Maria was about 95 miles (155 km) southeast of Grand Turk island, the NHC said, and it could strengthen somewhat over the coming day or so, the centre said. It currently looked unlikely to hit the continental United States. Maria struck Dominica as a Category 5 storm on Monday night, damaging about 95 percent of the roofs on the island, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said. At least 14 people died, CNN quoted Charles Jong, a spokesman for Dominica prime minister's office, as saying. Two people were killed in the French territory of Guadeloupe. Irma, ranked as one of the most powerful Atlantic storms on record, killed at least 84 people in the Caribbean and the United States. It followed Harvey, which killed more than 80 people when it hit Texas in late August, causing historic flooding in Houston. More than two months remain in the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30. (Reporting by Dave Graham and Robin Respaut in San Juan; additional reporting by Jorge Pineda in Santo Domingo, Nick Brown in Houston, Devika Krishna Kumar in New York and Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; writing by Scott Malone and Lisa Shumaker; editing by Frances Kerry and Jonathan Oatis) On the last of his US tour, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi addressed a gathering of NRIs in New York. Rahul Gandhi targeted the Modi government saying India's reputation is being ruined in the world. By India Today Web Desk: Job creation in one of the biggest challenges that the Narendra Modi government is facing and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi says he has a plan to tackle the issue. Speaking to a small group of NRIs in New York , United States, Rahul Gandhi said his party has a vision to create more jobs in India. advertisement Job creation is the biggest challenge facing in India, Gandhi said, adding, "India cannot give its youngsters a vision if it cannot give them a job." FULL TRANSCRIPT OF RAHUL GANDHI'S SPEECH I'd like to welcome all the people on the stage and every single one of you in this room. You know, many years ago Sam came to India and he told you the story of Indira Gandhiji listening to his presentation. Sam, I think it was 1982? Yes, 1982. I was 12 years old. In the morning my father told me that there is a presentation and you have to come. I didn't know what presentation meant, I thought I was going to get a present. Anyway, I went there, and my sister and I were made to sit down at the back of the room quietly. And we sat there for 6 hours. And Sam and my father discussed computers. I didn't quite understand what a computer was, nobody actually in 1982 really understood what a computer was.To me it looked like a little box with a TV screen on it. And frankly I didn't like that presentation, as a little kid, I couldn't stand the fact that I had to sit for 6 hours. And four or 5 years later, I started to see the result of that presentation. There were typewriters in the Prime Ministers Office. And everybody wanted to use a typewriter. And Sam and my father said to everyone in the PMO's office that everyone has to move to computers. And everybody said, NO, we like our typewriters, we don't want computers. So in Sam and in my fathers typical style they said fine you can keep your typewriters, what we are going to do is, we are going to replace typewriters with computers for one month, and after one month we will have your typewriters back. They gave them the computers for one month and then after one month they said ok we are bringing your typewriters back and everyone started to fight, NO, we dont want our typewriters back we want the computer. Ideas take time to travel into India. But, when an idea is good, India understands it very quickly, and uses it and shows the world how it can be used. I have been talking to Sam and I made a point in the car to him and he said "I hadn't thought about it". You are all Non Resident Indians. The original congress movement was an NRI movement. Mahatma Gandhi was an NRI, Jawaharlal Nehru came back from England, Ambedkar, Azad, Patel, these were all NRIs. Every single one of them went to the outside world, saw the outside world, returned back to India and used some the ideas they got and transformed India. I'll go even further, the biggest success in India, our friends in BJP said nothing happened, but one of the biggest successes in India, the milk that most of India drinks, it was man called Mr. Kurien, he was an NRI. He came from the United States and he transformed India. Sam is another example. There are thousands of examples that we have not recognised. So before I even get into the depth of my speech, I want to tell you that I went from San Fransisco to Los Angeles to Washington to New York, I addressed people in Berkeley ,in Princeton, and wherever I went, you made me feel poud to be an India. advertisement Everywhere you look in this country, there is an Indian person working for America, working for India, living peacefully and building this country and our country.So I would like to start by telling you, that you are actually the backbone of our country. Some people view India as a geophraphical construct. They view India as a piece of land. I don't view India as a piece of land. I view India as a set of ideas. So for me, anybody who has the ideas that make up India is an Indian. We have many religions in our country. We have many different languages in our country. Every single one of them lives happily together, and the reason they have been able to do so are the ideas of the Congress party. Sam Pitroda just said that the Congress is a hundred and thirty years old. Yes, it is true, the Congress organisation is more than a century old. But, the Congress idea in India is thousands of years old. We don't represent an organisation, we represent a philosophy that is thousands and thousands of years old. I'll tell you a little but about what this philosophy is. What did Gandhi actually fight for, what was our freedom movement about, what did Mr. Kurien do? What did Sam pitroda do? What do thousands of NRIs do? They stand up for the truth. It doesn't matter what is standing against them, when they believe in something and they are convinced that is the truth they stand up for it and pay the price for it. That is the Congress idea. advertisement I had lots of conversations in my trip. I met lot of people from the administration, I met people from both democratic and republican parties, I met many friends, NRI friends.And I must tell you, I was very surprised because before I could even tell them what I was feeling, before I could even tell them what I was worried about, they told me exactly the same thing. And the single biggest thing most people told me, What has happened to the tolerance that used to prevail in India? What has happened to the harmony in India? There are a couple of challenges that India is facing. The single biggest challenge and I'll give it to you in numbers. 30,000 youngsters come into the job market every single day. Today, only 450 of them are getting a job. I'm not even talking about the unemployed. advertisement This is the biggest challenge in front of our country. And, this challenge is going to be addressed by building a unified approach by bringing people together. We discuss everything in India. There's a divisive politics in India but the real challenge facing India is that 30,000 youngsters looking for a job and only 450 getting a job. You can imagine as this process continues what the result will be. India simply cannot give its youngsters a vision if it is unable to give them a job. The Congress party has a vision to solve this problem. And I will tell you little bit about this vision. Currently, the entire focus is on 50 or 60 really large companies. We believe that if you are to create millions and millions of jobs in India, it has to be done by empowering small and medium businesses and entrepreneurs. Second, I'll give you another number, 40% of India's vegetables rot. Agriculture can simply not be ignored. There are people from Punjab here, you will understand exactly what I am saying. Agriculture is a strategic asset. We need to build agriculture, we need to develop a cold chain, we need to put food processing units close to farms, and we need to empower Indian agriculture. We need to empower our farmers. Healthcare is going to transform. And I said this in my speech in Berkeley, today all the information in healthcare is in the doctors memories tomorrow all that information is going to be in computers. India has the world's second largest population. We do very large number of surgeries, heart surgeries, eye surgeries, we have a great understanding of how to do these things. There is a huge opportunity for India in healthcare and we can become the healthcare centre of the world but we have to plan for it today. And I am not talking about simply health tourism, I'm talking about about constructing whereby in the future large parts of medical processes are acrid out in our country. I can give you a similar vision for the IITs. I went to Berkeley, I was in Princeton yesterday. US universities are networks, knowledge networks. Information travels within them, they are connected to businesses, they are connected to economy. Our IITs are tremendous institutions but they are not networks. If we connect our IITs to our industries and businesses across the world, they will start to compete with the best businesses in the world. these are things that can be done. I, want to go back to the beginning of my speech- You need to get involved. You have tremendous knowledge, You have tremendous understanding, you work in different fields. I invite you to come and work with the congress party and discuss the vision going forward. We want to take your help. Sam Pitroda single handedly transformed the telecom industry. We don't want one Sam Pitroda. We want atleast 10-15 Sam Pitrodas to transform India, Because there's a lot of work to be done in India. The last thing I'd like to say to you, India has always shown the world how to live in harmony. For thousands of years India has had a reputation of peace and harmony. This is being challenged. There are forces in our country that are dividing the country and it is very dangerous for the country and it ruins our reputation abroad. Many, many people in the Democratic party and the Republican party asked me what is going on in your country? We always believed that your country worked together, we always believed your country was peaceful. What is going on in your country? And that is something we have to fight. India's reputation in the world is very important. The world is transforming and people are looking towards us. China is rising, we have a relationship with the Unites States. Many countries in a violent world are looking to India and saying maybe, India has the answer to the 21st century. Maybe India has the answer for peaceful coexistence in the 21st century. So, we cannot afford to lose our most powerful asset. Our most important asset is that 1.3 billion people lived happily, non-violently, peacefully and the world respected us for that. This is something that as Congress people every single one of us has to defend. India is a country that belongs to all its people. Doesn't matter who they are I can see my Sikh brothers, people from different states. India does not belong to any ONE of you. India belongs to this entire room and India belongs to every single one of us and that is what the Congress party is. Again, I'd like to thank you very much and I've told Sam, whenever you want me to come to the Unites States, whenever you want me to come anywhere, just call me, MEIN HAAZIR HO JAUNGA. And final thing, I told Sam today, he said about the photographs and I have learnt something, Sam hamarein yahan individual photographs chalti hain, so next time we will give a decent amount of time so that we can have selfies or photographs together. Thank you very much, All the best! WATCH: Rahul Gandhi renews attack on Modi government in Berkeley, says note ban caused tremendous damage --- ENDS --- BEIRUT (Reuters) - Iran's president said on Thursday its nuclear accord with world powers cannot be renegotiated, after the Trump administration warned it was weighing whether the deal signed by its predecessor served U.S. security interests. Under the 2015 deal, Iran agreed to limit its disputed nuclear program in return for the easing of economic sanctions. U.S. President Donald Trump called the deal an "embarrassment" during his first speech at the United Nations on Tuesday. "There was some discussion by some people that the nuclear deal isn't very bad but shouldn't stay as it is. (That) it's a deal that's good but we should sit down again and debate to see if it can be improved. If it has flaws we can fix them," Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said. "They were told clearly and definitively (by us) that the nuclear deal cannot be renegotiated," he told a press conference in Tehran broadcast live on state television after his return from the U.N. General Assembly. Trump told reporters this week he had made a decision on what to do about the agreement, approved by his predecessor Barack Obama along with leaders of Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany, but would not say what he had decided. However, although Trump does not like the deal, his speech to the United Nations on Tuesday did not mean Washington would withdraw from the pact, Nikki Haley, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., said on Wednesday. The prospect of Washington reneging on the deal has worried some of the U.S. allies that helped negotiate it, especially as the world grapples with another nuclear crisis, North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile development. If Trump does not certify next month that Iran is complying with the accord, the U.S. Congress will have 60 days to decide whether to reimpose sanctions waived under the deal. U.N. inspectors have verified Iranian compliance with the terms. In contrast with Obama's policy of detente with Iran after decades of mutual hostility, Trump called Iran "a corrupt dictatorship" on Tuesday and accused it of supporting terrorism and destabilising the Middle East. "(Trump) made big mistakes in this speech," Rouhani said. "There were baseless and unfounded accusations. It wasn't worthy of the United Nations or an individual who sees himself as the president of a country." Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the highest authority in the Islamic Republic, also criticised Trump during a meeting Thursday with the Assembly of Experts, a body tasked with choosing the next Supreme Leader. "This speech was not a sign of power but rather a sign of anger, frustration and stupidity," Khamenei said, according to a report on his official website. In recent months, tensions have ramped up between Iran and the United States in the Gulf, with both sides accusing each other of provocative naval manoeuvres. (Reporting by Babak Dehghanpisheh; editing by Mark Heinrich; Editing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg) By Maher Chmaytelli ERBIL, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraq launched an offensive on Thursday to dislodge Islamic State from Hawija, west of the oil city of Kirkuk and one of two areas of the country still under the control of the militants. The Iraqi Joint Operations Command said the offensive to capture Hawija in northern Iraq "will be swift," state TV reported. The action, announced by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, took place four days before a referendum on Kurdish independence due to be held in northern Iraq, including Kirkuk. Abadi says Monday's referendum is against the constitution and has called on the autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government to cancel it. Kirkuk is shaping up as a flashpoint ahead of the independence vote as it is also home to Arab and Turkmen communities who oppose breaking away from Iraq. Kurdish Peshmerga forces took control of Kirkuk after the Iraqi army collapsed in the face of Islamic State offensive in 2014, preventing the militants from capturing the oil fields. A U.S.-led international coalition is providing air support to the Iraqi forces' offensive on Hawija, state TV said. The Iraqi forces, deployed north and west of Hawija district, are pushing southward along the Tigris River and had cleared the first lines of defence by midday, state TV said. A total of 23 villages were captured from Islamic State, said the operation's commander, Lieutenant General Abdul Ameer Yarallah, cited by the TV channel. "We finished the first chapter of the liberation operation," in Hawija, he said, without indicating the timing of the second chapter. The United Nations last week said up to 85,000 people could be displaced from the Hawija region. Up to 30,000 children are in extreme danger, Save the Children said on Thursday. "They have already suffered horribly under ISIS rule...food, water and medicine are running out, with many children reportedly weak and malnourished," the organisation said. "It is imperative that all Iraqi and coalition forces open up safe escape routes for people and allow civilians to flee to wherever is safest," it added. Iraqi forces and Sunni tribal fighters also captured on Thursday the region of Ana, in the Euphrates River valley, as they pushed toward the Syria border, a military statement said. The offensive on Hawija should not affect the Kurdish plan to hold the referendum in Kirkuk on Monday, a Kurdish official told Reuters. The Peshmerga hold the frontlines with the Hawija district from the eastern side, near Kirkuk, but are not taking part in the offensive, he said. Hawija, north of Baghdad, and a stretch of land along the Syrian border, west of the Iraqi capital, are the last pieces of the country still in the hands of Islamic State. The group overran about a third of Iraq in 2014. Islamic State's self-declared caliphate effectively collapsed in July, when U.S.-backed Iraqi forces captured Mosul, the group's de facto capital in Iraq, after a gruelling nine-month battle. Kurdish Peshmerga fighters took part in operations against the militants. Islamic State also controls territory in Syria, along the Iraqi border but it is shrinking fast in the face of a U.S.-backed Kurdish-led coalition and Russian and Iranian-backed forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. (Reporting by Maher Chmaytelli; Editing by Angus MacSwan) By Martin Petty MARAWI CITY, Philippines (Reuters) - When he saw his commander holding the severed head of one of his neighbours, teenage Islamist fighter Jalil knew it was time to escape from Marawi City. Churches and homes had been ransacked, people had been shot or taken hostage, and now Philippines government troops, planes and helicopters were pounding the Islamic State loyalists who had taken over large parts of the town on May 23. Six days into the occupation, 17-year-old Jalil said he came across a crowd of fellow fighters led by rebel chief Abdullah Maute, including a boy who looked about 10. They were cheering the beheading of a Christian from Jalil's neighbourhood who was accused of being a spy. "Abdullah Maute was holding a man's head, he was shouting 'Allahu akbar' (God is Greatest)," said Jalil, who spoke on condition his identity was not revealed to protect him from reprisals. "They chanted with him. At that point, I realised I had to get away. I wanted no part in this." Jalil's story could not be independently verified. Authorities have placed him in protective custody and say he has helped identify militants fighting in Marawi. Jalil is one of hundreds of Muslim youths lured by Islamic State followers in Mindanao, a poverty-plagued southern island of the Philippines that governments in Southeast Asia fear could become a regional stronghold for the ultra-radical group as it loses territory in Syria and Iraq. Rommel Banlaoi, executive director of the Philippine Institute for Peace, Violence and Terrorism Research (PIPVTR), says foreign recruiters have been active in Mindanao for years but Islamic State's powerful propaganda and the rise of the local Maute clan of militants have brought a surge in followers. "The recruitment is now happening very, very rapidly," said Banlaoi, who monitors mobilisation in Mindanao via informants and police interrogation reports of militants. "They're very sophisticated. They are serious community organisers and serious recruiters." Schools, madrassas (Islamic schools) and even day-care centres with extremist leanings have been identified as recruiting grounds. Authorities are working with religious teachers to keep radical ideas out of mosques and off curriculums, according to army spokesman Colonel Romeo Brawner. But provincial leaders and some military officers say the efforts are weak, partly because militants have plenty of money to reel youths into their ranks. "BACK IN SERVICE" Jalil said his involvement began when he was 11 at a mosque in Piagapo, a rustic municipality 20 km (12 miles) from Marawi, where an imam convinced him to join 40 youngsters at a training camp in return for meals and 15,000 pesos ($294) per month. He underwent daily weapons and combat training, and teachings from the Koran. He was expelled from the programme after only three months, he said, when he revealed details about his network during a mock interrogation. Jalil heard nothing from his recruiters for six years, but the day before the Marawi siege began, there was a knock at his door. Outside was a teenager, and behind him a pickup truck with 10 other youngsters on board. "I knew them, they were my classmates in training," he said. "They told me 'you're now back in service.'" The ubiquitous villages with tattered mosques, wooden homes and dirt-track roads carved into the jungles and mountains of Mindanao are fertile ground for recruiting unschooled youngsters and turning them into militants in camps far off the radar. The army discovered one such training ground in Piagapo, after a three-day battle that killed 36 Maute fighters, among them foreigners and an imam. That was one month before the Marawi siege. Reuters spoke to two teenagers from that camp, who said they were lured by promises of money, marriage and paradise after death. They spoke on condition their full identities be withheld because authorities were not aware of their involvement, which they said ceased when the imam was killed. Their accounts could not be independently verified. "We were trained how to evade checkpoints. We were trained how to ambush, to move silently," said 18-year-old Abdul, who described how he and others learned to dismantle rifles, make bombs and engage in hand-to-hand combat. Faisal, 19, said the imam held Koran classes in small jungle huts, while foreigners, whose nationalities he did not know, trained them to fight non-believers. "The imam told us we would be rewarded with marriage to any beautiful girl we want," he said. The government says poor and uneducated males like Abdul and Faisal are easy prey in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), which comprises five of Mindanao's 27 provinces. In 2015-2016, the ARMM had the lowest secondary-school enrolment and the highest dropout rate, according to the education ministry, with just 32.4 percent of ARMM youth in school compared to the national average of 68 percent. Nearly half of ARMM families live in poverty, under the government's monthly income threshold of 9,064 pesos ($177), according to official data, compared to the national average of 16.5 percent. In Lanao del Sur, where Marawi is located, 66.3 percent of families live in poverty. ONLINE PROFILING But not all targets are poor, rural and uneducated. Urban youth and students are also on the radar of recruiters who have infiltrated schools and universities and mastered social media, both to spread propaganda and to spot candidates for radicalisation among Mindanao Muslims, known as Moros. Prime targets, said Banlaoi, are those posting on social media about economic and social exclusion, or historical injustice. A hot topic is the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front's (MILF) peace deal with the government, which promised to make ARMM a self-governing region called Bangsamoro (nation of Moros) but has been dogged by delays, breakdowns and mistrust. Mohagher Iqbal, the MILF's top negotiator, said extremists exploit disillusionment with the Bangsamoro plan and promote violence by teaching only selected verses of the Koran. "We monitor them, but because the recruitment is so secretive, we cannot manage to do everything," he told Reuters. Banlaoi said extremists had access to technology used in the Middle East by Islamic State to track chatter on platforms like Facebook and Telegram, find suitable candidates and probe their friend networks. These recruiters included Indonesians and Malaysian militants who were "very persistent". The government's fight is as much about winning hearts and minds among the Bangsamoro people as it is the battle for Marawi that has now ground on for nearly four months. Militants try to sway public opinion with slick videos celebrating their triumph over "crusaders" they say are destroying Muslim homes and businesses in Marawi with artillery and air strikes. The military says its focus groups have shown some displaced Marawi children "idolise" the militants. It has sent female soldiers to counsel children in evacuation camps and identify those already radicalised. Jalil, the teen fighter said he was at first inspired by the rousing speeches of Abdullah Maute and his brother, Omarkhayam. But he was appalled by the bloodletting that ensued. "I can't forget what I saw. Every street corner there were dead bodies, Christians and Muslims," he said. On the night of the execution he witnesses, Jalil abandoned his post guarding a bridge and rode a motorcycle for 50 km (31 miles) to evade army checkpoints. He turned himself in to police two weeks later. A former military intelligence officer who has tracked the Maute clan said the military under-estimated them as a "ragtag group". But the Mautes have demonstrated a capacity to regroup and, thanks to deep pockets and the respect they command among local youth, would probably strengthen after Marawi is retaken by "filling vacancies" left by hundreds of dead fighters. The worst-case scenario, the officer said, was if the Maute brothers survive. "Recruitment will be massive," he said. "There are lots of students idolising them." (Additional reporting by Tom Allard in MARAWI CITY and Neil Jerome Morales in MANILA; Editing by John Chalmers and Raju Gopalakrishnan) Konkatu Singapore organises omiai, a dating event set up for matchmaking candidates. (Photo: Konkatu Singapore) If youre in love with Japanese food, fashion, culture and wish to one day marry a Japanese person, theres a business in Singapore that can help you achieve your dream. Introducing Konkatu Singapore, a marriage agency founded by two Japanese expatriates who have lived in Singapore for a number of years. During a recent interview with Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore, co-founder Miwa Suzuki shared that the business idea was conceived after the duo received multiple requests from friends asking matchmaking assistance. Most of them were fellow Japanese expats in Singapore seeking Japanese life partners here. Most of the members in the agency are looking for Japanese partners, but we also introduce Chinese or Western members from our partner agents located in Hong Kong or USA, said Miwa, who is in her 40s. She is married to another expat in Singapore and has a child attending school here. Our aim is to reach out to those looking for marriage partners in Singapore. But we see there are many other Asian singles here who also want to have Japanese future life partners, she said. Japanese singles living abroad face difficulties in finding partners and it raises the unmarried rate in Japan. Miwa also revealed that Singapore has become a popular destination for Japanese to find love. She said she is not surprised by the phenomenon as Singapore has become a hub for the Asian economy. Singapore is also a hub for Konkatu. Some members who are not a Singaporean would visit Singapore to attend an omiai, said Miwa. An omiai is a dating event set up for matchmaking candidates who are serious about getting married. Konkatu Singapores recent omiai took place on 1 September and was attended by 13 men and 13 women. The co-founders hope to host such events at least twice a year. Since everyone talks on a one-on-one basis, there are restrictions on the number of people, said Miwa. Konkatu, whose name stemmed from the word konkatsu or marriage hunting in Japanese, has a database of 60,000 people, some of whom are Singaporeans aged between 30 and 50 years for men and from 20 to 40 for women. There are not many female Singapore members looking for Japanese future partners, she said. Story continues Konkatu Singapore organises omiai, a dating event set up for matchmaking candidates. (PHOTO: Konkatu Singapore) How it works The length of time it takes for one to meet a life partner through the agency can be as short as six months to as long as two years. It depends on the person. Some members have attended a few omiai in Singapore or Japan before they find their life partners, said Miwa, who went on to explain the matchmaking process. After weve understood each members background and preferences, we will create a profile sheet unlike dating sites, after exchanging the profiles with other members, we will personally continue to support our members from the start of dating until the engagement of marriage, said Miwa. All of our members are serious about marriage. But there are many who are unable to meet people due to their professions such as medical doctors, lawyers, cabin crew, models or musicians, she added. Fees are required for some of their services such as attending the omiai and engagement of marriage. The agency has also received positive feedback from clients as well. Quoting a customer, Miwa said, I was surprised at the beginning to see many Japanese women in the database. Miwa-san introduced members of various types so I can I have an overview. Eventually, I was able to meet my ideal partner. Im very happy now. Related stories: Follow Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore on Facebook. Russia warned the United States of reprisals Thursday after artillery fire from an area controlled by US-backed fighters in eastern Syria targeted government troops. A military spokesman in Moscow blamed Syrian Democratic Forces and said future attacks would be repelled. "Syrian regime forces were twice targeted with massive fire from mortar launchers and rocket artillery from areas east of the Euphrates river where SDF forces and US special forces are," Igor Konashenkov said in a statement. "A representative of US command in Al Udeid, Qatar, was notified in severe form that attempts to attack from districts where SDF fighters are located will be repelled," he said. "Fire positions in these areas will be immediately suppressed with all available weapons," he said. Russia is supporting the current offensive by Syrian government forces against Islamic State jihadists near the city of Deir Ezzor with air cover, while Russian special forces are also active in the area. Konashenkov said regime forces control 85 percent of Deir Ezzor. "The city will be liberated in the coming week," he said. On Monday, Syrian government troops crossed the Euphrates river, sealing off the city on three sides. Meanwhile, SDF, an alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters, is pushing the IS group from the northeastern part of the province, as the US-led coalition provides air cover. To prevent the two operations from clashing, the coalition, the SDF, Syria's government and Russia agreed on a "de-confliction line" that runs from the neighbouring province of Raqa southeast along the Euphrates to Deir Ezzor. But on Saturday the US-led coalition and the SDF accused Russian warplanes of bombing SDF fighters east of the river, an allegation that Moscow denied. Konashenkov said Syrian regime forces have continued the offensive on the eastern side of the Euphrates over the past day, "freeing 16 square kilometres and two villages from terrorists." A longtime ally of Syria, Russia stepped into the multi-front conflict in September 2015 and shifted the balance of power in favour of President Bashar al-Assad with extensive air support and other aid. As Austrians grow more openly hostile towards Muslims, major political parties are deliberately brandishing Islamophobia in the Catholic majority country ahead of next month's parliamentary election. A torch-lit procession of ultra-nationalists gathered recently on the outskirts of Vienna to listen to fiery speeches on the anniversary of a 17th-century victory over Muslim Ottomans. "Today we have to defend our homeland again," thundered the leader of the Identitaren movement. While the small extremist group is on the fringes of politics, nearly a third of Austrians told a recent survey they would not like to live next to Muslims -- a higher figure than in Germany, France, Switzerland and Britain. National newspapers warn of "spiralling refugee costs", Muslim "rapists" and impending Islamist assaults, in response to a record influx of migrants and jihadist attacks across Europe. Despite a largely successful integration model, traditionally centrist parties are tapping into these fears to win votes in the country of 8.75 million people. Encroaching on far-right territory, the popular new leader of the conservative People's Party (OeVP), Sebastian Kurz, wants to slash migrant benefits and shut all Islamic kindergartens, which he says create "parallel societies". His party was instrumental in prohibiting foreign funding of mosques and pushing through a ban on the Muslim full face veil, due to enter into force in October. That paid off with the OeVP stealing top spot in opinion polls for the October 15 election. The far-right Freedom (FPOe) is now battling for second place with the Social Democrats (SPOe). Not to be outshone, SPOe Chancellor Christian Kern kickstarted his campaign with a video of him chatting to disgruntled voters in a pub. "I'm not a racist but... it's unacceptable that people wear burqas and I am afraid in my own country," an agitated woman says. Kern nods his head, replying: "Everyone has to respect our rules." The FPOe meanwhile claims that "Islam has no place in Austria" and has vowed to replace the integration ministry with a department for the "protection of the homeland and dominant culture". - 'Insidious' political Islam - "When parties address the issue of Islam, it's always in a negative context," said Vienna City councillor Omar al-Rawi who previously worked as integration representative for Austria's Islamic Community, a key Muslim group. "The populist undertone is always present. It's a shame because Austria used to be a success model for how to deal with Muslims," the 56-year-old from Baghdad told AFP. Austria was the first European country to recognise Islam as an official religion in 1912 following its annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Today Islam is the fastest-growing religion, with around 700,000 Muslims in the country -- twice as many as in 2001. Turks make up almost half of them, followed by Bosnians, Chechens, Syrians and Afghans. There are now more Muslim than Catholic children in Vienna's state primary schools. In some classes, less than half speak German -- an issue the OeVP wants to rectify with mandatory language lessons for pre-schoolers. Separately, radicalisation among young Muslims is also a concern, with some 300 Austrians having joined Islamic State fighters in Syria and Iraq. "Most Muslims here are good people but the danger of insidious political Islam is real," said Austrian-Iraqi journalist Amer Albayati who heads the Liberal Muslims Initiative of Austria. The terrorism expert in his mid-70s lives under police protection after receiving death threats from Islamists. "The government is not acting on the problem," he told AFP. - No 'one-size' solution - At Vienna's Brunnenmarkt, a huge multicultural market, the rhetoric cuts no ice. "I understand that people are more afraid of Muslims now" because of the attacks in neighbouring Germany and elsewhere, said Julian Mihailov, a Bulgarian Turk who moved to Austria in 1959. "But normal Islam has nothing to do with extremists," the vegetable vendor, 47, told AFP. Although the security concerns are real, analyst Peter Filzmaier warned against a "lumping-together" of Muslims in the election. "There are extremely big differences depending on the country of origin," he told AFP. First-generation Turks are more isolated than their Austrian-born children, while Somalis tend to be more hardline than Bosnians or Iranians, Filzmaier said. "There are no one-size-fits-all solutions," he added. For Rawi, Austria has never faced a more uncertain election. "I think a majority of Muslims are worried about what direction the country is moving into," he said. "Many are in a socially vulnerable category... and they wonder if their children will still have the same opportunities." Slovakia plans to increase its military budget to the NATO target of two percent of gross domestic product by 2024, according to an official document released Thursday. The NATO and EU member state of 5.4 million people currently allocates 1.16 percent of its GDP to defence. Slovakia "expects to increase the budget of the defence ministry to 1.6 percent of GDP in 2020 and 2.0 percent of GDP in 2024," the document said. Defence Minister Peter Gajdos told reporters that reaching 2.0 percent would enable the country to "realise our commitment from the NATO summits." So far only five NATO members have met the 2.0 percent benchmark set by the Western defence alliance in 2014: Britain, Estonia, Greece, Poland and the United States. Romania is set to join them this year, and Latvia and Lithuania in 2018, according to NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg. US President Donald Trump has laid on the pressure for other European NATO allies to hike their defence budgets, saying they do not pay enough for their security. Slovakia's long-term defence plan, which Gajdos presented on Thursday, puts emphasis on the replacement and modernisation of its main types of military equipment and technology. The document says it expects defence investments for the years 2018 to 2030 to amount to 29.9 billion euros ($35.7 billion). But it acknowledges a lack of finances for the development of the armed forces: "The long-term shortage of resources has led to a gradual decline in the defence capacity of the Slovak Republic." A Turkish court on Thursday jailed on terror charges 14 lawyers representing two detained teachers who have been on hunger strike for six months after being sacked in a mass crackdown. The case of Nuriye Gulmen and Semih Ozakca has become a rallying cause for critics of the purge that followed a failed bid in July 2016 to topple President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. More than 140,000 public sector employees have been suspended or sacked under a state of emergency imposed after the attempted putsch. The pair began a hunger strike in March, were jailed on terror charges in May and went on trial on September 14 but were not present in court amid growing concerns over their health. Sixteen lawyers from the Office of People's Rights (HHB) that represents them were initially detained two days before the start of the trial, raising questions over the timing. After questioning, an Istanbul court ordered 14 of the lawyers to be imprisoned on charges of "membership of an armed terror group." Two were allowed to go free. They are accused of links to the Revolutionary People's Liberation Party-Front (DHKP-C), an outlawed Marxist group that has carried out sporadic attacks. The HHB is also accused of being part of the DHKP-C, with its lawyers known by the codename "sportsman" within the group. Gulmen and Ozakca have also been charged over involvement in the DHKP-C, accusations they vehemently deny as does the HHB. "We only have one answer, to organise ourselves even more and to step up our fight for justice," the HHB wrote on its Twitter account. The next hearing in the trial of Gulmen, an academic and Ozakca, a former primary school teacher, will take place on September 28. The pair are only consuming salted or sugared water, herbal teas and vitamin B1, and family members and supporters have expressed concerns over their health. The authorities say the mass purge is needed to eradicate the influence in Turkey of US-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen whom Ankara claims ordered the putsch -- something he vehemently denies. But critics say the crackdown has gone well beyond the alleged plotters to include anyone who dares oppose Erdogan, including Kurdish activists and leftists who had no association with Gulen. The UN Security Council on Thursday unanimously decided to set up an investigation team to collect evidence on the massacres of Iraq's Yazidi minority and other atrocities committed by the Islamic State group in Iraq. Britain drafted the resolution to help bring perpetrators of IS war crimes to justice -- a cause championed by international human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, who was present for the vote. The Lebanese-British lawyer represents Yazidi women who were taken hostage and used as sex slaves by IS as it swept into Iraq's Sinjar region in August 2014. Clooney, the wife of actor George Clooney, sat next to Nadia Murad, a Yazidi survivor of IS enslavement, as the council voted on the measure. "This resolution is a victory for victims of ISIS who have fought for so long for justice," Clooney said in a statement. "Through its unanimous vote today the UN has sent a strong message that ISIS can no longer commit genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes with impunity. And that victims may finally have their day in court." The United Nations has described the massacres of the Yazidis as genocide and Clooney has over the past month made high-profile appearances before the world body to demand action. After months of pressure Iraq in August agreed to the investigation, which will "support domestic efforts to hold" IS jihadists accountable by "collecting, preserving and storing evidence" in Iraq, the resolution said. Under the measure, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will within 60 days present to the council details on the mandate of the investigative panel that will work with its Iraqi counterparts. - Major first step - The investigators will gather evidence on "war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide" for use in Iraqi courts that will hold trials for IS militants, according to the resolution. US Ambassador Nikki Haley described the resolution as "a major first step" to help victims of IS crimes in Iraq. IS fighters have been on the run in Iraq since the recapture of Mosul, Iraq's second city in July, which had been under IS rule since 2014. Tens of thousands of Yazidis fled the August 2014 massacre in Sinjar, and UN rights investigations have documented horrific accounts of abuse suffered by women and girls. Around 3,000 women are believed to remain in IS captivity. After the vote, Murad expressed gratitude to the Security Council on behalf of Yazidi victims. "I hope we can now move swiftly to create this team with a strong capacity and start exhuming mass graves and collect evidence," Murad said in a statement. "Although ISIS is being defeated on the ground, victims need justice in order to allow healing and reconciliation and we hope this resolution will mark the beginning of that process." Human Rights Watch criticized the resolution as a missed opportunity by the council to address atrocities committed by Iraqi and other forces. "No one denies the importance of tackling the widespread atrocities by ISIS in Iraq, but ignoring abuses by Iraqi and international forces is not only flawed, it's shortsighted," said HRW's justice expert Balkees Jarrah. The Iraqi government worked with Britain to draft the measure. Yemen's president on Thursday promised the United Nations to open the entire war-torn country to aid as millions of people are at risk of famine and cholera. Addressing the United Nations, President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi urged international pressure on Huthi rebels who control the capital Sanaa and also appealed for greater humanitarian assistance. "We in the Yemeni government are ready to provide all facilitation so that humanitarian assistance can reach anywhere in Yemen, and also the areas under the control of the Huthis," he told the General Assembly. The United Nations has listed Yemen as the world's number one humanitarian crisis, with seven million Yemenis on the brink of famine and cholera causing more than 2,000 deaths. Hadi did not specify how his government would allow in assistance. Aid groups have criticized the Saudi-led coalition that supports him, which has blockaded Sanaa for more than two years since the capital was seized by Huthis, Shiite Muslims aligned with Saudi Arabia's arch-enemy Iran. Jamie McGoldrick, the UN humanitarian coordinator for Yemen, last month warned of "shrinking humanitarian space" in the country, saying that both sides have obstructed aid. Hadi in his address blamed Iran for the crisis, saying that the Shiite state had an "expansionist agenda" in the region. "Sustained peace can only be possible if this state ceases interfering in our affairs, creating tensions and stoking feelings of hatred," he said. More than 5,000 civilians -- over one-fifth of them children -- have been killed in the war since 2015, the UN human rights office said earlier this month. By PTI: (Eds: Adds more info after para 10) New Delhi, Sep 21 (PTI) The railways ministry is looking at ways to speed up the electrification process as it would help reduce the Rs 16,000 crore bill on diesel, Union Minister Piyush Goyal said today. He said the ministry is consulting all the people who are involved in the electrification process. advertisement The important things which are involved in the process include availability of equipment and adequate infrastructure. The Railways Minister said, "we are giving a relook to the ways of speeding up the electrification process" of rail lines across the country. The move would help in cutting down the diesel expenses on Indian railways, which is about Rs 16,000 crore and improving operating ratio of Indian railways, Goyal told reporters here. "We can do lot of savings in that," he said, adding that the cost on account of power is quite less. Before the BJP-led government came to power, investments on safety related things, track renewal and maintenance were not good and it had impacted the railways, he said. On a question that in terms of investments lot of funding was tied up from LIC, he said: "You will see large drawdowns in the next few days". Further Goyal, who also holds the coal portfolio, said that there is a continuous progress in the sector. "Soon we want to start commercial mining," he said. Speaking at the national quality conclave, he emphasised upon the importance of high quality goods and services. Goyal said that the coal ministry has engaged with the Quality Council of India (QCI) to see "how we can ensure quality of coal". Coal quality has improved significantly in terms of better grading and crushing to desired levels, he added. Citing cleanliness of railways stations, he said garbage which gets to the rail tracks as well as the uric acid from toilet facilities corrodes the track and affects maintenance and safety features. These are simple examples but these are quality issues which one should think and bring change in day-to-day working, he said, adding that simple spelling or comma mistakes can change meanings of text. On a recent spate of train accidents, he said: "We are going to strengthen the investigation process. So we literally do an investigation like an aircraft (accident) investigation". PTI RR SA --- ENDS --- When Sens. Lindsey Graham and Bill Cassidy revealed their Obamacare repeal bill last week, there appeared to be one (and pretty much only one) somewhat comforting thing about it. Their plan cut government health care spending drastically, yes. But its design seemingly encouraged states to spend what pittance they received from the feds on insurance for some of their lowest-income residents. The bill was bad for the poor, to be sure. But it didnt ignore them entirely. At least, that was the impression one got from reading the official summary documents that accompanied the legislation when it debuted. But the bills actual text tells a very different story. Advertisement The issue has to do with Graham-Cassidys elaborate formula for awarding health care funding to states. The bill would take the pot of money Washington currently spends on Obamacares insurance subsidies and Medicaid expansion, then redistribute it as block grants that states can use to set up their own insurance schemes. This is supposed to give Alabama and Texas the freedom and flexibility to come up with appealing, innovative health care solutions for their residentssomething Republicans in Washington have themselves proven incapable of doing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Eventually, each states block grant is supposed to be based on their share of Americas low-income population (which, according to Graham-Cassidy, means households that earn between 50 and 138 percent of the poverty line). Then in 2024, according to Graham and Cassidys summary, the government will start tilting its funding toward the states that do a better job enrolling those poorand borderline-poorfamilies in coverage. Heres how they described the plan, just so you know Im not making anything up: Advertisement Advertisement Starting in 2024, a states base amount changes from being based solely on percent of eligible individuals and becomes partially based on percent of eligible individuals enrolled in credible coverage in the previous year. This is defined as States enrolled population (SEP) and is compared to the total number of eligible individuals enrolled in credible coverage. Rewarding states for making sure poor people have health insurance is a decentthough certainly not foolproofway to make them do it. Health care analysts took note. In a report released on Wednesday, Chris Sloan, a senior manager at the health care consultancy Avalere, pointed out that the formula might even drive states to spend their money on poor residents rather than the working class insurance shoppers who typically buy coverage on Obamacares exchanges today. Advertisement Advertisement The bill creates a financial incentive for states to direct coverage to very low-income residents near or below the poverty line, potentially at the expense of lower-middle-income individuals who currently receive exchange subsidies, Sloan noted. Such a feature could prove to be an important nudge for states with traditionally thin safety nets like Texas and Mississippi, encouraging them to cover a population theyve typically ignored. Again, this was by far the most generous gesture toward the poor in a proposal that, otherwise, amounts to a historic blow against the health safety net. Theres just one problem: The provision doesnt actually seem to be in the bill. The legislative text, which is a bit convoluted, says it will dole out block grants to states based on their share of the countrys low-income population, but does not factor in coverage rates. States will be rewarded for having lots of poor people. They wont be rewarded for getting them insured. That bit just isnt there. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That was the conclusion I came to after talking to Matt Broaddus, a research analyst, at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and Avaleres Sloan, who generously spent a good chunk of time scouring the bills relevant text with me this afternoon. Its not clear the bill Graham and Cassidy actually posted ever included bonuses for states that signed up more of their poor; according to the Internet Archives Wayback Machine, that section of the text doesnt seem to have changed since it was first published on Sept. 13. Ive emailed Cassidys office requesting comment, but havent heard back. Judging from the summary documents they put out, it appears that Graham and Cassidy at least briefly considered gearing their legislation toward helping the poor. Then, for whatever reason, they changed their minds. If you have a dog, you probably have some toys, a dog bedmaybe a bunch of other stuff lying around. Not very attractive, right? Snoozer Pet Products says dog beds and seats dont have to be clutter or ugly. They can be stylish and attractive, according to this family run pet business. And the dogs will love them, too! Read more about Snoozer Pet Products in this weeks Small Business Spotlight. What the Business Does: Makes dog beds, carriers and seats. The company manufactures innovative products. Along with padded beds, they make doggy sofas and couches. But products arent limited to the house. Want to take your dog in the car? They make padded car seats for dogs. How about bringing your dog along on your bicycle? Yep, there are padded seats for bicycles. There are even secure seats for your dog to feel the wind in her face on your ATV. Business Niche: Dog products that look really good, and that dogs really love. Of course, all pet owners want beds, seats and travel carriers that make their pets comfortable. But sometimes available options dont look, well attractive. Snoozers approach is to make dog beds look good, so that they dont have to be hidden away. Snoozers Vice President of Marketing Gary ODonnell (pictured above) tells Small Business Trends: Today beds are accessories to homes. Theyre no longer something for the basement. They need to match housing decor. They need to match your car interiors. And so were really specializing in doing that and making the bed and the travel product a nice home decoration that someones actually not ashamed to have in their living room. How the Business Got Started: Started in the family. ODonnells father launched the business 25 years ago after leaving his corporate job. ODonnells brother then joined the business ten years ago. Gary ODonnell joined the rest of the team just a year ago. How the Business Has Grown: By anticipating changing consumer attitudes and trends toward pets. ODonnell explains: Twenty five years ago, dogs mostly slept outside or in garages or in basements or on the floor. Even having a bed way back then was a new thing. And those beds were simple. They were pretty much making it more comfortable for them being off the floor. Nowadays, pet owners want more for their pets. And the company has thrived because of it. Snoozer has grown about 500 percent over the last ten years. And their goal is to do that again over the next 10 years. Biggest Challenge: Knowing when to say no. ODonnell says: Everyone loves dogs, right? How can you go wrong in the dog market? Except there are so many things to choose from, picking the best opportunity to work on now, and then resourcing it properly with money and people is our biggest problem. Like most small businesses, the company has to prioritize and make choices. At an event or trade show, ODonnell said he might come across 15 great ideas, but will only actually be able to choose one or two. Picking the right opportunities is the trick. Advice for Working in a Family Business: Its not for everyone. Its rewarding and, at the right time, ODonnell said it can be a good thing. But he said he learned some lessons and received some training while working for a larger corporation that he wouldnt have if he immediately joined the family business. He explained: To join it without having worked somewhere else, I think would be a mistake, unless youre a pure entrepreneur. How Theyd Use An Extra $100,000: Improving gross margins to offer benefits to employees. ODonnell says that by focusing on operations and sales, the company could improve its margins enough to offer employee benefits. Where and How The Company Sells: Online and in small retail stores. The company has its own website, but also sells its products via online retailers like Amazon, PetSmart and Petco. Snoozer also sells its products through small pet retailers throughout the United States and Europe. Recent Accomplishment: This summer the company moved to a much bigger facility in Piedmont, S.C. This will allow them to eventually add 39 new employees. ODonnell said the state of South Carolina has been a great resource for the family business. They actively support businesses and are wonderful to work with. Being in a business-friendly locale makes a difference, he added. Another accomplishment is a new website, featuring beautiful images of the companys products along with intriguing captions (pictured). Employees: About 50 employees total, including just 7 office workers. ODonnell said that many of the production workers have been with the company for 15 or more years. Even for the employees in this family business, it feels like family. Dogs-at-Work Policy: Well-behaved dogs allowed. Sometimes the companys office staff bring their pets to work for, ahem market research. (Translation: so they can try out the beds!) Food snatchers, though get banned. Possible Expansion Into Cat Products: Maybe someday, but not right now. After all, the companys tagline is For dog people, by dog people. (Sorry, Grumpy Cat. Youre out of luck.) * * * * * Find out more about the Small Biz Spotlight program. A surprising number of businesses are still using landline phones. In the modern world of the Internet and high-speed data, it may be time to think about making a switch to a more modern communication option VoIP service, or Cloud Hosted Systems. VoIP phone service offers so much more to businesses that a regular landline just cant. Here are just a few reasons why it may be time for businesses to cut the cord and make the switch to VoIP: You Can Make a Call Without a Phone Mobile and Desktop VoIP Apps are available that can turn just about any device into a call-making machine. This flexibility can be extremely handy in various business environments, where quick communication is essential. Smartphones, tablets, laptops and desktops can all quickly be enabled to make phone calls through VoIP telephony. When cell phone batteries die, or you want to save minutes on a limited phone plan, you can still make important phone calls with these VoIP-enabled devices. Have a Local Number for International Presence Making international calls with VoIP is about as inexpensive as it gets. You also have the added advantage of being able to create a local phone number for wherever your customers happen to be. If you do a lot of business in Indonesia, for instance, you can get a local number that your business associates can call to get a hold of you while you are in the U.S. VoIP essentially allows you to have a local presence, anywhere in the world. Transcribe Voicemails to Emails or Texts There are a number of business VoIP providers that bundle voicemail transcription into their service for an all inclusive price. This feature instantly transcribes all of your voicemails and converts them into text or email, and delivers them right to your inbox. You can save time listening to voicemails, yet still get the important information you need to make business decisions. You can always listen to the full message later, but the transcription is a great way to get important information fast. Huge Cost Savings When you are trying to turn a profit with your business, every little bit helps. In the case of business expenses, you want to minimize what you spend to maximize what you earn but not at the expense of quality and performance. The great thing about VoIP services is that you get the best of both worlds. VoIP plans are much more affordable than any landline service, especially when you get into international rates. With VoIP, youll pay anywhere from $20 to $35 per line depending on how many features youll need. It also offers improved performance and a number of useful options at no extra cost. So you get to save money and get free features with help to improve your business at the same time. Direct Your Calls Where You Want Many VoIP services allow you to get very specific about where and when you want your calls to go. You can set calls to go to multiple phones, or to go straight to voicemail without your phone ringing once. So, if you are unsure of where you are going to be during the day, you can make certain the call will still reach you. Or, if you are going to be working on something important, or in a meeting, you can make sure you are undisturbed. Seamlessly Transfer Calls between Your Devices If you are on an important call, like a business prospect that you have been waiting on for some time, VoIP makes it easy to transfer that important call to any number that you want. So if you get the call on a business line while you are in the office, but you want to stay on the call as you leave to head out for lunch, you can easily switch the call over to your cell phone. Bottom Line: Numerous Upsides With No Downsides Staying competitive in business requires using the best tools available. When it comes to business phone service, VoIP wins hands down. Offering numerous benefits without any negatives, VoIP is likely to become the standard telephone option for all businesses in the future. For any business that has yet to adopt the technology, now is the time to do so. What is the number one root cause behind data breaches across North America for small businesses? If you said negligent employees, you would be right. More than half, or 54 percent of respondents in the 2017 State of SMB Cybersecurity Report gave this very same reason. Top Causes of Data Breaches Third-party mistakes and errors in system or operating process rounded up the top three causes at 43 and 34 percent respectively. With small businesses increasingly becoming favored targets by hackers, this timely report provides extremely valuable information. The second annual study on the State of Cybersecurity in Small and Medium-Sized Businesses was sponsored by Keeper Security and carried out by Ponemon Institute. More than 1,000 IT and IT security practitioners in SMB companies in the United States and United Kingdom participated in the survey. Key Takeaways from the Survey The most important takeaway is the threat these breaches now pose to small businesses. Not only are they increasing, but the attacks are more targeted, severe and sophisticated. In the past 12 months, 61 percent of the respondents were affected by some form of cyberattack. Phishing/social engineering and web-based attacks represented 48 and 43 percent of the methods used for the attacks. But ransomware has made the most dramatic increase in a single year. While only two percent said they experienced a ransomware attack in 2016, it has jumped to 52 percent this year. And of those, 53 percent said they had to deal with more than two incidents. Not having visibility and strict enforcement of employees password practices was also indicated as a problem. As more small businesses make their resources available remotely with mobile devices, the threat will increase. Darren Guccione, CEO and Co-founder of Keeper Security, Inc., said, More than 50 percent of U.S. companies sensitive data can be accessed via an employees smartphone or tablet. This goes to the vulnerability employees inadvertently introduce to a company, and why they are the cause of security breaches. The Threat to Small Businesses The words of Dr. Larry Ponemon, Chairman and Founder of the Ponemon Institute, highlight the gravity of the situation. He said, As both frequency and size of data breaches increases, SMBs must face the reality that a material adverse financial impact on their business is a real possibility One cyber incident could very well put a small company out of business. This is not an exaggeration. In 2016, The Denver Post reported 60 percent of small companies that suffer a cyber-attack are out of business within six months. You can get the complete study here. Salesforce announced a new $50 million venture fund for startups to innovate with AI technology. The goal is to encourage AI startups to develop artificial intelligence solutions that work together with the Salesforce platform. The Salesforce AI Innovation Fund, part of Salesforce Ventures, has already made investments in three AI startups. Salesforce (NYSE: CRM) is placing big emphasis on AI and machine intelligence. One year ago the company launched Einstein, Salesforces artificial intelligence engine. Einstein provides predictive sales forecasting, and uses machine intelligence to score sales opportunities and gain insights from emails. As Tony Rodoni, Executive Vice President for SMB sales at Salesforce, told us in an interview at Small Business Trends back in July, small businesses need AI. AI is a necessity to growth. Behind every deal, every order and every opportunity is a customer. AI marries human interaction and machine intelligence in a way that enables companies to better connect with their customers. Industry analyst Brent Leary, partner with CRM Essentials, echoes the importance of AI. Just like social media became an integral part of CRM, AI and CRM will become inseparable in due time. A huge amount of data is being created from every interaction between people, apps and devices, and the frequency of those interactions is growing exponentially. It will take AI technologies to automate the discovery and transmission of relevant insights needed to create the kind of experiences customers and prospects will gravitate towards as their needs change over time. Artificial intelligence has the potential to make every company and employee smarter, faster, more efficient and more productive, said John Somorjai, EVP at Salesforce Ventures. Highspot is one of the first three companies receiving funding from the Salesforce AI Innovation Fund. Highspots sales enablement platform connects sales teams to relevant content for each situation. The Highspot website says it uses machine learning to surface the most relevant and effective content for each sales opportunity and provide advanced analytics to optimize your sales cycle. Squirro is a Zurich-based startup that also received funding. Squirro takes incomplete or inaccessible sales information and applies AI insights to it. In doing so, it says it helps identify new sales opportunities and reduce data research time. TalkIQ is a real-time voice analytics startup that also received funding. Instead of call shadowing your team, the companys proprietary AI technology can predict the outcomes of your calls and guide you towards achieving better sales, reduced churn, and higher customer satisfaction, according to its website. Salesforce Ventures also made an investment in All Turtles, an AI startup studio that partners together with startups developing artificial intelligence solutions. Phil Libin, the CEO of All Turtles observes weve entered the era of AI innovation. He writes, Once every decade or so, the tech world goes through a season of frantic reinvention when novel platforms enter the mainstream, placing previously intractable problems within reach. I started companies in each of the last three of these periods: the rise of the desktop internet in the mid-90s, the big data movement at the turn of the century, and the explosion of mobile apps in 2008. Another reinvention, caused by the rapid advancement of practical AI, is happening right now. New research shows some U.S. small businesses walking a tightrope by relying on one customer for half or more of their revenue. However, the ninth annual DNA of an entrepreneur report from Hiscox (LON:HSX) is mostly good news. Some Small Businesses Rely on a Single Customer The downside reports that one in six small businesses (16 percent) rely on one customer for the lions share of their revenue (i.e., at least 50% of their revenue). The types of small businesses most guilty of relying on just a single customer for the balance of their business are transportation companies (the average firm relies on one customer for 34 percent of business) and business services (the average firm relies on one customer for 32 percent of their business). There are wide variations in the numbers. But overall, the average small business relies on one customer for a quarter of its total revenue. That means, if one customer leaves, the small business could lose one fourth of its sales. However, most of the information in the report is positive for small businesses. An overwhelming margin of 72 percent of U.S. firms reported bumps in revenue. In fact the number enjoying double digit growth has gone up 7 percent from last year. The balance of American small businesses saying credit is easier to get has tipped slightly to the positive side too. The 14 percent to 13 percent difference is a complete turnaround from last year. Younger entrepreneurs are riding the positive wave too. Half (50 percent) of the young business people under 30 and 46 percent of those in the 30 to 39 age bracket felt they were doing better than a year ago. US small businesses dont appear worried about immigration changes stifling their opportunities. Theres a bump in those who think that political instability is having an effectthe numbers are up to 36 percent from 31 percent last year. US men running small business feel better off than their female counterparts when it comes to personal finances. A full 51 percent said they felt better this year as opposed to 40 percent of American women entrepreneurs. That gap has doubled from a year ago. The survey was based on answers from 4,000 small business executives from companies with fewer than 50 employees across Europe and America. They have been participating in the event since 2012. Font size: A - | A + Members of the Slovak government took part in European Mobility Week, with some ministers using an alternative form of transport to get to the September 20 cabinet session. The ministers of the interior, defence, labour and the economy came to the session by bike or electric car, while the state secretaries of the Foreign Affairs and Environment Ministries used scooters to go to work, the TASR newswire reported. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Interior Minister Robert Kalinak (Smer) and Defence Minister Peter Gajdos (a nominee of the Slovak National Party, SNS) used two separate tandems. Kalinak borrowed his bike from volunteer firefighters from Boleraz (Trnava Region), while Gajdoss bike was painted in camouflage colours. Labour Minister Jan Richter (Smer) arrived at the session on an electric bike, while Economy Minister Peter Ziga (Smer) arrived in an electric car. The Slovak government members have been participating in European Mobility Week, using alternative vehicles to get to the session since 2012, TASR wrote. The topics of their talk included among other issues UN reform, the Middle East peace migration, human rights, North Korea and relations between the USA and Russia. Font size: A - | A + Slovak Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak, as President of the 72nd Session of the UN General Assembly, met with American President Donald Trump in New York, the TASR newswire learnt on September 20. Lajcak and Trump concurred that the UN should focus primarily on people, the Foreign Ministry informed the newswire, adding that they also touched on the issue of UN reform. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement As for human rights, the talk focused on the work of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC). Regarding relations with North Korea, Lajcak stated that no country can ignore and resist the international community. He also stressed the importance of the US support in implementing UN reforms. The Slovak minister pointed to the need of finalising a global compact on migration by September 2018. According to Lajcak, the UNs credibility depends on the successful adoption of this first comprehensive international document concerning migration. Achieving this ambitious goal depends on the support of all member states, including the US. The two politicians also discussed the issue of addressing the illegal drug trade around the world. The idea of renting out M.R. Stefanik airport in the long term has re-surfaced after some time. But it requires the consent of coalition partners. Font size: A - | A + In the future M.R. Stefanik airport in Bratislava should be operated by a private investor. Transport Minister Arpad Ersek (from the coalition Most-Hid party) plans to offer the airport for long-term rental, the Sme daily wrote on September 20. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement The Most-Hid coalition partners of Smer and the Slovak National Party-SNS have already received this alternative for evaluation by the minister. Without their consent, the airport cannot be rented out. The SNS prefers and supports the development of the Bratislava airport under the auspices of the Slovak Republic, party spokesperson Zuzana Skopcova announced. This means that this minor coalition partner may represent a snag in the long-term rental, according to Sme. The rental means that the investor would not become an airport owner but instead operate it for some time, usually 30 years. It should also promise to invest in its modernisation and maintain revenues, while paying rent to the state. We need a concessionaire at the Bratislava airport for 30 years, Ersek stated on September 20, after having met with the media. The goal is to make the airport operate at its full potential. Vain efforts to rent out the airport Several governments have tried to rent out the airport to a private entity usually the rightist ones of prime ministers Miklas Dzurinda and Iveta Radicova. But it was always the next cabinet, PM Robert Ficos, which stopped the plans, or, as in the second Fico cabinet, simply did not finish them. In state hands, the Bratislava airport has repeatedly reached its limits, former airport head Ivan Trhlik pointed out. The ownership structure and unallowed state aid were brakes on investment, as simply put the state cannot invest money in the airport, although a private owner/charterer can. This placed the Bratislava airport at a big disadvantage when compared with the Kosice one. Currently, Austrias Schwechat airport owns 66 percent of the Kosice airport. M.R. Stefanik airport would need hundreds of millions euros in investments to modernise the runway, as well as access to airplanes directly from the terminals. This could help lure not only the low-cost airlines flying now from Bratislava, but also the bigger national airlines. A woman from Bilaspur in Chhattisgarh has accused Phalahari baba of Alwar in Rajasthan of raping her on August 7. By India Today Web Desk: A 21-year-old woman from Bilaspur in Chhattisgarh has filed a sexual assault complaint against a self-styled godman in Rajasthan. A First Information Report or FIR has been filed against Alwar's Kaushalendra Phalahari Maharaj, 70, on the complaint of the woman who accused him of sexually exploiting her. The victim has accused the baba of raping her on August 7. advertisement The woman said in her complaint that Phalahari Maharaj, who owns a sprawling ashram in Alwar, also threatened her of dire consequences if she reports the matter to police. "A girl from Chhattisgarh's Bilaspur has lodged a sexual assault complaint against Baba Phalahari," said Alwar SP, Rahul Prakash. Girl from Chhattisgarh's Bilaspur has lodged a sexual assault complaint against Baba Phalahari: Alwar SP, Rahul Prakash pic.twitter.com/5xIZ1kp2IU- ANI (@ANI) September 21, 2017 According to reports, when the police reached his ashram, Phalahari baba got himself admitted to a private hospital complaining of ill health. A police team is currently stationed outside the hospital to take him away for questioning. "Babaji is currently hospitalised. There is a conspiracy to defame saints," said a close aide of baba. WATCH: Bizarre babas behind bars: Ram Rahim, Asaram --- ENDS --- The man who was sacked for pointing out the stalled investigation of the gravest mining tragedy in modern Slovakia as well as member of the involved expert department, will be awarded for his courage and determination. Font size: A - | A + The Order of Durko Langsfeld for civic courage and professional bravery will be given this year to Vladimir Tejbus, former head of the Central Mining Offices (HBU) mining safety department. Hell receive the order for drawing attention to the fact that the case of the deadliest mining tragedy in Slovakias history, when 20 miners died in the Handlova mine (Trencin Region) on August 10, 2009, wasnt properly concluded, Jan Micovsky of the civic association Spajame Statocnych (We Connect the Brave) told the TASR newswire. In fact, basic safety rules and consequently the rescue work procedures were grossly violated. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement The official version, however, attributed everything to an act of God, while Tejbus was accused of violating the obligation of maintaining secrecy and was dismissed from his job, Micovsky added. The investigation into the circumstances surrounding the fatal explosion in the Handlova mine was re-opened in October 2016 and still has not been concluded. Spokesman explains the continued prosecution The prosecution of the crime for obstructing justice still hasnt been concluded; it continues, Trencin Regional Prosecutors Office spokesman Marian Sipavy told TASR. An investigator from the Prievidza District Police Directorate is taking procedural steps in the case in line with the Penal Code on the orders of a prosecutor from the Prievidza District Prosecutors Office. In the case, which has seen sentences handed down, a prosecutor from the Prievidza District Prosecutors Office, based on an examination of the file, scrapped a decision made by an investigator on September 12, 2016 to drop suspicions concerning the crime of obstructing justice, deeming this unlawful. A copy of the resolution on re-launching the prosecution obtained by TASR states that the perpetrator, a staff member of the Main Mining Office (HBU), via their orders concerning the drawing up of a report on the findings, influenced the work of the consultative commission. The private channel TV Markiza was the first to report on the investigations re-launching in October 2016, citing Tejbus. The evidence found in the investigation dossier suggests that the entire course of the mining tragedy, mainly the causes of the fatal work injuries to the 20 miners, could have been, with a probability bordering on certainty, entirely different, said Tejbus, who presided over the consultative commission. According to TV Markiza, the probable causes of death did not make it into the commissions final report following an intervention by HBU chairman Peter Kukelcik. HBU reacted to the report by denying the accusations. About the award and the inspiring personality This years Order of Durko Langsfeld ceremony is to take place in Prievidza on October 7. In addition to the families of the dead miners, President Andrej Kiska and many mining experts have been invited to the ceremony. Were convinced that examples of civic courage and bravery are of particular importance in our country nowadays, said Micovsky, adding that the award has so far been bestowed on seven Slovak figures. Juraj Langsfeld, also called Durko Langsfeld, was a 19th-century national revivalist, teacher and rebel who fought in a volunteer corps against the imperial Hungarian army, betrayed by his uncle for 300 guldens and hanged on June 22, 1849, aged 23, after he refused the pardon offered by the court in exchange for giving up his revolutionary ideals and political leaders (i.e. the group around Stur). In the first year of being opened to public, the cave in Orava attracted thousands of visitors. Font size: A - | A + More information about travelling in Slovakia Please see our Please see our Spectacular Slovakia travel guide The only cave in the Orava area in northern Slovakia, the Brestovksa jaskyna cave has been visited by more than 12,000 people since its opening. The interest in the cave located in the northern fringes of the Rohace mountain range is enormous: tourists cannot make it into the cave during the main season without booking in advance, the TASR newswire wrote on September 20. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement In the two months it was opened last year, more than 3,000 people visited it, Miroslav Kudla of the Slovak Caves administration (Spravy slovenskych jaskyn) told TASR. This shows the special interest people have in the new cave. However, this has not decreased this year, when between January and the end of August more than 9,000 tourists visited the cave, comparable to the Gombasecka jaskyna cave, for example, he added. video //www.youtube.com/embed/t6etdvg6iLE Brestovska jaskyna was made accessible to the public after long decades in September 2016. It is open for ten months a year, excluding November and December. The number of visitors is limited by the confined space of the cave. This enables a maximum of 15 people at one time to enter. During the main season, a maximum of 90 people a day are able to visit. Due to considerable limitation regarding capacity, we had to introduce a booking system, Kudla explained. He added that those who came randomly without advance booking usually did not make it into the caves interior. The utilisation rate for entries was 97 percent in July. The ups and down of Brestovska jaskyna cave Brestovska jaskyna visitors face a hike in the more demanding terrain of the natural bottom of the cave tunnels with minimum interventions, steep stairs, narrower corridors or climbing irons, Kudla warned. They obtain helmets and their own forehead lights. Read also: Read also: Exploring Slovakias caverns and caves (Spectacular Slovakia - travel guide) Read more Compared to most caves open to the public where tourists walk on concrete paths under installed electric lighting, a visit to the cave under Rohace requires better conditions. The active watercourse flowing along the bottom and which is home to many remarkable species gives the Brestovska jaskyna cave a unique character, Kudla opined for TASR. Also the relief of the cave rooms, the result of the waters impact, renders it with a typical appearance. In particular, the roof hanging rocks and massive wall rock outlines above the watercourse tend to catch the eyes of visitors. A selective leak has tarnished President Kiskas reputation. But he must continue to speak out about corruption. Font size: A - | A + For more than two years, Andrej Kiska has been a strong voice speaking up for transparency, decency, respect. Those words have routinely been part of his every speech, and for the first time in many years the Slovak public has begun to feel like the president is doing the thing right. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Kiskas voice was relevant and appealed to many because there was also very little in his past to make it sound insincere. Take his presidential campaign in 2014: the worst thing that his competitor in the run-off, Robert Fico, could conjure up to throw at him was a groundless allegation that the president-to-be was a Scientologist. Read also: Read also: President Kiska talks about transparency, hides documents Read more But recently leaked documents now cast a shadow over Kiska too. Details of a tax audit that major Slovak newsrooms received in mid-September show that Kiskas company mishandled its taxes related to his presidential campaign. Even though it later put things right by paying 27,000 that it owed the state, plus a penalty, the shadow of doubt that this was intentional rather than due to an accounting error, lingers. There are many people in this country who will make sure that this matter continues to haunt Kiska every time he opens his mouth in future to speak up against corruption and misuse of public money. The president chose to be very brief in his reaction to the leaks. He did not lower his eyes and admit he had made a mistake. Instead, his explanation was along the lines: we did nothing wrong, everything was paid eventually, everybody does it this way. Unfortunately for the country and its entrepreneurial ethics, the case will serve as an excuse for those who routinely practise the art of creative accounting trying to include as many things as possible among their business costs to decrease their tax liability, and then if tax inspectors find they did something wrong, just paying the extra tax plus a fine. Its called effective regret and, incidentally, is the same device that the notorious Mr Basternak is seeking to use to get rid of his problems. The mention of Basternak here is not incidental. In a covering letter sent to journalists, the anonymous author of the leak stresses that there are similarities between the controversial tycoon and Kiska. In fact, there are many differences: the fact that the sums of money involved are incomparable is only one. Which brings us to the question that is perhaps key to this whole affair. Who was the anonymous sender and how did they get hold of documents that supposedly fall under tax secrecy laws and should not be accessible to the public? The Kiska leak comes at the same time as Speaker of Parliament Andrej Danko is also facing allegations of involvement in corrupt practices, based on a classified document that opposition MPs got hold of. And Kiskas case is not unlike that of Igor Matovic, whose tax affairs have been the subject of more than one press conference by Prime Minister Robert Fico. In fact, Kiska himself pointed to the case of Matovic when he spoke to Finance Minister Peter Kazimir to insist that the Financial Administration makes sure tax secrecy is preserved. Just as in the case of Matovic, some details of Kiskas case (the unusually detailed tax audit protocol) suggest that the audit at his company was not random. Kiska was quick to sound the alarm about the violation of secrecy: If a head of state can be attacked in such a way, no single person in Slovakia can be sure that such gangland-style blackmailing practices will not be used against him or her. This alarm might seem insincere to those who interpret it as just an attempt by the president to defend himself. But he is right on this one. Citizens cannot feel safe in a state that so easily betrays its secrets secrecy that, in the case of tax, is designed precisely to protect them. It is yet another instance in which the country needs a strong voice to address the problem. But because of his companys actions, President Kiska is for now unable to speak out convincingly. 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. Simpson Manufacturing Co., Inc., through its subsidiaries, designs, engineers, manufactures, and sells wood and concrete construction products. The company offers wood construction products, including connectors, truss plates, fastening systems, fasteners and shearwalls, and pre-fabricated lateral systems for use in light-frame construction; and concrete construction products comprising adhesives, specialty chemicals, mechanical anchors, carbide drill bits, powder actuated tools, fiber-reinforced materials, and other repair products for use in concrete, masonry, and steel construction, as well as grouts, coatings, sealers, mortars, fiberglass and fiber-reinforced polymer systems, and asphalt products for use in concrete construction repair, and strengthening and protection products. It also provides connectors and lateral products for wood framing, timber and offsite construction, structural steel construction, and cold-formed steel applications; and mechanical and adhesive anchors for concrete and masonry construction applications. In addition, the company offers engineering and design services, as well as software solutions that facilitate the specification, selection, and use of its products. It markets its products to the residential construction, light industrial and commercial construction, remodeling, and do-it-yourself markets in the United States, Canada, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark, Switzerland, Portugal, Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Sweden, Norway, Australia, New Zealand, China, Taiwan, and Vietnam. The company was founded in 1956 and is headquartered in Pleasanton, California. Anupam Kher, veteran actor who also has a show on Arnab Goswami's Republic TV, had a slightly heated Twitter exchange with senior journalist Rajdeep Sardesai about journalists quitting on moral grounds. Here's what happened. By India Today Web Desk: It's been two days since senior journalist Rajdeep Sardesai called out Arnab Goswami, the Editor-in-Chief of Republic TV, on a lie. Now, veteran actor Anupam Kher has come out in support of Arnab Goswami and tried to defend him. It backfired, and how! QUICK RECAP A video that showed Arnab Goswami delivering a speech and talking about a particular incident that happened when he was covering Gujarat riots of 2002 had gone viral again this year. The video went viral first last year. advertisement Arnab narrates how 'trishul-wielding' Hindutva militants attacked the car he and his colleagues were travelling in, just 50 metres from then CM of Gujarat Narendra Modi's residence. He goes on to say that the Hindutva hardliners asked Arnab and his colleagues to reveal their religions but managed to escape the tense situation by proving they were journalists using the press cards. Arnab also said that his driver, who did not have a press card, showed the enraged Hindutva militants a tattoo on his hand that said "Hey Ram" and escaped their wrath. The incident Arnab narrated is not fiction. It really happened, except not with him. Rajdeep Sardesai described the entire episode in his book 2014: The Election that Changed India. When the viral video came to his notice, Rajdeep Sardesai decided to set the records straight and called out his former colleague, on Twitter, for presenting the experience as his own. Wow! My friend Arnab claims his car attacked next to CM Res in Guj riots! Truth:he wasn't covering Ahmedabad riots!! https://t.co/xOe7zY8rCp- Rajdeep Sardesai (@sardesairajdeep) September 19, 2017 As usual, Twitter was divided on the issue. Some said Arnab Goswami cannot lie, some said "he does that on a daily basis." Twitterati even trended#ArnabDidIt and re-imagined events in history as it would have happened if Arnab claimed to be responsible for it. For instance... At the stroke of midnight, when India was sleeping, Arnab was escorting British out of India. #ArnabDidIt pic.twitter.com/Urvzx4QYmA- Pun of God (@Punofgod) September 20, 2017 I now ask a simple direct question: nation wants to know if Arnab will resign and quit journalism if his story turns out to be false?- Rajdeep Sardesai (@sardesairajdeep) September 20, 2017 Quoting this tweet, Anupam Kher asked,"Nation also wants to know how many times have you resigned and quit journalism when your innumerable stories have turned out to be false?" Nation also wants to know how many times have you resigned and quit journalism when your innumerable stories have turned out to be false? https://t.co/AQg3M8R5XR- Anupam Kher (@AnupamPkher) September 20, 2017 advertisement Sardesai, who has locked horns with Anupam Kher during the intolerance debate, replied saying,"Well said sir. Not holier than thou at all. But some of us apologise when we make mistakes, some brazen it out, that's all." well said sir. Not holier than thou at all. But some of us apologise when we make mistakes, some brazen it out, that's all.- Rajdeep Sardesai (@sardesairajdeep) September 20, 2017 Instead of leaving it there, Anupam Kher went on to give unsolicited advice to Sardesai. He said, "I am sure Arnab can fight his own battle. Par aap logo ne itne saal saath kaam kiya hai. Toote hue rishto ki bhi ek maryada hoti hai." (You have worked together for so long. There should be dignity even in broken friendships). I am sure Arnab can fight his own battle. Per Aap logoA? ne itne saal saath kaam kiya hai. AooAe hue rishtoA? ki bhi ek maryada hoti hai. https://t.co/0KJIeqQAjW- Anupam Kher (@AnupamPkher) September 20, 2017 "Twitter users, however, was not pleased with Anupam Kher stepping up to defend Arnab Goswami using the done to death "what about" argument. Jab Aamir Khan ke khilaaf intolerance march kiya tha, tab kya Maryada tel lene gaya tha? https://t.co/DoRAZtXnNZ- SANJAY HEGDE (@sanjayuvacha) September 21, 2017 Still Defending Arnab?What A shame Mr anupam kher https://t.co/Pok6PLjr3C- Bhupender Chaudhary (@Chaudhhree) September 21, 2017 Anupam Kher's reaction when he got to know Arnab spoke against their current boss and about 2002 incident. pic.twitter.com/hRpzBGrzQX- FAZLUR (@fazlurtweets) September 21, 2017 You are a coward Mr Anupam Kher because u hide behind ppl like Arnab n don't have the guts to speak ur mind.....- Umed Shaikh (@shaikh_umed) September 21, 2017 Anupam kher please understand difference between story turning out false & someone lying shamelessly. Stop defending arnab the liar- Sanjeev Ratan Singh (@sratsingh) September 21, 2017 U r takin sides kher sab.B on truths side.Counter questns don't absolve arnab f his lie.U asked rajdeep,now ask arnab 2 on a public plat4m.- abhinav srivastava (@mynameisabhinav) September 21, 2017 --- ENDS --- advertisement I was reflecting on an interview about the role and importance of Asian, and specifically Chinese, FinTech when something exploded in the middle of my head. Not literally, of course, although you might have said that, but more an idea that had occurred to me a few times but suddenly was crystal clear. Stereotypes. We stereotype a lot. I was telling the journalist that the West is not keeping up with developments in the East, and whilst our ailing legacy infrastructure not banking legacy, but legacy everything creaks and groans into the 21st century, how jealous I am of Chinas technological leadership. She had just told me, for example, that if you lost a child in Beijing the police have their digital identity records to track and trace them fast. Do we have those in England? Not in the same way, although our government is not so interested in tracking and tracing us from such a young age. And there it is. That typical Western view of China: its a police state nation that abuses human rights. Or thats what some of our media reports, and some of it is true. What they overlook however, is that China may have been like that in the last century and it takes time to change, but it is changing, as I pointed out the other day. It was then that it hit me. That overwhelming feeling of how stereotypes stay with us and are hard to shake off. It was a bit like the moment a few years ago when someone asked me to come to Colombia, and I took a deep breath. I paused because a while ago I was due to go to Bogota on business, when I was employed. The business was cancelled by my American bosses over fears of kidnapping, as Colombia was one of the worlds most dangerous states for foreign business people back then. That was then though, and this is now. Ive been to Colombia many times in the past five years and its a beautiful country full of beautiful people. Equally, for those watching Narcos, youll know that its almost 25 years since Pablo Escobar died, so move on. Its a little like when I got an invite to go to Rwanda, and the first word that pops into your head is genocide. Yes, there was a genocide in Rwanda in 1994, and it was disgusting. A false battle created by historical colonizing interventions of divide and rule, and funded by those very same foreign puppet masters. But that was 1994, and this is now. In visiting Rwanda, I found a beautiful country full of beautiful people, with very bad memories. I could go on: Ukraine, Russia, Pakistan, Iran and more have all got some negative publicity in my lifetime in our media. So what? So has Bosnia, Serbia and Ireland, but do we blackmark all these countries for their terrible histories? If we did, then we wouldnt go near Germany or Britain. Its the media coverage that makes us nervous and, for those who havent travelled, would make our journeys very limited. It is the reason why some tourists cancel their holidays in the South of France when they hear theres been a terrorist attack in Paris. Same country, but not the same location. Equally, attacks like the one that occurred at the Bataclan concert hall are not happening every day in France. They are once in a while. In fact, the terrorist outbreaks of recent times remind me of growing up in the era of the IRA. I never went to Northern Ireland back then, but I did share a hall of residence with a couple of guys from Belfast. I learned that the reality is that most troubles were communicated to avoid killings, and so most of the time you could drink in your local pub and have no worries. If the code had been given, the landlord would raise alarm and you would all leave. It was all very matter of fact. What this taught me is that trouble only usually exists if you go find it or stumble into it. That is why I travel all the time, including to many countries that have negativity in Western media, because I know that I will only find out what that country is really like if I go there. Nearly every time I go there, I find the media portrayal has created a stereotype image of a country that is rarely ever the actual situation. In fact, most of the time that stereotypical portrayal is based upon old news, or is based upon an isolated area of the country which does not represent the country as a whole. That is why I would recommend anyone nervous of travelling to travel safe, but still go. By way of example, my worst travel moment was where I could have been killed, retrospectively. I had been out for the evening in an area of town that felt really cool and buzzing. The bars were full and the evening was long. We had some great music going, and danced till dawn. I got back to the hotel and the following day my host asked me if Id had a good evening. I told him where Id been. His face went white and his jaw dropped. Whats the problem, I asked. He told me that no white people go to that part of town without an escort. This was 1987 in Chicago. Just goes to show. In conclusion, I know this blog entry has nothing to do with banking and FinTech, but Im writing it for a different reason. Im writing it to just ask you: are you open or closed to the world? Is your world view narrow or broad? Are you willing to embrace new ideas and new countries, or would you rather stay local in your own space? If your answer is stay local, then you will find the new digital age difficult as the more I travel, the more I find everyone is connected. Staying off the global grid is hard, but good luck. Funding, Grants & Awards 5 Winners Named for Homework Gap Grant Kajeet has selected the winners of its Homework Gap Grant, expanding the number of awards from three to five in response to the number of responses. The grant was designed to help schools pilot one of Kajeet's home access solutions in an attempt to provide internet access to student outside of school. Among the five winners, four will use the company's Kajeet SmartSpots, and one will use the Kajeet SmartBus. The winning districts will launch their pilots this month and carry them on throughout the school year. "We were deeply impressed by their stories, and of course the need that expands across our nation to provide all students equal access," said Daniel Neal, CEO and founder of Kajeet, in a prepared statement. "With so much need, we increased the number of grant winners contributing to closing the Homework Gap in even more districts." Stanfield Elementary School District 24, home of the longest bus route in Arizona, will use a Kajeet SmartBus solution to provide internet access to students who spend more than an hour on the bus each way. "I'm excited that our students are going to have an opportunity to use digital remediation programs that we now have in place," said Kimberly Christie, math specialist at Stanfield, in a prepared statement. "They were unable to do so before because they lacked Internet access." The School District of the Menomonie Area will offer students Kajeet SmartSpots as they expand their 1-to-1 program to grades 6-12. "This grant offers an opportunity for us to pilot providing after-school Internet access," said Katie Krueger, director of technology services for the district, in a news release. "The Kajeet devices will help things go smoothly. By giving students Internet access at home, we are able to remove even more barriers than we anticipated in the first year of the 1-to-1 rollout." The Unionville-Chadds Ford School District recently began moving toward an all-digital curriculum after a 1-to-1 rollout and adoption of a new learning management system (LMS). "We are hoping now for timely turn-in of assignments, students to do research at home and maybe staying for clubs after school instead of just doing homework," said Justin Webb, director of technology at Unionville-Chadds Ford, in a prepared statement. "I want to help those kids in need." Warsaw Community Schools launched its 1-to-1 program three years ago and has rolled devices out across all grades and allows them to go home with students in grades 5-12. Many students in the rural district do not have access to the internet at home or transportation to a local business where they might otherwise access the web. "We're really looking forward to giving those students who don't have Internet access at home the opportunity to collaborate with peers and enjoy the rich digital content that other students currently have," said CTO Brad Hagg in a news release. Webutuck Central School District is also largely rural, with many students coming from economically disadvantaged homes. "I want to ensure that our students have access to anything that they want whatever they want to learn, on whatever platform, in and outside of school," said Bill Brown, director of technology at Webutuck, in a prepared statement. For more information, visit kajeet.net. By David Stanway SHENZHEN (Reuters) - Chinese automaker BYD Co Ltd expects the country's shift to cleaner new-energy vehicles (NEV) to be complete in just over a decade, an aggressive timeframe that would challenge traditional carmakers in the world' top auto market. All vehicles in the country will be "electrified" by 2030, which could range from full electric cars to mild hybrids, BYD Chairman Wang Chuanfu said on Thursday. BYD, backed by Warren Buffett, has already invested heavily in the NEV market. Carmakers around the world are grappling with government plans to shift away from petrol engine cars to newer, less polluting technologies - a trend that is creating one of the most seismic shifts the automotive industry has gone through. Earlier this month, a senior Chinese official said the country had begun studying when to ban the production and sale of cars using traditional fuels, without giving a timeframe for the shift. The United Kingdom and France have said they will ban new petrol and diesel cars from 2040. "We are very confident about all the timetables (to eliminate fossil fuel cars) and we think it will happen earlier than expected," Wang said at an event in Shenzhen. "Various governments have announced timetables to end the sale of fossil fuel cars and this is putting pressure on everyone else." China has set goals for electric and plug-in hybrid cars to make up at least a fifth of its auto sales by 2025 in a bid to combat air pollution and close a competitive gap between its newer domestic automakers and their global rivals. "It's certainly possible for all cars an automaker sells in China and around the world to be electrified in some way by 2030," said James Chao, Shanghai-based Asia-Pacific head of consultancy IHS Markit Automotive. Others have been less optimistic about the pace of the industry's shift to electric cars. This month, General Motor Co's CEO said during a visit to China that the shift to NEVs would only work with continued government support and that consumers should be the ones driving demand rather than government mandate. However, China is phasing out subsidies that have supported makers of NEVs like BYD, leading to a sharp fall in profits for the firm so far this year. Global carmakers have also called on China to soften "impossible" targets for NEVs, which require firms to sell electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles to generate 'credits' equivalent to 8 percent of total sales by next year. Wang added that 20 cities in China would start building BYD sky rail transport systems next year, amid a push by the firm to diversify away from cars alone. Its first sky rail project was launched in the northwestern city of Yinchuan this month. (Reporting by David Stanway; additional reporting by Norihiko Shirouzu in BEIJING, writing by Adam Jourdan; Editing by Himani Sarkar) By Luc Cohen BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentina is behind on at least $700 million (519 million pounds) in promised subsidy payments to natural gas producers, hurting oil companies at a time when the government is trying to woo more investment in the nation's energy sector. The incentives have cost cash-strapped Argentina more than $7 billion since they were implemented in 2013 by former leftist President Cristina Fernandez. The programme, unique in Latin America, is aimed at attracting investment to help boost the country's declining output and reduce its reliance on imported liquefied natural gas. Payment delays have plagued the programme from its inception, but they have lengthened under President Mauricio Macri, Fernandez's business-friendly successor. He took office in December 2015 vowing to jumpstart Argentina's struggling economy and cut a primary fiscal deficit equivalent to more than 5 percent of gross domestic product. "The state does not have the money," said Daniel Gerold of G&G Energy Consultants in Buenos Aires. "The companies are being patient, but they are clearly concerned because they know perfectly well that there is a significant fiscal problem." Hardest hit is state-owned YPF SA , which produces a third of Argentina's natural gas. It was owed $551 million in unpaid subsidies at the end of the second quarter. The government is supposed to pay the gas subsidies quarterly. But payments to YPF are now 10 months in arrears, YPF Chief Financial Officer Daniel Gonzalez said in an earnings call last month. That is up from a delay of four to five months that Gonzalez reported to investors in August 2015. The lag forced YPF to raise debt in July, Gonzalez said. And it could upend the goal of the heavily-indebted company to become cash-flow neutral this year, according to an analyst covering the company. Argentina's Pampa Energia is feeling the squeeze as well. In the second quarter of 2017, the firm recorded 2.4 billion pesos, or $140 million, in uncollected payments, financial statements show. That is up from 1.6 billion pesos (74.2 million pounds) at the end of last year. Pampa did not respond to a request for comment. Two multinational oil majors are also experiencing delays of between four and eight months in receiving their subsidies, two industry sources told Reuters on the condition that the companies not be named. (For a graphic on Argentine gas subsidies, see http://tmsnrt.rs/2xLGZuC) A TOUGH SELL The tardy payments underscore the difficult balancing act Macri faces as he tries to shore up Argentina's shaky finances and polish the nation's image after a decade of populist, interventionist rule that spooked foreign investors. While he has cut back energy subsidies to families, he has retained the so-called Plan Gas incentive programme for producers. Macri's administration views the payouts as crucial to attracting oil majors to Argentina, whose high labour costs and difficult logistics are a tough sell in an era of low energy prices. Natural gas producers would be hard-pressed to find a better deal in terms of price. Argentina's guaranteed floor of $7.50 per million British thermal units (mBtu) for new production above a set base level is more than double the current price of $3.13 per mBtu for October natural gas futures. But the late payments are causing unease among producers already wary of political uncertainty. In a recent letter to Argentina's Energy Ministry, the Hydrocarbon Exploration and Production Chamber, an industry trade group whose members include Chevron Corp and BP Plcs Pan American Energy, said the delays "cause great harm" to members and are putting exploration and production activity "at risk", according to a copy of the document viewed by Reuters. Argentina's Energy Ministry declined to comment about the letter or the subsidy delays. A spokesman for Macri's office did not respond to a request for comment. The subsidies were set to expire at the end of 2017. But Macri in January extended them, with some changes, through 2021. The government called the payments "indispensable" to attracting investment in Vaca Muerta, a Belgium-sized shale formation that is critical to Argentina's aim of closing its energy deficit and becoming a net oil and gas exporter. [nL1N1F00W0] Gustavo Garcia, an economist who has published a paper on the fiscal impact of the programme, said the late payments complicate the government's goal to boost production. "This programme was created so that companies would invest, to give them liquidity," Garcia said. "Obviously if it is delayed, it is not meeting that objective." BUDGET BUSTING The lengthening delays come as the government seeks to cut spending and lower Argentina's fiscal deficit to 3.2 percent of gross domestic product in 2018, down from an expected 4 percent this year and 4.6 percent last year. Next year, companies will continue to receive a minimum price of $7.50 per mBtu for increased unconventional production in the western Patagonian province of Neuquen, where Vaca Muerta is located. That price will gradually fall to $6 per mBtu by 2021. The subsidies have led to a modest increase in gas production. The country's total output rose gradually from as little as 112 billion cubic meters per day in 2014 to 122 billion this year. But it has come at a steep price for taxpayers. The government's 2016 budget initially included 11.5 billion pesos for the programme ($891 million at the December 2015 exchange rate), but it ended up paying out 43 billion pesos ($2.8 billion). Macri's government says it inherited 16 billion pesos in unpaid subsidies from the Fernandez administration. Rather than paying those debts in cash, last year it gave oil companies $1.1 billion in bonds at 8 percent annual interest. Economist Garcia said the 2016 subsidy bill was more than the government spent on a popular cash transfer programme for children. "For Argentina, it is a lot," he said. "They are paying more to oil companies than to the most humble families." For a graphic, click http://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/rngs/ARGENTINA-SHALE-SUBSIDIES/010050VW1ZY/index.html (Reporting by Luc Cohen; Additional reporting by Juliana Castilla in Buenos Aires; Editing by Caroline Stauffer and Marla Dickerson) By Anthony Boadle and Lisandra Paraguassu NEW YORK (Reuters) - Brazil's President Michel Temer said on Wednesday state-run oil company Petroleo Brasileiro, a symbol of national sovereignty, would stay in public hands even as his government makes an aggressive privatisation push. Temer, speaking at a Reuters Newsmaker event in New York, also said that sprawling investigations that have led to corruption charges against scores of powerful figures - including him - show that Brazil's governmental institutions are independent and working well. The leader of Latin America's largest nation said the fight against corruption was giving investors more confidence to do business in Brazil and this was being reflected in the nation's benchmark stock index trading near all-time highs. "It was an important and daring decision to open Eletrobras capital to private investors," Temer said, referring to a decision announced last month to sell a controlling stake in Centrais Eletricas Brasileiras SA, Brazil and Latin America's largest utility. Inviting outside investment in Brazil is part of business-friendly Temer's plan to help the country recover from its deepest recession and to provide much-needed funds to bridge its gaping budget deficit. However, he ruled out a similar step with the state oil company, known as Petrobras, saying it held "a very strong symbolism" of national sovereignty for Brazilians. "Naturally, we are not thinking of privatising it," he said. 'NOT WORRIED' Temer has been charged with graft based on the plea-bargain testimony of the owners of the world's largest meatpacker, JBS SA. They accused him of taking bribes in return for political favours and of conspiring to buy the silence of a witness who could implicate the leader. Temer has repeatedly said he is innocent of any wrongdoing. He said at the Reuters event he was not concerned about being charged with racketeering and obstruction of justice last week. "These accusations must be investigated, but I am not worried about this in the least," he said. Shortly after Temer spoke, a majority of the judges on Brazil's Supreme Court voted to send the new charges against him to the lower house of Congress, which must authorize any trial against a sitting president. Last month, the chamber blocked an earlier corruption charge against him and Temer and his allies are confident the new ones will also be blocked by the chamber. But they acknowledge that the government's reform agenda will be delayed while it spends time and energy defending the president. During the wide-ranging, 45-minute discussion at the headquarters of Reuters, Temer also said that the Mercosur trade bloc of South American nations hopes to reach a trade deal with the European Union by the end of the year. Investors attending the event praised Temer's openness about the corruption cases against him and for his determination to pass a pension reform bill, even though the president gave no indication of when that could happen. The bill is Temer's main measure to plug the budget deficit that cost Brazil its hard-won investment credit rating grade two years ago. Analysts expect the bill to be watered down to its bare bones to be able to clear Congress this year. "That's enough to keep markets satisfied and to fend off a number of downgrades in credit ratings," said Alejo Czerwonko, emerging markets strategist at UBS AG. (Reporting by Anthony Boadle and Lisandra Paraguassu in New York; Writing by Brad Brooks; Editing by Daniel Flynn and Bill Rigby) (Getty Images) A brother and sister have been recognised in France as the legal parents of a child conceived from their incestuous relationship. Siblings Herve and Rose-Marie had a baby daughter eight years ago. They were not aware at the time that they had the same mother. The pair were brought up separately in different foster families, but met by chance in 2006 and began a relationship. They broke up shortly before the birth of their child in 2009, who was raised by her mother since birth. The little girls father Herve officially recognised the baby as his, just before the mother Rose-Marie, when she was born. The Caen Court of Appeal decided to retain both Herve and Rose-Marie as her legal parents, as it was found to be in the best interests of the child, despite this being outlawed by the French Civil Code. Article 310-2 of the code states that if there is an impediment to marriage between a father and mother, which includes incest, and filiation has already been established with one parent, it is forbidden to establish filiation with the other parent. Most popular on Yahoo News UK Mum travels to Spain on 15-year-old daughters passport Couple face jail for having sex at Dominos pizza counter Theresa May to hand billions to EU Worlds richest woman dies Shameless driver admits to parking in parent and child supermarket spaces But the court made the decision to uphold the ruling of a magistrates court to retain the civil status of the brother and sister as parents. Following the code would mean that the girls mother would not be recognised as her parent as her father was legally recognised before she was. The court decided that as the father had not brought her up, this would not be a suitable course of action and could have harmful consequences for that child. Catherine Besson, the fathers lawyer, told Le Parisien: Its a happy decision for Oceane. Herve, the father, was the first to say that is a parental tie were to go, it had to be his. He did not raise this child. By Stephen Eisenhammer DUNDO, Angola (Reuters) - Captured by militia and accused of being married to a Congolese government official, Kimpanga Caro could smell the fire she was told would be used to burn her decapitated head to ash. Caro, whose husband is a pastor not an official, was freed when one of the militiamen recognised her. She raced back home to find her husband in their ransacked village. They fled south, on foot with their five children, towards a country they heard was safe: Angola. Thirty thousand of her compatriots have made the same journey so far, among 1.4 million people driven from their homes in a year of violence in the central Kasai region of the Democratic Republic of Congo. There are signs that the refugee crisis is causing Angola -- a powerful regional ally that helped sustain Congolese President Joseph Kabila and his father in power for two decades -- to question its support for the leader of its volatile neighbour. At least 3,300 people have been killed in Kasai since the Kamuina Nsapu militia launched an insurrection to force a military withdrawal from the area. Refugees say villages have been destroyed and women have been raped both by the militiamen and by soldiers who have fought them. Their flight into the Angolan province of Lunda Norte has brought an international relief effort to the area for the first time since Angola's own 27-year civil war ended in 2002. A cooling in Angolas support for Kabila would leave the Congolese president more isolated than ever and make it even harder for him to hang on to power beyond the end of this year, when he has pledged to hold an election already a year late. Angola, with the third largest economy in sub-Saharan Africa and one of the region's strongest militaries, has twice in the past sent troops to prop up Kabila. Now, its soldiers are trying to contain the violence on the frontier. Luanda has doubled its troops and police on the border, according to Marcelino Caetano, provincial director of the Service for Migration and Foreigners, responsible for Lunda Norte province's 770-kilometre border with the DRC. We will maintain this level of control for as long as we have to, he said in his cramped, well-guarded offices in Dundo, an old diamond mining town just 9 kilometres from the border, declining to give exact numbers for Angolan troops in the area. Angola had pushed Kinshasa to allow U.N. officials into Kasai to help, but the Congolese have declined, he said. Since March, two Angolan border guards and one immigration official have been killed in attacks by Congolese militia on four separate border posts, said Inacio Feliciano, a senior police commander. Aid agencies suspect Angolan forces are patrolling inside Congo, though Caetano denied this. NEW LEADER The unrest is not the only change that could alter Angola's policy of supporting Kabila: in Luanda, a new president is about to take power after 38 years of rule by Jose Eduardo dos Santos. Joao Lourenco, a military man and former defence minister, lacks dos Santos's historic ties with Kabila and his father Laurent, who took power in Congo in 1997 and was killed in 2001. Lourenco regards Kabila as an increasingly destabilising force, according to a diplomat familiar with his thinking, although the diplomat said military intervention against Kabila remains unlikely as it would probably make things worse. He doesnt want a Libya on his doorstep. Angola has worried about the 2,600-kilometre border it shares with the DRC for decades. During Angola's civil war, enemies of the ruling MPLA party hid, trained and armed in the former Zaire. Unrest in the vast, mineral rich Congo has had a tendency to draw its neighbours into regional conflict. With the victims of the Kasai violence now crossing into Angola and the threat of militia groups moving across the border too, the benefit of keeping Kabila as an ally is less obvious. At the Chissanda crossing last week, located just north of Dundo, two officials said the border was closed. Guards sat around chatting and watching the sun set. Authorities say they are letting refugees cross, though the stream has stopped in recent weeks. Some are even choosing to return home. The Congolese army says it has taken back control of Kasai, though Commander Feliciano said he had received reports of clashes around the city of Kananga on Sept 7. Refugees interviewed by Reuters told of soldiers raping and executing residents for supporting the militia in villages the army had taken back. We expect it to get worse again as we approach the end of the year, said Guy-Rufin Guernas, the local head for the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) in Dundo. Kabila agreed to hold presidential elections, due in 2016, by December. But the vote looks unlikely to happen by then, potentially sparking a violent backlash. UNHCR is working on the basis that another 50,000 refugees could cross into Angola before 2017 ends. To accommodate them, a new settlement is being constructed about 100 km outside Dundo, in the municipality of Lovua. Last Wednesday, recent arrivals were digging up roots on the 25x25 metre plots of land that families are being given in this remote area of sparse forest. Getting equipment, from solar lights to bulldozers, is difficult and expensive. Located at the north-eastern tip of Angola, Dundos airport only just re-opened. Most goods are brought in by truck from Saurimo, the provincial capital of neighbouring Lunda Sul, three hours away. At night there is almost total darkness. Buying basic goods is difficult. The cost of taking in the refugees is steep for Angola, which is in the midst of recession after the fall in the price of oil, its main source of wealth. Angola has had its own war, it understands the suffering these people are going through, said Guernas. In Cacanda, an earlier more ad-hoc settlement where nearly 7,000 refugees are still crammed under tarpaulin before they move to Lovua, many complain of a lack of food and shelter. Rafael Tshimbumba, 50, says the conditions may be basic but he cannot return to Kasai. He lost four children in the violence, when militias arrived at his village and began killing anyone that spoke Tshiluba, language of the Baluba people, highlighting the increasingly tribal element of the conflict. Here at least we are safe, he said, wearing the red and black t-shirt of the MPLA party that governs Angola. For Caro, who escaped from Congo with her pastor husband after the militia threatened to kill her, the flight itself led only to more danger. As the family stopped to rest in a village near the border, a passing car snatched her 5-year old boy. She searched for him for days and put a message out on the local radio, but found nothing. Only God knows where hes gone, she said, holding her youngest child in her arms. (Editing by Peter Graff) Home Minister Rajnath Singh asked why people are objecting to Rohingya deportation when Myanmar is ready to take them back. By Jitendra Bahadur Singh, Kamaljit Kaur Sandhu: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today said that Rohingyas who have come from Myanmar are not refugees as they have not followed due procedures to get the refugee status. Speaking at a programme organised by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Rajnath Singh asked why some people are objecting to the deportation of Rohingyas when Myanmar is ready to take them back. advertisement At the same event, NHRC chief H L Dattu said that the human rights commission will "plead the case of 40,000 Rohingyas on humanitarian ground". "(We) cannot comment on government policy. We are helping them (Rohingyas) because they are being persecuted in Myanmar," the NHRC chief said. Home Minister Rajnath Singh said that illegal immigrants cannot be treated as refugees on the ground of human rights. "Human rights ka hawala de kar illegal immigrants ko refugee batane ki galti nahi ki jaani chahiye," Rajnath Singh said. ROHINGYAS ARE NOT REFUGEES The Home Minister said that the resources in the country are first meant for its citizens and before worrying about others' human rights, the human rights of Indians should be considered first. "Bharat ke andar jo bhi resource hai uss par Bharatiya ka adhikar hai. Doosron ke manvadhikar ki chinta karne se pehle aapne manvadhikaron ki baat karni chahiye," Rajnath Singh said. He said that the truth is that Rohingyas who have come to India are not refugees. "Myanmar se Bharat ghus aaye ye Rohingyas refugee nahi hai iss sachchai ko hume samajhna chahiye," the Home Minister said. The Home Minister said that Rohingyas have not followed the due procedures through which refugee status is granted to immigrants. "Refugee status prapt karne ke liye ek process hota hai aur inmein se kisi ne iss procedure ko follow nahi kiya hai," he said. NO VIOLATION OF INTERNATIONAL LAW Rajnath Singh said that India will not be "violating any international law by deporting Rohingyas from India as it is not a signatory to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention". "Principle of re-foulement applies on those who have taken asylum in India. No Rohingya has applied for asylum in India," the Home Minister said. He said that "people should understand that one aspect of illegal immigration of Rohingyas is related with national security". The Centre recently filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court defending its decision to deport 40,000 Rohingya immigrants and said they pose a "security threat" to the country. In a 16-page affidavit, the Centre also expressed fears of violence against Buddhists living in India by radicalised Rohingyas. advertisement ALSO WATCH: Many Rohingyas have links with terror groups, Pakistan's ISI, Govt tells Supreme Court --- ENDS --- By Parisa Hafezi NEW YORK (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday Turkey will deploy troops in Syria's northern Idlib region as part of a so-called de-escalation agreement brokered by Russia last month. The "de-escalation" zones, agreed by Turkey, Russia and Iran, would be further discussed in talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin during his trip to Ankara next week, Erdogan said in an interview with Reuters while he was in New York for the annual United Nations General Assembly. "Under the agreement, Russians are maintaining security outside Idlib and Turkey will maintain the security inside Idlib region," Erdogan said. "The task is not easy ... With Putin we will discuss additional steps needed to be taken in order to eradicate terrorists once and for all to restore peace." Erdogan also said Turkey was considering counter-measures, including imposing sanctions, against Kurdish northern Iraq over a planned referendum. Iraqi Kurdish authorities have defied growing international pressure to call off the referendum on independence. Iraqs neighbours fear it will fuel unrest among their own Kurdish populations and Western allies said it could detract from the fight against Islamic State. Turkey has brought forward a cabinet meeting and national security council session to Friday over the referendum, Erdogan said. He said that parliament would also convene for an extraordinary meeting on Saturday. "Without any further delay we are going to discuss what kind of sanctions should be imposed and when the sanctions will be imposed," he said without elaborating on what they might be. Turkish troops are also carrying out military exercises near the border and Erdogan said on Saturday the resolution on troop deployment abroad will be submitted to parliament for a vote. "SHEER LIE" Erdogan called on the United States to extradite U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Erdogan accuses of orchestrating a failed coup attempt in Turkey, in which rogue soldiers commandeered tanks and fighter jets, bombing parliament and trying to abduct or kill Erdogan. Gulen denies any involvement in the July 2016 coup attempt, during which more than 240 people were killed. "Gulen's entire network is being run from the United States. Terrorists should not be harboured here. We need U.S. assistance on this matter," Erdogan said. Since the failed coup, Turkish authorities have shut more than 130 media outlets and a press union says more than 150 journalists have been jailed, raising concerns about media freedom in Turkey. Turkey has also suspended or dismissed more than 150,000 judges, teachers, police and civil servants and has arrested nearly 50,000 others suspected of links to the Gulen movement. The EU and human rights organisations have expressed concern over Turkeys security crackdown since the failed coup. Turkey says its crackdown is targeting supporters of Gulen. "Let me be very clear, in terms of freedom of press, there are no challenges in Turkey ... If journalists are supporters of terrorists, if they are double-agents, are we not supposed to do what is necessary against them?" Erdogan said. "Turkey is a state of law, within which the judiciary takes necessary measure ... This is sheer lie ... they were coup plotters." "STRATEGIC PARTNERS" Meeting Erdogan on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday praised his leadership and said he "has become a friend of mine." Relations between Turkey and the United States were strained over Turkish security officials involved in street fighting with protesters during a visit to Washington in May. Turkey is part of the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State (IS) in Syria and Iraq but Ankara's ties with Washington are strained over support provided by the United States to the Syrian Kurdish militia YPG. Viewed by Turkey as the Syrian extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), the YPG has been among the most effective partners on the ground in the U.S.-led fight against the Islamic State. Erdogan warned Washington that arming the YPG could end up hurting Washington and its allies. "Weapons are being deployed to YPG ... We are strategic allies with the United States ..., we should avoid helping YPG," he said. At a critical time for Turkish-Germany relations, Erdogan said in the interview he hoped relations with Germany could be improved, praising German Chancellor Angela Merkel for refraining from criticizing Turkey and its policies. "I am quite hopeful relations will improve ... We have no problem with the German public. We have a problem with some officials' wrong attitude against Turkey," he said. Merkel, who has been at odds with Erdogan on many fronts over the last year, has said that "the fact is clear that Turkey should not become a member of the EU". Merkel has said she will speak to other European Union leaders to end Turkey's EU accession talks. "Things never went well for the last 54 years regarding Turkey's EU membership ... We have been lingering at the doorstep of the EU and things have got worse. They have never kept their promises," Erdogan said. (Reporting by Parisa Hafezi in New York; Editing by Yara Bayoumy, Grant McCool and James Dalgleish) By Elias Biryabarema KAMPALA (Reuters) - Ugandan authorities postponed a bill to extend leader Yoweri Museveni's rule after protesters took to the streets against it on Thursday, confronting police who fired teargas. Parliament speaker Jacob Oulanyah told lawmakers during a raucous session that the legislation due to be introduced on Thursday afternoon was "bringing tension" and would come back on another, unspecified date. Activists, campaign groups, religious leaders and even some members of Museveni's own ruling party have objected to the proposed change to the constitution, saying it is undemocratic. Groups of students at Makerere, a public university in the capital Kampala, rallied to start marching towards parliament before police dispersed them with teargas. Protesters regrouped through the morning, throwing stones back at police. "We are not going to allow anybody to hold protest marches. The teargas was to deter that," police spokesman Asan Kasingye said. Museveni, aged 73, has already been in power for more than three decades. The change to the constitution would have removed a rule banning anyone older that 75 running for president that currently bars him from running for re-election at polls in 2021. The move to amend legislation mirrors similar tactics used in Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic Congo to extend limits, a trend that has alarmed democracy watchdogs. Museveni won plaudits in the early years of his rule for restoring stability after years of turmoil, and became a key Western ally who sent Ugandan troops to fight Islamist militants in Somalia. But accusations of rampant rights violations, entrenched graft and dysfunctional public services have since fuelled opposition to his rule. Police have also raided the premises of at least two pro-democracy organisations in Kampala, including that of the local unit of Johannesburg-based ActionAid International. Security personnel blockaded staff inside their offices late on Wednesday and conducted searches, staff members of the organisations told Reuters. "There was intelligence that we got that they received funding for people who are planning to cause chaos and violence," police spokesman Kasingye said. Local media said Kampala's mayor Erias Lukwago - an opposition party member - was detained early on Thursday, though Kasingye said he was unaware of the reports. Museveni's bid has also met increasing denunciation from some members of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) Party, exposing cracks. The NRM counts about three-thirds of all parliament members. "Ultimately... Museveni has ample patronage at his disposal and, when push comes to shove, few lawmakers will be prepared to risk political exile by not backing the president," said Charlotte King, a Uganda analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit. The U.S. Embassy in Kampala condemned the raids on pro-democracy groups. "The United States is deeply concerned that recent arrests and raids stifle the Ugandan people's right to free expression and tarnish Uganda's global image," it said in a statement. (Editing by Duncan Miriri and Andrew Heavens) By Christine Kim SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea approved a plan on Thursday to send $8 million (5.93 million pounds) worth of aid to North Korea, as China warned the crisis on the Korean peninsula was getting more serious by the day and the war of words between Pyongyang and Washington continued. North Korea's foreign minister likened U.S. President Donald Trump to a "barking dog" on Thursday, after Trump warned he would "totally destroy" the North if it threatened the United States and its allies. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the situation on the Korean peninsula was getting more serious by the day and could not be allowed to spin out of control. "We call on all parties to be calmer than calm and not let the situation escalate out of control," Wang said, according to a report from the state-run China News Service on Thursday. Meeting separately with his South Korean counterpart, Kang Kyung-wha, Wang reiterated a call for South Korea to remove the U.S.-built THAAD anti-missile system, which China says is a threat to its own security. "China hopes South Korea will make efforts to reduce tension," a report on China's official Xinhua news agency quoted Wang as saying. The decision to send aid to North Korea was not popular in South Korea, hitting President Moon Jae-in's approval rating. It also raised concerns in Japan and the United States, and followed new U.N. sanctions against North Korea over its sixth nuclear test earlier this month. The South's Unification Ministry said its aid policy remained unaffected by geopolitical tensions with the North. The exact timing of when the aid would be sent, as well as its size, would be confirmed later, the ministry said in a statement. The South said it aimed to send $4.5 million worth of nutritional products for children and pregnant women through the World Food Programme and $3.5 million worth of vaccines and medicinal treatments through UNICEF. "We have consistently said we would pursue humanitarian aid for North Korea in consideration of the poor conditions children and pregnant women are in there, apart from political issues," said Unification Minister Cho Myong-gyon. UNICEF's regional director for East Asia and the Pacific Karin Hulshof said in a statement before the decision the problems North Korean children face "are all too real". "Today, we estimate that around 200,000 children are affected by acute malnutrition, heightening their risk of death and increasing rates of stunting," Hulshof said. "Food and essential medicines and equipment to treat young children are in short supply," she said. The last time the South had sent aid to the North was in December 2015 through the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) under ex-president Park Geun-hye. DOG BARKING South Korea's efforts aimed at fresh aid for North Korea dragged down Moon's approval rating. Realmeter, a South Korean polling organisation, said on Thursday Moon's approval rating stood at 65.7 percent, weakening for a fourth straight month. Although the approval rate is still high, those surveyed said Moon had fallen out of favour due to North Korea's continued provocations and the government's decision to consider sending aid to North Korea, Realmeter said. Moon will meet Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Trump later on Thursday on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, where North Korea was expected to be the core agenda item. In an address on Tuesday, Trump escalated his standoff with North Korea over its nuclear challenge, threatening to "totally destroy" the country of 26 million people if the North threatened the United States and its allies. Trump also mocked its leader, Kim Jong Un, calling him a "rocket man". North Korea's Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho called Trump's comments "the sound of a dog barking". "There is a saying that goes: 'Even when dogs bark, the parade goes on'," Ri said in televised remarks to reporters in front of a hotel near the U.N. headquarters in New York. "If (Trump) was thinking about surprising us with dog-barking sounds then he is clearly dreaming," he said. Asked by reporters what he thought of Trump calling North Korean leader Kim Jong Un "rocket man", Ri quipped: "I feel sorry for his aides." North Korea conducted its sixth and largest nuclear test on Sept. 3 and has launched numerous missiles this year, including two intercontinental ballistic missiles and two other rockets that flew over Japan. Such provocations have sparked strong disapproval from the international community, especially from the United States and Japan. (Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard and Michael Martina in BEIJING; Editing by Michael Perry and Paul Tait) By Josiane Kouagheu YAOUNDE (Reuters) - An improvised bomb wounded three policemen in the main city of Cameroon's minority English-speaking region on Thursday, the regional governor said, in an attack a senior security source blamed on separatist militants. Speaking on state TV, Adolphe Lele Lafrique, Governor of the North West Region, referred to a "terrorist attack" in the city of Bamenda, in the western part of the country. A senior security source told Reuters by telephone the attack was the work of "extremists" who want independence for the Anglophone part of mostly French-speaking Cameroon. If true, it would represent a dangerous escalation of a conflict that had thus far pitted only unarmed demonstrators against the security forces. The security source said the separatists had also launched other attacks in the past three weeks, including burning down several schools. "Today, police working in the service of the nation were targeted in a terrorist attack," Lafrique said. "This is a new stage in the situation we have been dealing with up until now." Cameroonians in the English-speaking west of the country have over the past year sporadically protested against what they describe as discrimination by the overwhelmingly Francophone government of President Paul Biya. A small minority want an independent state, which they call "Ambazonia". They have their own flag and a banned TV station, but none had yet been implicated in militant attacks. In response to protests, security forces last year shot dead six protesters, arrested hundreds and charged their leaders with crimes, some of which carry the death penalty. Authorities also unplugged the region's internet for three months. Biya this month ordered a military court to drop its prosecution against several of the detainees, but his apparent gesture of reconciliation did little to calm tensions. Days later, Anglophone Cameroonians boarded up their shops, stayed home from work and boycotted the start of the school term. The linguistic division harks back to the end of World War One, when the League of Nations divided the former German colony of Kamerun, in central Africa, between allied victors, leaving most of Cameroon French-administered but a small part run by Britain. (Writing by Tim Cocks; Editing by Catherine Evans) The latest incidents of rape are giving opposition Congress a chance to hit out at Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje. By Rohit Parihar: Rajasthan has been rocked by a series of rape cases including of children and young girls. The latest developments are giving opposition Congress a chance to hit out at Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje. In a latest, a 21-year-old girl from Bilaspur in Chattisgarh whose family was a follower of a Godman nicknamed Falahari Baba in Alwar has accused him of raping her when she met her to seek blessings and make an offering for success in her examination and career in August. advertisement The girl and her family got the courage to report the matter to senior police officers in Chattisgarh following arrest and conviction of Gurmeet Ram Rahim in Panchkula. The Chattisgarh Police have sent her FIR and other details to Alwar Police which has launched an investigation into the incident. The Godman has since admitted to ICU complaining intestine infection and high blood pressure and police have been awaiting medical permission to interrogate him. The police have asked the complainant to come to Alwar to record her statement. "We are expecting her to arrive in Alwar soon," says Hemant Priyadarshi, Inspector general Police, Jaipur (rural). Meanwhile, an 18-year-old student who was raped by two teachers in Sikar has been in a coma struggling for life. She was repeatedly raped by her two teachers and once she became pregnant, her mother took her to a doctor following her complaint of uneasiness unaware that she was pregnant. ACCUSED PERSUADED GIRL'S MOTHER Both accused reached the hospital and persuaded her mother to take the victim to a doctor known to them. There, the girl was aborted, illegally landing her in a serious condition. She was subsequently shifted to a Jaipur hospital where she was operated upon and when her condition further deteriorated, to SMS Hospital. "I am supervising the case on daily basis and we are trying to obtain DNA results quickly,'' said IGP Priyadarshi. Since the girl continues to be in a coma and is battling for life, the police who arrested both the accused are presently collecting circumstantial evidence to prosecute the alleged rapists. Sachin Pilot, Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee president has blasted state government for rising crime against women. Pilot accused Raje of insensitivity and ignoring repeated rapes including that of minor girls. Also Watch : Bizarre babas behind bars: Ram Rahim, Asaram --- ENDS --- By John Irish UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko dismissed a Russian proposal to deploy U.N. peacekeepers in eastern Ukraine as an effort to legalize its proxies and freeze the conflict. Relations between Kiev and Moscow have never been worse since Russia annexed Crimea more than three years ago and Russian-backed separatist fighters subsequently took up arms against Ukrainian government forces in the east of the country. Russian President Vladimir Putin this month suggested armed U.N. peacekeepers be deployed to eastern Ukraine to help protect ceasefire monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and to help end a conflict between Ukrainian troops and Russia-backed separatists, which has killed more than 10,000 people since 2014. Poroshenko used his speech at the annual gathering of world leaders for the United Nations General Assembly to accuse Moscow of not contributing to international security, but of being its "biggest threat." "The latest hybrid peacekeeping proposal from Moscow is yet another example of Russia's real ambition to legalize its proxies and freeze the conflict forever," he said. "We remain confident that a fully fledged peacekeeping operation is the only viable solution to de-escalate and protect the people of Ukraine." Putin originally said the peacekeepers should be deployed along the line of contact between Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russian separatists, but later said they could also be deployed in other areas where OSCE inspectors work. "The peacekeepers' mandate should cover the entire occupied area, including the Ukrainian-Russian state border. This is the must. As long as the border is used as the main supply route for manpower and weapons to Donbass there will be no peace in my country," he said. Kiev and Western countries accuse Russia of providing military backing to the insurgency in eastern Ukraine. Russia denies any direct role in the conflict. Efforts to broker an end to fighting through the so-called Minsk agreements have so far failed. Violence continues with attempted ceasefires repeatedly broken. Western powers fear peace efforts could unravel. "The key problem in Donbass is that Ukraine and Russia strive for different things," Poroschenko said. "Ukraine wants peace and restoration of its sovereign territory, but Russia wants control of Ukraine and undermines every effort (to get) our sovereign control on Ukraine's border." Ukraine's alternative plan would ban any Russian nationals from taking part in a peacekeeping mission which it wants deployed along the part of its border with Russia which it does not control, an idea Moscow has so far balked at. (Reporting by John Irish; Editing by Jonathan Oatis) Seven days of joint Russia-Belarus military exercises have ended amid a warning from the Lithuanian president that the drills could be used as a pretext for an attack on the West. Dalia Grybauskaite made the claim during her address to the UN General Assembly on Monday (September 19). The drills involved 12,700 personnel, according to Russia, as well as aircraft, tanks, rocket systems and other equipment. As we speak around 100,000 Russian troops are engaged in offensive military exercises named Zapad 2017, Grybauskaite said. The Kremlin is rehearsing aggressive scenarios against its neighbours, training its army to attack the West. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters she might change her opinion when she sees information from international observers, including from NATO member states, who monitored the drills. Meanwhile the Belarusian president addressed concerns that Russia could use Belarus to prepare a possible attack against Ukraine or countries in the Balkans. The attempt to discredit the Belarusian-Russian military exercise was extremely unprofessional, said Alexander Lukashenko. Lets wait until all the troops of Russia and Belarus return to the places of permanent deployment and see what they [European politicians] will say then. The Zapad-2017 military exercises took place across six training ranges in Belarus and three in Russia. What: Members of the media are invited to cover Virginia Tech President Tim Sands' second State of the University Address. When: 3:30 p.m. Friday, September 29, 2017. Doors will open at 3 p.m. Where: Anne and Ellen Fife Theater, located within the Moss Arts Centers Street and Davis Performance Hall Parking for news vehicles will be reserved along Alumni Mall. If you plan to bring a live van or truck, please let us know in advance so that we can reserve a spot in the Moss Arts Center service area. A camera platform with mult box connections will be available. Following his address, President Sands will meet with reporters for a brief Q&A session on topics discussed in his address. The event will be live streamed and available for remote viewing on the Virginia Tech website. On social media: #VTSOTU Contact: Michael Stowe | 540-231-2611 or 540-392-4218 (mobile) | mstowe@vt.edu A Rohingya Muslim refugee woman, who has taken shelter in the refugee camp, has delivered a baby girl and named her after Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. By Manogya Loiwal : A Rohingya Muslim refugee woman, who has taken shelter in the refugee camp, has delivered a baby girl and named her after Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The 20-year-old Khadija crossed over from Rakhine state of Myanmar after her husband was brutally murdered in the ethnic violence in the region. She was eight months pregnant when she sneaked into Bangladesh with her mother Alum Bahar. advertisement Clad in a blue and black burqa, Khadija relives the horror, " The entire Rakhine district is burning. My house was burnt. I ran from Myanmar alive and struggled to stay alive with a baby in my womb. I crossed the border and have come to Bangladesh. I gave birth to a baby girl here. I have lost my husband in these attacks. I have named by daughter as Sheikh Hasina." She is one of the 80000 pregnant women who are seeking shelter in various refugee camps across Bangladesh. Her mother and daughter are the only survivor in a family of more than six till last week. Khadija's mother, Alum Bahar, wearing a dirty green saree and holding the baby Hasina close to her heart, said, "We have come to Bangladesh in lot of pain. My daughter was pregnant. She gave birth to a daughter here. We have named her Sheikh Hasina. She has given us hopes of a new life and we now expect some peace in our lives." Alum lost her husband Nuruddin and her daughter Khadija saw her husband Fakhruddin being killed in front of her, but for her, the hope lives in the belief that she is still alive. Perhaps she feels that the little girl has been named Sheikh Hasina only to reiterate to the world that she was born and could live because of the immediate humanitarian assistance extended by Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. --- ENDS --- SANTA FE Gov. Susana Martinez has waded into the debate on the latest Republican-backed Obamacare repeal plan and shes not sold on the bills merits. While its encouraging that Congress is working on a healthcare solution, the governor is concerned this bill could hurt New Mexico and still needs some work, Martinez spokesman Joseph Cueto told the Journal. A bill written by GOP Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana is the latest effort to undo Obamacare, and could reportedly be voted on by the U.S. Senate next week. Among other provisions, the Graham-Cassidy bill would convert federal health insurance funding into block grants for states and do away with coverage mandates. Several previous GOP-backed attempts to repeal Obamacare have stalled due to Republican defections and staunch Democratic opposition. While Martinez has roundly criticized Obamacare in recent statements, the governor has taken a cautious approach to the federal health care debate surrounding the laws fate. Thats likely because any loss of federal dollars the federal government currently pays 95 percent of the cost of those receiving benefits under Medicaid expansion could hit New Mexico particularly hard. Martinez, a two-term Republican, decided in 2013 to accept federal funding to expand New Mexicos Medicaid rolls. More than 40 percent of the states population or about 900,000 low-income adults, children and disabled individuals is currently covered by the joint federal-state health care program. In the statement released today, the Governors Office said New Mexicans deserve a health care system that works. She believes we need a bipartisan approach that focuses on the insurance market to make health care affordable, Cueto said. Meanwhile, Martinezs stance on the Graham-Cassidy bill also aligns her at least for now with the states two Democratic U.S. senators, Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich. SANTA FE A police report maintains a California man arrested during the Sept. 8 Entrada protests was wearing a bandana over his face, in violation of a Fiesta Council ban on masks, and was actively protesting an account at odds with how the incident has been described by a defense lawyer. Julian Douglas Rodriguez and seven others were arrested at the Entrada, the annual reenactment of the Spanish re-occupation of Santa Fe in 1692, 12 years after the Pueblo revolt. About 150 Native Americans and others showed up to protest at the Plaza. Dan Cron, among the lawyers representing the protesters, said last week that Rodriguez, of Pala, Calif., wasnt involved whatsoever in the protests and was visiting Santa Fe with his wife. No officer lapel-cam video of Rodriguezs arrest has been released by the police department. Sgt. Christopher McCords report says Rodriguezs offense occurred at 1 p.m. the day of Entrada, but McCord dated his report as being made 10 days later, on Sept. 18 days after the arrested protesters entered not guilty pleas and Cron had given the Journal his description of Rodriguezs arrest. He was wearing a bandana on his forehead as a headband, Cron said on Sept. 12. A police officer went up and told him to take it off, but he declined to do so, and they arrested him for criminal trespass. He was a tourist who was on the Plaza who wanted to eat a pork sandwich and listen to some Mariachi music. In a report released Wednesday, McCord alleges that Rodriguez was actively protesting and had a bandana over his face, a violation of the mask ban imposed by Fiesta Council, which had a permit to use the Plaza for the Entrada and other Fiesta events. Santa Fe city officials have maintained police are required to enforce the rules of a permit-holder. McCords report says he saw Rodriguez with the bandana on and told him about the mask ban and that the area was private property because of the Fiesta Council permit. Rodriguez refused to take off the bandana and said he had every right to be there and cover his face, the report states. When McCord told Rodriguez he could be arrested, Rodriguez took off the bandana and started to walk into the Plaza area. McCord told him he could not go that way and that the stage was closed off and Rodriguez got mad, put the bandana back on his face and was arrested for trespassing. The police established free speech zones after the Entrada concluded and formed lines to keep the protesters in the zones. The eight people arrested were charged with criminal trespass. One also faces a charge of disorderly contact and two counts of felony battery for allegedly hitting officers with a protest sign. Police lapel-cam video of her arrest does not show her hitting officers. Fluoride again will be added to Albuquerques water supply. Water utility board members voted 5-2 Wednesday to approve a $250,000 appropriation that will allow the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority to buy the equipment needed to resume supplemental drinking-water fluoridation, which the utility halted in 2011. The decision followed nearly an hour of passionate pleas by both opponents and supporters of fluoridation similar to comments expressed at two earlier public hearings on the issue. At the end of the day, when theres a question about science, we need to listen to the scientists, board member and Albuquerque City Councilor Pat Davis said before he voted in favor of resuming fluoridation. Davis withdrew his proposal for an advisory question on the 2018 general election ballot that would have asked Bernalillo County voters whether they support or oppose supplemental fluoridation. Voting against the appropriation were Albuquerque Councilors Klarissa Pena and Trudy Jones. Joining Davis in support were Bernalillo County Commissioners Debbie OMalley, Wayne Johnson and Maggie Hart Stebbins and Albuquerques Chief Administrative Officer Rob Perry, who represents Mayor Richard Berry on the board. Im just philosophically opposed to this, Jones said in explaining her opposition to fluoridation. I dont think at any time the government should add something to our water if some people dont want it. Jones remarks echoed those of several opponents who told the board that people who want fluoride can obtain it from commercial products such as toothpaste and mouthwash and from fluoride treatments provided by dentists, but the water utility shouldnt force fluoride on people who believe they are harmed by it. There are health concerns that people talked about, Pena said. For people with kidney disease theres a lot of concern about fluoride. Pena also said she was troubled that supporters pitch drinking water fluoridation as a way of helping low-income children. To me its an assumption that lower-income children dont brush their teeth, she said. The measure approved Wednesday requires the utility to maintain fluoride levels between 0.65 and 0.72 milligrams per liter in the public water supply. Fluoride is a mineral found naturally in Albuquerques water supply at levels of about 0.4 to 0.5 milligram per liter, according to a report prepared by the utility staff. The city began supplemental fluoridation in 1972, but ended the practice in 2011 while federal officials considered new recommendations about fluoridation levels. In 2015, the U.S. Public Health Service updated the federal drinking water standards, recommending that community water systems add fluoride to 0.7 milligrams per liter to prevent tooth decay. That recommendation prompted the utility to reconsider fluoridation during budget discussions earlier this year. Opponents cite a variety of concerns, from health problems to human rights concerns. One speaker said fluoridation aggravates her thyroid problems. Supporters champion water fluoridation as a public-health measure to prevent tooth decay. The American Dental Association calls community water fluoridation the single most effective public health measure to prevent tooth decay. We have had 70 years of fluoridation without any health effects, Rudy Blea, the New Mexico Department of Healths director of oral health told the board. Providing fluoridated water to your customers is good public health policy. Utility officials estimate they can resume supplemental fluoridation in six to eight months. Copyright 2017 Albuquerque Journal Democratic state lawmakers on Wednesday bluntly criticized a proposal that would impose co-pays and monthly premiums on more of the low-income New Mexicans who rely on Medicaid for their health care. The proposal would also scale back some benefits. On the same day that Republican Gov. Susana Martinez expressed misgivings about a Republican bill to repeal Obamacare, her administration characterized the state-level benefit changes as minor, with exemptions built in to soften the impact. Brent Earnest, secretary of state Human Services Department, said the goal is to limit cost increases, provide incentives that promote quality over quantity in New Mexicos health care system, and encourage personal responsibility. The debate, meanwhile, unfolded as Republicans in the U.S. Senate prepare to consider another proposal that would repeal the Affordable Care Act the health care law passed under President Barack Obama also known as Obamacare. Congressional action could shake up the health care landscape in New Mexico, where more than 40 percent of the population is covered by Medicaid. The program paid for 72 percent of the births in the state in 2015, the highest rate in the nation. State Rep. Liz Thomson, D-Albuquerque, said imposing new co-pays and premiums, however small, could discourage people from seeking care when they need it. Am I going to pay Medicaid? Or am I going to eat? Hard choice, she said, describing the potential dilemma for some families. These are the poorest of the poor. Earnest responded that some participants in Medicaid already must come up with the money for co-pays and premiums. The department is just proposing to impose them on a few more people, and exemptions remain for Native Americans and others, he said. Weve tried to strike a reasonable balance in this proposal, Earnest said during a meeting of the legislative Health and Human Services Committee in Albuquerque on Wednesday. Adults who became eligible for Medicaid under the 2014 expansion in New Mexico would face new co-pays of $5 for doctor visits, $50 for hospital stays and surgeries, and $2 for prescriptions, in some cases. Household premiums could be up to $50 a month in 2019, though they could rise in future years. The amount depends on the households income level and other factors. The proposal will be the subject of public hearings throughout New Mexico and submitted to the federal government for consideration later this year. If approved, it would go into effect Jan. 1, 2019. Abuko Estrada, a staff attorney for the New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty, said the diminished benefits could lead to financial ruin for some families. The proposal would eliminate a provision that allows people to seek retroactive coverage if they sign up for Medicaid after receiving emergency care, he said. These cuts cant be taken lightly, Estrada said. They reach to patients and reverberate throughout our entire health care system and the state economy. Earnest said the retroactive provision isnt used as much now as it once was, given the Affordable Care Acts mandate that everyone have insurance. Democratic lawmakers didnt sound persuaded. The proposal is cruel, and its cowardly, said Rep. Miguel P. Garcia, D-Albuquerque. Wednesdays legislative questions, of course, come as the U.S. Senate is set to consider another push to repeal Obamacare and adopt a new health care law in its place. New Mexico is among the states that opted, under Obamacare, to expand Medicaid to more people. Gov. Martinez has largely stayed out of the debate in Congress over repealing Obamacare, but her spokesman voiced concern Wednesday over the latest bill. While its encouraging that Congress is working on a health care solution, the governor is concerned this bill could hurt New Mexico and still needs some work, Martinez spokesman Joseph Cueto told the Journal. Among other provisions, the bill written by Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana would convert federal health insurance funding into block grants for states and do away with coverage mandates. Meanwhile, Earnest said the various Republican-backed proposals have been difficult to keep up with and analyze. But under most of these proposals, he said, New Mexico loses. Journal Capitol Bureau chief Dan Boyd contributed to this report. The Union County Sheriffs Department is looking for a young boy on Wednesday night who was last seen in the northeastern part of the state, according to a New Mexico State Police spokeswoman. Officer Elizabeth Armijo said police are asking for the publics help in finding Jaime Smyley Overmyer, who was last seen in Clayton with his father, Levi Overmyer. She said Levi Overmyer does not have custodial rights to the child, who is believed to be in danger if not found. Levi Overmyer left the mothers residence with the child in a black, newer-model, Chevrolet Silverado pickup with unknown registration, Armijo said. Overmyer has not returned the child to his mother. Jaime Smyley Overmyer is described as a 2-year-old Hispanic male, 3 feet tall, weighing 40 pounds with brown hair and hazel eyes. His father, Levi Overmyer is a 29-year-old white male, 6 feet tall, 175 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. Levi Overmyer has tattoos on both eye lids and clown tattoos over and below his eyes. Anyone with any information regarding the whereabouts of Jaime Smyley Overmyer is asked to call 911. Please refer all questions to the Union County Sheriffs Department at 575-207-5073. WASHINGTON In the middle of Donald Trumps presidential run, then-campaign chairman Paul Manafort said he was willing to provide private briefings about the campaign to a Russian billionaire the U.S. government considers close to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Manaforts offer was memorialized in an email exchange with a former employee of his political consulting firm in July 2016. It was first reported by The Washington Post, which said portions of Manaforts emails were read to reporters. Manafort spokesman Jason Maloni confirmed to The Associated Press that the email exchanges were legitimate but said no briefings ever occurred. The email involved an offer for Oleg Deripaska, a wealthy Russian who made his money in the aluminum business. The July 7, 2016, email came a little over a week before the Republican National Convention, while Manafort was leading the Trump campaigns day-to-day operations. It also occurred about a month after Manafort attended a meeting with a Russian lawyer at Trump Tower. That meeting was brokered by Donald Trump Jr., who was told in emails that the meeting was part of a Russian government effort to help his fathers campaign. The Manafort email exchange regarding Deripaska is one of thousands of pages of material turned over to congressional committees by the Trump campaign. It is also in the possession of special counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating whether there was any coordination between Trump associates and Russians looking to interfere in the presidential campaign. Mueller is also probing Manaforts taxes and his foreign banking as part of an investigation related to his consulting work in Ukraine. Manafort has denied any wrongdoing, saying his work in Ukraine was open and appropriate. He has also denied any involvement in any efforts to undermine the U.S. election on behalf of Russia. Deripaska has denied any involvement with the Trump campaign and said he is willing to testify before congressional committees investigating Russian election interference to defend his reputation and his name. According to the Post, Manafort wrote the email to a former employee, Konstantin Kilimnik, who had worked for years with him on political consulting in Ukraine. Manafort asked Kilimnik to pass the offer to Deripaska. If he needs private briefings we can accommodate, Manafort wrote referring to Deripaska in the email, according to the Post. In a statement, Maloni dismissed the correspondence as innocuous. He said the exchange was part of an effort on Manaforts part to collect money from clients who owed him money. The Post reported that several email exchanges between Manafort and Kilimnik discussed money that Manafort said he was owed by former clients in Eastern Europe. It is no secret Mr. Manafort was owed money by past clients after his work ended in 2014, Maloni said in the statement. The email is the first to indicate that Manafort was attempting to reach Deripaska while he was working on the Trump campaign, but its unclear whether the offer ever reached Deripaska or his representatives. The Post reported that according to documents detailed to its reporters, there was no evidence Deripaska received the offer. Attorneys for Deripaska in New York and Washington did not respond to phone messages or emails Wednesday evening. Kilimnik did not immediately respond to an email Wednesday evening. A phone number previously used by him was not accepting calls. The Post quoted Vera Kurochkina, a spokeswoman for one of Deripaskas companies, who said inquiries about the emails veer into manufactured questions so grossly false and insinuating that I am concerned even responding to these fake connotations provides them the patina of reality. She also dismissed the email exchanges, the Post said, as scheming by consultants in the notorious Beltway bandit industry. The Associated Press reported in March that before signing with Trumps campaign, Manafort secretly worked for Deripaska and proposed plans for political consulting work in Eastern Europe that he said could greatly benefit the Putin Government. In a 2005 memo to Deripaska, Manafort laid out the details of the proposal that were subsequently spelled out the following year as part of a $10 million contract, according to interviews with people familiar with payments to Manafort and business records obtained by the AP. Its unclear how much of the work was carried out. The AP previously reported that Manafort and Deripaska maintained a business relationship until at least 2009. The two later had a falling-out laid bare in 2014 in a Cayman Islands court. The AP cited U.S. diplomatic cables from 2006 describing Deripaska as among the 2-3 oligarchs Putin turns to on a regular basis and a more-or-less permanent fixture on Putins trips abroad. Deripaska has also sworn in a New York state court document that he has been granted a diplomatic passport from Russia, and on occasion I have represented the government in countries outside Russia. Deripaska sued the AP for defamation over the story in May in U.S. District Court in Washington, alleging the story was inaccurate and hurt his career by falsely accusing him of criminal activity. Deripaskas lawyers complained to the AP at the time that the article suggests that Mr. Deripaska has been involved with Mr. Manafort more recently, and the lawsuit said, Mr. Deripaska severed relations with Mr. Manafort many years ago. The AP has said it stands by the accuracy of its story, and has asked a federal judge to dismiss the lawsuit. Manafort has previously said he worked for Deripaska to advance his business interests but denied his work was meant to advance Russias interests. The Post reported that Kilimnik and Manafort at times referred to Deripaska as OVD in the emails. That shorthand is consistent with how Manafort and other employees at his former consulting business referred to the billionaire in other documents obtained by the AP, including the 2005 proposal that referred to a plan to greatly benefit the Putin Government. According to other emails obtained by the AP that are in the hands of Mueller and congressional committees, Manafort had previously shut down efforts to have Trump meet with Russians during the campaign. In mid-May 2016, a Trump campaign aide wrote to Manafort that Russia has been eager to meet Mr. Trump for quite some time, noting that representatives from the country had been reaching out to him. Manafort responded to his deputy, Rick Gates, that the meetings were a nonstarter. We need someone to communicate that DT is not doing these trips, he wrote, referring to Trump. The two decided that the communication should come from a person in the campaign who responds to all mail of non-importance so as not to send a message. ___ Associated Press writer Eric Tucker contributed to this report. NEW YORK Abolishing militant hideouts in Pakistan is critical to establishing peace in neighboring Afghanistan, the Afghan leader said Thursday before meeting President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly. Neither Trump nor Afghan President Ashraf Ghani mentioned Pakistan when they appeared publicly together after their discussion. But Ghani said Pakistans role is an important part of the Trump plan announced last month to end Americas longest war and eliminate a rising extremist threat in Afghanistan. Reduction of safe havens is absolutely necessary, both for counterterrorism and for stability in Afghanistan, Ghani told National Public Radio in an interview broadcast Thursday. The Trump administration in August infuriated Pakistan by accusing it of providing haven to extremists. The U.S. also has threatened to withhold military aid from Pakistan. The country repeatedly has said it is acting against Taliban insurgents and members of the Haqqani militant group. I hope that this time, Pakistanis get the message loud and clear that business as usual cannot continue. Its not in their interest. Its not in anyones interest, Ghani said. After meeting Ghani, Trump praised efforts to try to drive members of more than 20 militant groups, including the Taliban, out of Afghanistan. Its really a hornets nest from that standpoint, Trump said. We are hitting them very, very hard and very, very effectively. Senior officials have said Trumps plan for Afghanistan involves sending up to 3,900 additional U.S. troops on top of the roughly 8,400 Americans now in the country. Ghani stressed that Afghan forces are leading the fight and U.S. forces are advising and training. He said he isnt seeking a blank check of unlimited American help. Ghani said the Trump administrations four-year objective is to bring 80 percent of the country back under the governments control. The Taliban currently hold sway in nearly half of the nation. Separately Thursday, an independent auditor of U.S. efforts in Afghanistan released a report saying that although the U.S. has spent more than $70 billion in the past 16 years to build up the Afghani security forces, theyre still struggling. Problems include morale, drug use, illiteracy, corruption, poor leadership and the challenges caused by ongoing, annual rotation of U.S. advisers and trainers. To put it plainly, as our report does, the United States failed to understand the complexities and scale of the mission required to stand up and mentor security forces in a country suffering from 30 years of war, misrule, corruption and deep poverty, John Sopko, the congressionally appointed special inspector general, said at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. Afghan forces are sustaining high casualties. Large swaths of the country are off-limits to foreigners. U.S. embassy personnel are mostly stuck behind the walls of the Kabul embassy. They cant train judicial and police staff or offer technical support to Afghan ministries, according to the report, which described civilian advisers now forced to move with armed guards in convoys or even by helicopter to meet Afghan officials. The U.S. government is still struggling to build a security force in a nation of 70 percent illiteracy and few with technological know-how. It has trained more than 100,000 Afghan police officers using U.S. Army aviators, infantry officers and civilian contractors. One U.S. officer watched TV shows like Cops and NCIS to learn what he should teach, Sopko said. In eastern Afghanistan, we met a U.S. Army helicopter pilot assigned to teach policing. We found one U.S. police-training unit set up as a military unit and another set up like a police unit. Between 2002 and 2015, he said, senior U.S. and NATO officials created a plan for developing the force with little to no input from senior Afghan officials. At one point, training sessions for Afghan police were using PowerPoint-based curricula from the U.S.-NATO Balkan operations, Sopko said. The report also said development of the police has been treated as a secondary mission to the army despite its critical role in battling lawlessness and providing security. Today, the Interior Ministry, which oversees the police, is among Afghanistans most corrupt institutions which Ghani publicly acknowledged this year. ___ Riechmann reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Jonathan Lemire contributed. SPRINGFIELD, Ill. The use of hearsay testimony to convict former Chicago-area police officer Drew Peterson in the death of his third wife was proper, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled Thursday in upholding the conviction. The high court, in a unanimous decision , found that hearsay testimony from Petersons dead third wife and missing fourth wife did not violate his constitutional right to confront his accusers because of evidence that Peterson killed them to prevent their testimony. The 63-year-old former police sergeant from the Chicago suburb of Bolingbrook is serving a 38-year sentence in the 2004 death of ex-wife Kathleen Savio. Hell follow that with 40 more years after a conviction last year on allegations that he plotted to kill the prosecutor who put him behind bars. Savios body was found in a dry bathtub in 2004, weeks before a scheduled hearing to determine monetary and child custody issues related to her divorce from Peterson. Her death was initially ruled accidental, but the case was reopened after the 2007 disappearance of Petersons fourth wife, Stacy Peterson. Savios body was exhumed, an autopsy was conducted and her death was ruled a homicide. Stacy Peterson is presumed dead, though her body has never been found. Drew Peterson remains a suspect in her disappearance, but he has never been charged. Prosecutors had no physical evidence tying Peterson to Savios death and no witnesses placing him at the scene, so they relied on hearsay statements Savio made to family members and in a written statement to police before she died and that Stacy Peterson made to her pastor and a divorce lawyer before she vanished. Hearsay is any information reported by a witness that is not based on the witness direct knowledge. The Illinois courts ruling, written by Justice Mary Jane Theis, found proper use of hearsay typically forbidden in criminal proceedings because it cant be challenged under a legal doctrine of forfeiture by wrongdoing. We cannot say that the trial courts finding that the state proved that defendant murdered Kathleen to prevent her from testifying was unreasonable, arbitrary, or not based on the evidence presented,' Theis wrote. Illinois adopted a hearsay law in 2008 tailored to Drew Petersons case, dubbed Drews Law, which assisted in making some of the evidence admissible. Petersons attorney, Steven A. Greenberg, said in a statement the courts decision shows that Illinois has one set of laws for the general public and another for Peterson. Greenberg said an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court is likely. When it comes to Mr. Peterson, the laws were changed, the rules were broken, and, in some respects, trial counsel was deficient, Greenberg said. The ruling today demonstrates that courts are willing to overlook the obvious to achieve a certain result. Will County States Attorney James Glasgow, who prosecuted Peterson in Savios death, said he felt vindicated by the ruling. His (Petersons) understanding of the law when he was terrorizing Kathleen Savio and Stacy Peterson, saying he could kill them and make it look like an accident, that we could never use that, Glasgow said. What he didnt get was that I was going to figure it out and it wasnt going to be good for him. Peterson was transferred from a state prison in Chester, Illinois, to a federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana, in February, after Illinois prison officials cited concerns that he posed a security threat. ___ Associated Press Writer Don Babwin contributed to this report from Chicago ___ Contact Political Writer John OConnor at https://twitter.com/apoconnor. His work can be found at https://apnews.com/search/john%20oconnor ___ Sign up for the APs weekly newsletter showcasing our best reporting from the Midwest and Texas: http://apne.ws/2u1RMfv ___ This story has been updated to correct the name of Justice Mary Jane Theis. Homicide detectives are investigating after they say a man was apparently shot and killed near Yale and Kathryn SE early Thursday morning. Officer Tanner Tixier, a spokesman for the Albuquerque Police Department, said police were called to the 2300 block of Academic SE around 1:30 a.m. for a possible shooting. When they arrived they found a man dead on the sidewalk with what appears to be a gunshot wound. The actual cause of death will be determined by the Office of the Medical Investigator, Tixier wrote in an email. He did not identify the man. Tixier said detectives are investigating the case as a homicide. They have no suspects at this time. Photos of alleged Rohingya Muslim porters have baffled the Indian security forces. These guides are thought to have been pushed in by Pakistan spy agency ISI along with six heavily armed Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorists into Jammu and Kashmir. By Kamaljit Kaur Sandhu: Even as the Union Home Minister on Thursday made a strong pitch for deportation of 40,000 Rohingya Muslims from India, the intelligence agencies and security forces have been abuzz with 10 photos of alleged Rohingya Muslim porter guides who have been pushed in by Pakistan spy agency ISI along with six heavily armed Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorists into Jammu and Kashmir, sometime around the end of August. advertisement However, what is more worrisome are the pictures which are in custody of Indian Army, Central Armed Police Force and Jammu Kashmir Police. No agency has come forward to authenticate the sensitive information. Baffling case of Rohingya Muslim porters Sources in multiple agencies including Intelligence Bureau (IB), Raw and Indian Army said that these pictures exist on paper, the same has not been authenticated and hence remain unverified. Inspector General (IG) Muneer Khan however said that one part of the story is correct where six JeM terrorists seemed to have been infiltrated from Poonch - three of those getting killed in Pulwama District in a Fidayeen attack are identified as Abu Saad, Dawood and Al Bakr, while three from the group were killed in Satora, Tral, in August last week. Sources said one unidentified terrorist may still be at large. IG Kashmir Muneer Khan told India Today that so far Rohingya Muslims are found to be involved in terror activity in Kashmir Valley. "The men in the pictures appear to be Caucasians, the grass is tall and thick, which is not how it is in the Valley or even the Poonch region." Another high level source in intelligence agencies said that these pictures are believed to have been orchestrated. Baffling case of Rohingya Muslim porters The process of verification of the pictures is still on but it has already stirred a security threat. There are reports of Rohingya terrorists fighting alongside Pakistani extremists in Kashmir. One of their top leaders, Chotta Burmi, was rumoured to be killed in Kashmir along with JeM commander Adil Pathan last year. But there has been no confirmation of the same till date. Though the intelligence forces also point out threat from little-known Rohingya terror group Aqa Mul Mujahideen, blamed for the recent attacks on Myanmar border outposts with links to Pakistan-based terror organisation operated by Hafiz Saeed, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), but the worry is that the terror group may have developed ties with the JeM cell in Jammu and Kashmir. advertisement Union Minister of State for Home Affairs of India, Kiren Rijuju speaking to reporters said "There is hard evidence that there are Rohingya porters who have been used as guides." As the matter of Rohingya Muslims escalates, security forces are on high alert to nip any infiltration bid. The agencies are however cautious. "Prima facie there is no evidence but Pakistan cannot be trusted and will look at any possible links. Our forces have been on alert at the western border with Pakistan at the LoC and border always." On August 8, the Home Ministry sent a notice to all states asking them to identify and start the process of deporting Rohingyas. "Illegal migrants are more vulnerable to getting recruited by terrorist organisations. Infiltration from Rakhine state of Myanmar (where Rohingyas are based) into Indian territory, especially in the recent years besides being burden on the limited resources of the country, also aggravates the security challenges posed to the country," the notice had said. Meanwhile the case comes up for hearing in the apex court on the October 3. --- ENDS --- Customers roam the isles of Cabelas, the national outdoor outfitter, which opened its doors this morning, Thursday, September 21, 2017. (Greg Sorber/Albuquerque Journal) Thousands of customers stand in a line that wound its way through the parking lot to enter Cabela's, the national outdoor outfitter, during it's grand opening on Thursday, September 21, 2017. (Greg Sorber/Albuquerque Journal) Cabela's, the national outdoor outfitter, opened its doors this morning, Thursday, September 21, 2017, to a crowd of thousands, many of whom had been waiting outside since yesterday. (Greg Sorber/Albuquerque Journal) The crowd cheers after Cabela's archery expert, Larry Trujillo of Albuquerque shot a clay pigeon cutting the ribbon for the store's Grand Opening on Thursday, September 21, 2017. (Greg Sorber/Albuquerque Journal) A clay pigeon on the ribbon for the store's Grand Opening on Thursday, September 21, 2017. (Greg Sorber/Albuquerque Journal) Cabela's archery expert, Larry Trujillo of Albuquerque fists bumps fellow employees before shooting a clay pigeon to cut the ribbon for the store's Grand Opening on Thursday, September 21, 2017. (Greg Sorber/Albuquerque Journal) Robert Day, right, and his son Brent Day of Albuquerque look at pellet grills during Cabela's Grand Opening on Thursday, September 21, 2017. (Greg Sorber/Albuquerque Journal) Steve Benavidez of Albuquerque bought a cot and seat covers during Cabela's Grand Opening on Thursday, September 21, 2017. (Greg Sorber/Albuquerque Journal) Jim Roberts of Albuquerque looks at fishing equipment during Cabela's Grand Opening on Thursday, September 21, 2017. (Greg Sorber/Albuquerque Journal) Thousands of customers stand in a line that wound its way through the parking lot to enter Cabela's, the national outdoor outfitter, during it's grand opening on Thursday, September 21, 2017. (Greg Sorber/Albuquerque Journal) Cabela's, the national outdoor outfitter, opened its doors this morning, Thursday, September 21, 2017, to a crowd of thousands, many of whom had been waiting outside since yesterday. (Greg Sorber/Albuquerque Journal) Cabelas archery expert, Larry Trujillo of Albuquerque shoots a clay pigeon to cut the ribbon for the store's Grand Opening on Thursday, September 21, 2017. (Greg Sorber/Albuquerque Journal) Mary Cabela acknowledges the crowd during Cabela's Grand Opening ceremonies on Thursday, September 21, 2017. (Greg Sorber/Albuquerque Journal) Brandon LeFebre of Albuquerque, left, and Kevin Camp of Elephant Butte sit under umbrellas between tents on the sidewalk around Cabela's on Wednesday afternoon. The store opened on Thursday morning. (Greg Sorber/Albuquerque Journal) Prev 1 of 14 Next Cabelas is now open. The national outdoor outfitter opened its doors this morning to a crowd of thousands, many of whom had been waiting outside since yesterday. Cabelas opening ceremony included a flag raising and a concert from Nashville country star Lucas Hoge before a Cabelas archery expert shot a clay pigeon, cutting the ribbon. Shortly after, the store was flooded with excited customers, the first hundred of whom received Cabelas gift cards. We are very excited for Legacy @ Journal Center, said Kurt Browning, chief development officer for Titan Development. I think it will be a great anchor retailer and a destination retailer for Albuquerque. The store, at Paseo del Norte and Interstate 25, features interactive touch screen kiosks, an archery range and an educational firearms display. General Manager Chris Wilson moved to Albuquerque from Georgia to manage the new location. We are excited to be here, said Wilson. The support from the community that we have had since the ground-breaking has been incredible. This is the Nebraska-based companys first location in New Mexico. MONTGOMERY, Ala. Its Trump versus Trumpland. President Donald Trumps political muscles are getting a workout in a Republican runoff election in Alabama that has an awkward dynamic: Hes campaigning for the establishment-backed incumbent over an upstart beloved by many of his own most ardent supporters, including his former chief strategist Steve Bannon. Motivated by personal loyalty and a sense that the race is newly competitive, Trump heads to Huntsville, Alabama, on Friday to campaign for Sen. Luther Strange, appointed in February to temporarily fill the seat that opened up when Jeff Sessions became attorney general. The winner of next Tuesdays runoff will be the GOP candidate in a December election to serve out the rest of Sessions term, ending in January 2021. Strange is locked in a tight race with former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore, a jurist known for pushing unsuccessfully for the public display of the Ten Commandments and opposing gay marriage. A super political action committee tied to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who favors Strange, has pumped millions of dollars into the race, as Senate Republicans worry that Moore would be a disruptive figure in the chamber, or might even lose to Democrat Doug Jones. Moore led Strange in the first round of GOP voting, but not by enough to avoid the runoff, which could stand as an early test of how much sway Trump has over his political base. Both Strange and Moore have emphasized their support for the president, who is popular in the deep red state. GOP leaders worry about what a loss by Strange would say about the presidents political strength going into a midterm election year, as well as their ability to advance his agenda in Congress. Republican strategist Rick Tyler said a Strange loss could signal a situation analogous to that of former President Barack Obama, who had a base that will support him, like him, vote for him but wont necessarily be moved to act for him on behalf of others. McConnell spoke with Trump recently and assured him that Strange was much more competitive than recent public polls suggested, according to a person with knowledge of the call who requested anonymity to discuss it. Trump, who endorsed Strange last month, tweeted on Wednesday: Alabama is sooo lucky to have a candidate like Big Luther Strange. Smart, tough on crime, borders & trade, loves Vets & Military. Tuesday! Challenger Moore, running on an anti-Washington platform, has backing from former Trump chief strategist Bannon and his conservative website Breitbart News, and the Great America Alliance, an advocacy group that supports Trump. A rally for Moore on Thursday night was to feature Trump allies including former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and former White House official Sebastian Gorka. Trumps visit comes after some GOP encouragement. At the end of a White House meeting last week, he asked Sen. Bob Corker, of Tennessee, about Stranges chances and Corker said Trump needed to make the trip, said a person familiar with the conversation who was not authorized to speak publicly. Trump then got on the phone with GOP strategist Ward Baker, a Corker and McConnell ally who is working on the race for the Senate Leadership Fund, to talk through the campaign, according to a different person who also requested anonymity to disclose the private conversation. The Washington Post first reported on Corkers involvement. Trump allies stressed that the president was also motivated by Stranges loyalty and commitment to his agenda. Strange stresses his support from Trump in stump speeches and pamphlets. Steven Law, who runs the Senate Leadership Fund, which supports Strange, said Trumps increased engagement appeared to be based on the perception that the race is now competitive, that he could make a decisive difference, and that it was worth investing his political capital. The Senate Leadership Fund is on pace to spend more than $9 million to keep Strange in the Senate. Law, a former McConnell chief of staff, said the race is very close and turnout will be a decisive factor. The best booster rocket that Luther Strange could have is Donald Trump coming in in the last few days, said Law. Trump appears to be placing other factors over ideology as he pushes to keep Strange in the Senate over a candidate more in sync with the tone of his own 2016 campaign. In 2010 and 2012, the GOP had a few disastrous Senate primaries where extreme candidates won and then lost winnable races to Democrats in the general election. Since then, McConnell has been determined not to let it happen again and has succeeded in every instance. But the pro-Moore forces have shown no signs of retreat. His conservative backers include Fox News Sean Hannity and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. Andy Surabian, a senior adviser to Great America Alliance, stressed said the efforts for Moore were not a knock on Trump. We all support the president and that will never change, Surabian said. But he added: What does a change candidate breed? It breeds a movement. Moore has stressed that the race could send a message. Whats happening in Alabama is being watched in the halls of Congress and the Senate, Moore said at a rally over the weekend. They know what is happening in Alabama. Mitch McConnell knows what is happening in Alabama. They know it is going to affect the future of elections of other senators in 2018 in other states. ___ Lucey reported from Washington. AP Congressional Correspondent Erica Werner contributed to this report. It looks like Obamacare premiums for New Mexico policyholders will spike by double digits in 2018. Regulators have approved the largest health insurance premium increase in the four-year history of New Mexicos subsidized exchange, state Insurance Superintendent John Franchini said. Average premium increases for 2018 will range from 36 percent to 41 percent for mid-level insurance coverage, according to an analysis by his office. The states top insurance regulator said the rate increases in 2018 are heavily influenced by uncertainty about whether the federal government will block or discontinue payments to insurers. President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to halt these reimbursements to insurance companies in his drive to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, as Obamacare is formally known. About 55,000 New Mexico residents sign up each year for insurance through the states exchange, known as beWellnm. Back in the marketplace for 2018 are Molina Healthcare, Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Mexico, Christus Health Plan, and New Mexico Health Connections the same as this year. Between them, the providers are offering 216 individual plans in the new enrollment year. This year, there were 179 individual plans on offer. About 60 percent of people who buy insurance through the New Mexico exchange qualify for subsidies that reduce costs. I feel sorry for the other 40 percent though, Franchini said. Forty percent have to pay the full brunt of the rate increases. The full range of premium increases runs from 17 percent to just over 49 percent. Instability: thats the main reason for the increases. Were trying to give carriers some sort of certainty,said Franchini, whose office told the insurers to assume Cost Saving Reduction payments would not continue. Insurance companies receive the payments to defray the cost of premiums for clients who qualify for subisidies. Raising premiums gives insurers more confidence to participate in the market by protecting them from major financial losses, said Franchini. At the same time, if the Trump administration continues to make the CSR reimbursements (or if Congress steps in to appropriate the necessary funds), these insurers could potentially reap a windfall, financed largely by federal taxpayers who pick up the tab for the cost-sharing program. If the CSRs do come through, could the rate hikes be rolled back? I cannot guarantee that will happen in New Mexico, Franchini said, adding that insurance and medical companies dont do well with revising contracts once theyre signed. The continued volatility and chaos in health insurance market creates an extraordinarily challenging business environment for health insurers, said Dr. Martin Hickey, CEO New Mexico Health Connections, whose company has the second-largest number of enrollees on the exchange about 35 percent. Molina is the market leader with about 37 percent. Health plans are doing the best they can to navigate in the current climate, Hickey said. As a result of the United States House of Representatives v. Price lawsuit, the administration has the ability to revoke the cost-sharing reduction payments at any time, which wreaks havoc for health plans trying to manage risk. Franchini said rates are rising because not enough people are buying insurance through New Mexicos federally subsidized marketplace. Material from the Associated Press was used in this report. Sony PIX, the destination for Hollywood blockbusters and franchises, is premiering the most thrilling movie of the year Inferno on Sunday, September 24 ,2017 1 pm and 9 pm. The movie, which is based on the international bestselling novel by Dan Brown, promises to be an edge-of-seat thriller for all viewers. Directed by academy award-winning filmmaker Ron Howard, and starring Tom Hanks with Felicity Jones, the film is a race against time by a famous Harvard professor to foil a deadly global epidemic. With a strong India connect, Inferno also stars one of the most versatile actors from the Bollywood industry Irrfan Khan in a negative yet powerful role. Irrfan Khan, Actor - Working with cinematic legends like Tom Hanks and Ron Howard was an incredible experience. The over-whelming response that we got in the theatres was amazing and I am sure the Indian audiences will love to watch this movie on Sony PIX as it is an amazing edge-of-seat entertainer. By PTI: Sonamura (Tripura) Sep 20 (PTI) A sector commander level meeting of BSF and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) here today resolved to share actionable intelligence inputs to curb trans-border crimes. BSF, DIG, Brajesh Kumar said "The issues discussed in the meeting were related to trans-border crimes, mainly smuggling, theft, cattle lifting, border violation, infiltration, breaching and damaging of border pillars and other issues related to border infrastructure like barbed wire erection. advertisement "We have resolved to share actionable intelligence inputs to curb trans-border crimes," he said. The Indian delegation was led by Kumar and the Bangladesh side was led by Colonel Gazi Mohammed Ahasanuzzaman, sector Commander, BGB, Comilla sector. The meeting was held at the Srimantapur Indo-Bangla land customs station complex. Most of the issues were discussed and sorted out by the field commanders, Kumar said adding BSF and BGB agreed to look into each others? perspective on border problems. PTI COR JOY KK PS --- ENDS --- With a rapidly evolving business and economic landscape there is a dire requirement of fresh thinking, new skill sets, greater flexibility & adaptability, more collaboration as well as the ability to think on ones feet. Diversity in the workforce has become a necessity today, and more so in the leadership positions. It cant be denied that women bring a high level of creativity and empathy while solving problems and handling crises. Women leaders bring to the table a different level of dexterity. AdGullys The W-Suite series features interactions with influential women leaders in India, who share some deep insights on what being a woman leader means in Indias business landscape, the mantras to succeed, achieving work-life balance, pay parity and much more. Dr Sindhu Joseph, CEO & Co-founder, CogniCor, is the visionary behind the technologies that the company provides. She has a Ph.D in Artificial Intelligence from Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona. She is also inventor of 6 US Patents in AI. Her Ph.D thesis in conflict resolution in multi-agent systems inspired her to apply the technology in commercial settings. Joseph also has a strong industrial research background and was selected as one of the 3 outstanding entrepreneurs by the UK government in 2012. What defines a woman leader in todays ecosystem? Women leaders rise to leadership positions fighting many challenges on the way, often defying culture, gender stereotypes, and discrimination. Grit is the defining characteristic I would associate with every women leader. To me, being a woman in leadership means being able to translate this passion and perseverance to inspire and influence my team to move towards a common vision, while being authentic and true to my personal values and goals. Why do you think a smaller percentage of women than men reach the top of their professions? I am reminded of the 3 pieces of advice Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg gave to women: sit at the table, make your partner your real partner, and dont leave before you leave. Most women still dont attribute their success to their abilities or hard work nor negotiate to advance their position in their career as well as men and have harder time convincing their partner to be their real partner. As CEO, I still see this in my own company, where we have a 38 per cent women representation. As someone who cherishes to live these advice day after day, I hope more and more women are able to follow them. I am personally proud to be practicing all the 3 pieces of advice and I hope I am being an inspiration to other women. Do you think women leaders are still scrutinised as much for style as for substance? As long as it is more men sitting at the judging table, this is bound to be biased by their personal preferences. I believe women are increasingly being recognised for their work and professionalism. However, this is not reflected in the leadership numbers yet and will need more women to continue to challenge the existing glass ceilings. Do you think the leadership effectiveness of women is higher than men? Why? Every individual brings unique qualities to their leadership style based on their life experiences and personality. I believe it is in how these qualities are manifested that determines leadership effectiveness, and not on whether the leader is a man or a woman. That said, qualities that women are recognised to bring to the table grit, creativity, sensitivity are crucial in todays world, where we need to inspire the Generation Y teams across multi-cultural geographies. Women leaders in the 80s and 90s and women leaders today - what are the key differences? And what are the things that havent changed much? Women leaders in the 80s and 90s received fewer leadership opportunities than we do today, and would likely have had to work harder to achieve their goals. Gender stereotypes are being challenged more today. However, even with this, traditional roles such as raising children continue to be associated with women. These are constructs around which women have to work, if they wish to be successful in their career. How do you maintain a balance between career goals and family responsibilities? How frequently do you have to sacrifice one for the other? I believe achieving a balance between career and family responsibilities is difficult, if not impossible, and trying to achieve this artificial balance is to go about it the wrong way. I enjoy my work as well as my family. All of us understand my work and we blend both work and family life. It immensely helps to have a real partner, but it is also important not to be apologetic about your work, not to yourself or to your family. The outcome is nothing short of spectacular. My family is proud of my work and it provides them the confidence that difficult things are possible and inspire them to dream big. Do you think pay parity exists in our corporates today across levels? What about pay parity at the leadership levels? Studies show that this pay parity exists across corporations, but is now being recognised as a key focus area by HR in leading corporations. The onus is also on women to recognise their worth and negotiate for pay that is on par with the market. What would be your advice to women aiming for the C-suite? For me, it is difficult to imagine that C-suite as such can inspire anyone, be it man or woman. If you are inspired by the vision that a company stands for and have the strong conviction that you can be a great leader to motivate and align the team to work towards realising that vision, then nothing can stop you. What, according to you, are the 3 important lessons new women leaders need to learn? I repeat Sheryl Sandbergs advice: DigitasLBi US, BBH UK and Ensemble Worldwide, UM Malaysia are the three Grands Prix winners for their work for Whirlpool and KFC at the first global WARC Awards, recognising next-generation marketing effectiveness. DigitasLBi US was the winner of two top awards - the Best Use of Brand Purpose Grand Prix as well as the Partnership Special Award for Whirlpools Care Counts campaign which saw the US appliances manufacturer install washers and dryers in schools to give disadvantaged students access to laundry facilities and boost attendance rates. Jury chair Jim Stengel, President and CEO, The Jim Stengel Company commented on the campaign, It is a brand thats trying to be in a different place, behind purpose, and I applaud them for that. The Effective Social Strategy Grand Prix was won by BBH London for the Dirty Louisiana: Dont make dirty good, make clean bad campaign for KFC in which the fast food brand created a humorous fake clean eating campaign shared on social media, YouTube and blogs to successfully launch its newest product in the UK. Jury member Barry Krause, Founder and CEO, Suite (LiveLab) said, This campaign goes for the super heavy QSR user as that's where the volumes are. This is a brilliant strategy, they slaughtered it and its really funny. Ensemble Worldwide, UM Malaysia are winners of the Effective Use of Content Strategy Grand Prix for their KFC campaign, Stealing a burger-march on McDonalds using real-time data for which they employed programmatic technology to create and distribute content to millennials to launch its Hot and Cheezy burger in Malaysia. Judge Charles Baker, Strategy Director, BBDO Hearts & Science, remarked, McDonalds is the king of burgers so for KFC to make something enduring that could be fun for kids is smart. This is all about building preference and repeat visits. Special Awards In the Best Use of Brand Purpose category, alongside DigitasLBi US winning the Partnership Special Award for Whirlpool, Ogilvy and Mindshare Canada won the Analytics Award for No Baby Unhugged, which shows how Huggies, the baby diapers brand, increased awareness and sales by developing hugging programs across Canadian Hospitals. BBDO India won the Longevity Award for Ariels Dads #ShareTheLoad, a social campaign tackling gender inequality in housework. Three special awards have been given in the Effective Social Strategy category. The Live Award goes to Ketchum US for their Reeses Creating Cupfusion campaign. The chocolate brand was able to successfully launch its newest product in the US despite a major information leak. TBWAGroup Singapore won the Customer Journey Award for cosmetics brand Maybelline. The campaign #BeYourOwnFilter increased brand awareness and sales in Singapore by tapping into womens love for Snapchat selfies. The Low-Budget Idea Award was won by McCann Melbourne for Free Puppies Forever. The campaign shows how Seeing Eye Dogs Australia (SEDA), a non-profit organisation, successfully found homes for their puppies by creating the first puppy subscription service in Australia. In the Effective Content Strategy category, the Long-Term Idea Award was won by MullenLowe London, MullenLowe US for Knorrs global campaign Love at First Taste. The brand attracted a new generation of cooks with a social media strategy that tapped into passion points rather than pushing products. The Low-Budget Idea Award was presented to whiteGREY Australia for 'This Bike has MS' which saw MS Australia use the design of a bike to raise awareness of the symptoms of multiple sclerosis and improve fundraising efforts. And the Best Multiplatform Award was won by GTB for Le Fantome for which car-maker Ford used an eight-minute film, starring Mads Mikkelsen, to launch its Edge SUV across Europe. The winners of the three Grands Prix and nine Special Awards, which share a prize fund of $30,000, were presented with their trophies at The WARC Awards event held today in London during which attendees had the opportunity to hear from jury members and winners alike who shared their thoughts and strategies behind the winning campaigns. Summing up the inaugural WARC Awards, Lucy Aitken, Case Study Editor, WARC, said, Weve had a great response from the industry to the new global WARC Awards. More importantly, the outcome from our 45-strong international jury panel brings together a collection of campaigns from around the world that are leading the industry forward by mastering new techniques and delivering business results for clients. LONDON, September 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- CEO of energy consulting company Contax Partners, Filippo Fantechi, was celebrating this week after picking up Business Worldwide Magazine's CEO of the Year award for the Middle Eastern Energy Sector, as well as scooping the magazine's Most Innovative CEO, Bahrain (2017) title. In a sector which has seen many losses in the past few years following a huge slump in oil prices, Filippo has kept Contax not simply afloat, but sailing successfully into new waters. In other words, the strategic CEO has diversified into other areas, more suited to the energy market's climate at that time. This has resulted in the acquisition of a European engineering consultancy company and expansion into the coal agglomeration technology arena. Another benefit has been the targeting of private equity and investment groups interested in seeking out profit-making opportunities within the energy sector. Then there has been the entry into new international markets in Russia and Bangladesh. Filippo was delighted to receive both awards from BWM. He said, given the state of the oil and gas sector in recent times, it was clear his company's strategy had to change considerably. "To continue with the status quo in an ever-evolving market is a recipe for self-destruction," he said. "We needed to provide a diverse set of services; and they had to be ones which would continue to support our business during a tough cycle in the energy markets. I'm happy to say, we managed to achieve this. "In fact, we have been able to turn poor market circumstances to our own advantage by helping businesses to survive, and even thrive, during incredibly challenging times." A spokesperson for BWM praised Filippo for his company's ability to survive where so many others had failed during severe economic times within the Oil and Gas in recent times. "Being able to record success and thrive in the face of diversity is what makes a first-class CEO, and Filippo Fantechi has certainly shown he has the necessary skill sets," he said. "Both awards are richly deserved." UAE and Bahrain-based Contax Partners has been in operation now for more than three decades. Until recently it was a business consulting firm for the energy and energy-related sector in these regions, providing project data, research, strategic analysis, risk & growth advisory, and business development (including fund-raising and strategic implementation). Those who benefit from Contax's service include national and global oil companies, contractors, subcontractors, service providers and equipment manufacturers. Government agencies, investment banks and private equity firms also value the company's expertise and in-depth knowledge. You can find further details about BWM Awards and this year's CEO winners here: http://www.bwmonline.com/awards/ceo-awards-winners-2017/ More about Filippo's strategic overview of the energy industry, as well as the services Contax provides, can be found on the company website www.contaxpartners.com An article on the company can also be found on BWM website http://www.bwmonline.com/2017/08/19/why-the-energy-sector-needs-strategic-development/ About Business Worldwide Magazine Business Worldwide Magazine is the leading source of business and dealmaker intelligence throughout the world. Our quarterly magazine and online news portal enables an established audience of corporate dealmakers to track the latest news, stories and developments affecting the international markets, corporate finance, business strategy and changes in legislation. This readership includes of CEO/CFO - Banks, Corporate Lawyers and Venture Capital/Private Equity Companies to name a few. www.bwmonline.com Contact David Jones Awards Department E: david.jones@bwmonline.com W: www.bwmonline.com SOURCE Business Worldwide Magazine ATLANTA, Sept. 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Dr. Robin Reich, a dentist for more than 30 years, was installed as president of the Georgia Dental Association, the state's leading professional organization representing dentists in Georgia. Reich was installed during the association's annual convention in Amelia Island, Fla. on July 23. A member of the Georgia Dental Association since 1985, Reich has held multiple officer positions at the district, state and national levels. Most recently she served as public relations chair, leading the association in the launch of a statewide public relations campaign to educate consumers about the importance of good oral health and to motivate them to see their dentist regularly. The campaign, titled "Because I Saw My Dentist," is in its second year. It profiles real Georgians telling their stories of how finding a dental home and seeing a dentist changed their lives dramatically. The stories are brought to life through video, audio and print materials that can be found on the Georgia Dental Association's campaign website, becauseisawmydentist.com. The site enables people to find a dentist near them and encourages Georgians to establish a dental home. Reich's success as the state association's public relations chair led to a national leadership position with the American Dental Association where she currently serves as chair-elect of the ADA's Council on Communications. Reich also is a longtime volunteer at the Ben Massell clinic in Atlanta, serving as an adjunct professor. She is active in the Pierre Fauchard Dental Society, Hinman Dental Society, American College of Dentists, International College of Dentists, Georgia Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, Academy of General Dentistry, and the Northwestern study club. Reich attended the University of Michigan and holds a D.D.S. degree from the University of Detroit School of Dentistry. She has practiced in the South Cobb area since 1984 and is a general dentist at Reich Dental Center with offices in South Cobb and Alpharetta. About the Georgia Dental Association The Georgia Dental Association (GDA) is the state's largest dental association, representing more than 3,300 dentist members. The premier source of oral health information in Georgia, the GDA has promoted the highest standards of dentistry through education, advocacy and professionalism since 1859. A constituent of the American Dental Association, the GDA is based in Atlanta. Contact: Carol Galbreath (404) 636-7553, ext. 119 carol@gadental.org View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/georgia-dental-association-installs-new-president-300523369.html SOURCE Georgia Dental Association 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. Bose on Thursday officially announced the QuietComfort 35 II, a pair of wireless headphone compatible with the Google Assistant. The industry-first product has been rumored about for several months now but wasnt expected to be launched until tomorrow, with Bose now unveiling it as a direct successor to the original QuietComfort 35 headphones. The two devices are visually almost identical, with the new product only distinguishing itself with the addition of an Action button to its left earcup which is used for activating Googles artificial intelligence companion. The headphones are available for purchase in the United States as of today and carry a $349.95 price tag, as was previously expected. Consumers in the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, France, and Australia are also able to order the new product starting right now, though its currently unclear when first units will begin shipping and theres still no indication that Bose will be bringing the QuietComfort 35 II to more markets in the coming months. Apart from the addition of support for the Google Assistant, the latest pair of wireless headphones from Bose also improves on its predecessors noise cancellation capabilities by providing users with more control over the sounds they want to allow or eliminate. The device is currently being sold in Black and Silver color options, with Bose stating that it offers the same high level of audio quality enabled by its predecessor and presenting it as the ultimate offering in the wireless market segment. The original device was already able to access Apples Siri, with this capability being succeeded by the newly unveiled pair of headphones which is thus not only the first to feature Google Assistant integration but also boasts support for two AI companions, Bose says. To access the Google Assistant directly from your QuietComfort 35 II headphones, simply press and hold the new Action button while speaking to the voice-enabled service. The device boasts Boses proprietary microphone system that the company claims is highly accurate and will have no issues understanding anything you have to say regardless of the loudness of your surroundings. Google stated that the idea to integrate its AI service into a pair of headphones stemmed from the concept of creating a highly personalized experience thats only meant to be heard by the end user. While neither Alphabets subsidiary nor Bose explicitly mentioned this, the QuietComfort 35 II is believed to be the first Bisto device in the world, which is how Googles engineers are said to internally refer to Google Assistant-enabled headphones and earbuds. The company itself is rumored to be working on a similar device which may be announced on October 4 alongside the Pixel 2 handset series and Google Home Mini smart speaker. The QuietComfort 35 II is likely to be available on Amazon in the coming days. In the meantime, you can order your unit directly from the Framingham, Massachusetts-based company. The European Commission is prepared to raise taxes on Google, Amazon, Facebook, and other multinational internet giants even without support from the United States and other Western nations, the legislative body of the political bloc said earlier today. Many EU state members have been seeking to implement a digital tax reform simultaneously with other parts of the world but are now seemingly ready to stop waiting for a global solution to the issue and are prepared to lead by example. The political bloc named three possible techniques for making the tech giants pay their fair share of taxes within the European Union; the simplest solution would be to tax companies based on revenues instead of profits, the second entails a retention tax imposed specifically on Internet firms, and the third is based on extra fees for online advertising. The three options may be implemented individually or work in conjunction, the Commission suggested, noting how it would still prefer to enact the new measures in cooperation with the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, i.e. some of the worlds richest countries. All proposals outlined on Thursday are understood to be band-aid solutions that should pave the way for a more comprehensive digital tax reform which could take years to properly implement. A number of EU state members with low tax rates like Luxembourg and Ireland are still opposing the changes and would likely veto any traditional enactment attempt. Due to that state of affairs, the Commission may opt for less conventional legislative methods, with one of the options being to take away veto rights on tax-related manners of opposing countries, citing market distortions mentioned in one of its treaties. If the bloc would move forward on such a move, it should do so by December which is when its first concrete moves on the matter are expected to be made. An official legislative proposal could be drafted by spring, as revealed by EC Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis earlier today. No concrete decisions on dealing with opposing states have yet been reached and the top legislative body of the EU is still hoping for a unanimous ruling. According to recent estimates, Google and Facebook alone managed to avoid up to $6.42 billion in EU taxes between 2013 and 2015 by taking full advantage of the blocs existing tax system which wasnt enacted with digital companies in mind. The Android 8.0 Oreo factory image for the Nexus Player is now available on Googles Developer website, several weeks after the factory images of other Nexus and Pixel-branded devices were released. This factory image also includes the September 2017 Android security patch, and the new software build can be identified through the version number OPR6.170623.021. Before flashing the images, people should be reminded that all user data will be deleted once the installation process is completed. The factory image can be installed through the fastboot mode, which can be accessed either through the adb tool or relevant key combination. Users may lock the devices bootloader after flashing the operating system for security purposes. For those who are unwilling to go through the entire procedure, the user may simply wait for the device to receive the update over the air. Android Oreo is adding a substantial number of features to Android TV devices, which include the Nexus Player. Once installed in the device, apps are now called a channel, and stock Google applications already support this feature. Through the Channels feature, the Nexus Player and other recent Android TV devices allow users to watch video previews by simply highlighting one of the thumbnails found in the app. On the other hand, it may take some time before other services take advantage of this feature. Android Oreo also makes it easier for people to access other applications by simply long-pressing the menu key on the Nexus Player. Afterwards, an overlay containing all apps will appear, and it works anywhere on the user interface. Previously, users will have to navigate their way to the app menu before they could view all the installed software. Last but not the least, a shortcut for the most used applications at the top of the home screen is provided by the Favorites feature. When Android Oreo was announced late last month, there are applications that still do not work well with the upgraded version of the operating system, resulting in software crashes, although developers may have already resolved this issue. It is interesting to point out that the Nexus Player was launched three years ago, and the search giant is still supporting the device with major operating system upgrades. In comparison, a smartphone that was launched with Android Lollipop, the Nexus 6, is no longer receiving Android 8.0 Oreo, and it is stuck with Android 7.1.1 Nougat. Samsung is likely to kick off a beta test for the Android 8.0 Oreo with its Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus smartphones in the near future, according to a new report. This is after the company was reported a few weeks ago to be developing its own custom build for the latest version of Googles mobile operating system for both flagship smartphones, though it was not immediately clear when the company started the developmental work. Now Samsung is reportedly preparing a beta program for the Android 8.0 Oreo update for the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus after industry watchers have spotted some fresh firmware versions bearing the alphanumeric characters G950FXXE1ZQI7 and G955FXXU1ZQI7, respectively, for the duo flagship. It is also worth pointing out that the letter Z in each version indicates that those builds are actually beta editions, as Samsung also used the same character last year for the designation of the beta version of Android 7.0 Nougat for the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge. It remains unclear, however, as of this time when the company plans to roll out the beta version of Android 8.0 Oreo for the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus to the public. While nothing is confirmed about the release of the beta version of the latest Android operating system, it is possible that the update could be hitting the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus devices sooner than later, thanks to Googles modular base for Android called Project Treble. It refers to the modification to Androids low-level system architecture designed to help OEMs roll out some changes to the OS version of a device as part of the softwares update process. That means it will be much faster now for device manufacturers to upgrade their mobile device offerings to a new version of Android once Google finally releases an update. In addition to the launch window, it is also not immediately known in which territories the beta program will be released, as Samsung could end up launching it only in one region or in just a couple of regions. More details about the Android 8.0 Oreo beta program for the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus phones could pop up in the near future so if youre on one of those devices and are eager to get your hands on the latest Android software youll want to keep an eye out for the beta program. Along with announcing a new Android One variant of the Moto X4, Google has also now announced the availability of a trade-in program for Project Fi. In short, if you own a Nexus device (or a number of other select devices) and would now like to trade it in and use its value as a part payment against a new phone from Project Fi (like the Moto X4) you now can. As to be expected the value of any Nexus device will be dependent on its age and likely its condition. However, as a guide Google has confirmed that for select Nexus devices a trade-in value of as much as $165 is on offer. To clarify this, at present the Nexus 6P, the Nexus 5X, and the Nexus 6 are the only Nexus-branded phones listed and the Nexus 6P is what will net you up to $165 in value. In contrast, a Galaxy S8+ will get you as much as $345 back, a Galaxy S7 Edge as much as $175, an LG G6 up to $230, and an iPhone 7 as much as $363. Which does equate to a fairly substantial discount of off what is already a fairly affordable phone like the Moto X4 now confirmed as priced at $399 through Project Fi. To further sweeten the deal however, Google has also explained anyone who trades in a Nexus device (just Nexus it seems) and uses that money against the purchase of another device before October 5, will also receive $50 in Project Fi credit. Which depending on level of usage could be as little as one months free service, or as much as a couple of months service. The added $50 Project Fi credit promotion coming to an end on October 5 is particularly telling, as it was recently confirmed Google is hosting an event on October 4. One where it is expected Google will introduce its Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL smartphones, in addition to a number of other hardware devices. With that event taking place on October 4, it could be the case that pre-orders might open as early as October 5. Which if that does happen, would presumably mean pre-orders for those two phones will not be eligible for the additional Project Fi credit. Although, it very well seems likely those looking to buy a Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL from Google (and through Fi) will still be able to take advantage of the trade-in program in general. More information on the new Project Fi trade-in program through the link below. By Rahul Shrivastava: Aviation security went into a tizzy after six dummy improvised explosive devices (IED) were discovered at Delhi's IGI and Mangalore airports. Five of these fake bombs were detected during a scanning of cargo shipments today at Delhi airport. The sixth similar suspected IED was detected at Mangalore airport three days ago. The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) has written a letter to apprise the National Investigation Agency (NIA) of the dummy bombs and has sought a thorough probe into the intent of people who planted the fake IED packages. The BCAS has also alerted the Intelligence Bureau (IB) in order to apprise all agencies concerned with security. advertisement BCAS sources said that the matter was flagged immediately after the first dummy IED device was detected during X-Ray screening at the new domestic terminal of Delhi airport. A security staffer identified as Dharmender Chouhan detected a suspicious IED-like object during screening at X-ray machine 5, said sources. HOW THE IEDs WERE DISCOVERED An alert was sounded and the package was isolated immediately after the first IED-like object was detected at around 7.11 am. Preliminary probe showed that the package shipment bearing AWB 312-63426090 was heading to Dibrugarh district of Assam and was to be loaded on the Indigo flight no 6E-591. The cargo shipment was sent by postal service to the airliner. CISF commander Chandan Singh and the bomb detection squad were alerted immediately after the detection. The bomb detection squad inspected the object and, in no more than 30 minutes, declared that the shipment was safe as it did not contain any explosive. Sniffer dogs were put into service for a second verification. As per Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS) inspector Ajit Kumar both tests for explosives produced a negative result. The package and the details of the sender and recipient of the cargo will be forwarded to the agencies to conduct probe. Within a few hours, another shipment failed the X-ray scan. The packages were opened and similar IED like devices were found. The bomb disposal squad was scrambled again. After checks they were found to contain no explosive but the wiring and other elements were found to be similar to an IED. MANGALORE INCIDENT The antecedents of the senders are being investigated. Incidentally, the sender mentioned on one of the packages is Sai Baba Sansthan based in Nangloi. The other one is from a firm in Thane in Maharashtra. The details pasted on the package say that it contained a power bank used for charging mobiles. On Tuesday, a similar suspected IED was detected at Mangalore airport. The device was detected by alert screeners at an X-ray machine for checked in baggage for an Indigo flight. The passenger was detained by security agencies immediately after and an investigation is underway. advertisement A top BCAS official said that the sense of alarm has reasons. "This seems to be no ordinary prank. And we cannot take chances. Prime facie it seems that someone is testing our security systems. These could be dry runs," he said. TERROR DRY RUN? What agencies have noticed is that all the detected baggage or cargo items would have gone into the hold area of the aircraft not cabin baggage. Lately, several airlines and security agencies have barred all battery items from being carried in the cabin baggage. This was to ease the pressure on security staff which does the pre-boarding screening of passengers and their baggage. Another officer said, "there is no reason why someone will go to the extent of creating a device like these. These have the circuits as in the case of IEDs which is created after dismantling the circuit in a power bank. The material stuffed inside may not be explosive but it's filled exactly like an IED. And deliberately the outer casing is kept intact." The sense of caution also comes due to the first incident which happened at the Mangalore airport. Mangalore has been on the radar of intelligence agencies for more than a decade now primarily because of Bhatkal city which is home to Indian Mujahideen (IM) terrorist like Yasin Bhatkal. The town in coastal Uttara Kannada district is home to other IM top guns, brothers Riyaz and Iqbal Shabantri. advertisement WATCH: Dummy IEDs found at Delhi, Mangalore airports indicate terror dry run --- ENDS --- Googles tie-up with HTC will turn the company into a major competitive threat to other original equipment manufacturers in the smartphone industry, according to David McQueen, Research Director at ABI Research. In his Thursday comment on the newly announced deal sent to Android Headlines, Mr. McQueen said that Googles decision to acquire HTCs talent which worked on the original Pixel series is a calculated move by the Alphabet-owned company and significantly less risky than its 2011 acquisition of Motorola Mobility which it offloaded to Lenovo only three years later. While the industry analyst acknowledged that Google shipped less than two million units of the Pixel and Pixel XL, he also believes that the company will be able to improve on that number in a significant manner going forward, largely thanks to the latest addition to its smartphone unit. Even though the Mountain View, California-based company presented the 2016 Pixel series as an entirely new lineup which isnt meant to be a spiritual successor to the Nexus device family, Mr. McQueen believes that Google is still interested in using the Pixel smartphones as a benchmark for other OEMs, i.e. show them what the Android ecosystem is capable of accomplishing under the right circumstances. The analyst also said that HTCs decision to sell some of its talent is understandable in light of the fact that the company has been struggling to return to its former glory despite making high-quality devices in recent years, suggesting how HTC may now be looking to refocus its efforts to other industry segments like virtual reality. Nonetheless, the remnants of the companys handset division still have a rough period ahead of them and will find it even harder to perform in the increasingly competitive global market, Mr. McQueen said. Another reason why the tech giant may have opted against a direct acquisition of HTCs phone unit is the fact that the firm wanted to avoid positioning itself as a clear competitor to its OEM partners, ABI Research Director speculates, noting how such a scenario is still a realistic possibility. Google is scheduled to unveil the HTC-made Pixel 2 on October 4, with the phone being set to debut alongside the Pixel XL 2 which was manufactured by LG Electronics. By PTI: Mumbai, Sep 21 (PTI) A six-year-old boy died during recess at a school in suburban Powai today, police said. The cause of death was not yet known. The boy, a class I student, suddenly collapsed in the second-floor corridor of Pawar Public school in Powai at around 10 this morning when he and some other boys were playing during the recess, police said. advertisement He was rushed to a hospital where he was declared `brought dead, said senior inspector A Dharmadhikari of Sakinaka police. According to his parents, the boy wasnt suffering from any disease. The cause of death will be known after autopsy report becomes available, the officer added. Deputy Commissioner of Police (zone 10) N D Reddy and Assistant Commissioner of Police Sanjay Patil visited the school after the incident. Police went through CCTV footage of the spot and spoke to the school staff, said another police official. PTI AVI KRK --- ENDS --- Congress president Sonia Gandhi wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to remind him of the Women's Reservation Bill that was passed by the Rajya Sabha in March 2010. By India Today Web Desk: In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress president Sonia Gandhi reminded him of the landmark Women's Reservation Bill and asked him to pass the legislation, which she said has been languishing in Lok Sabha "for one reason or another". Assuring Modi of Congress support to the Bill, Sonia wrote, "I am writing to request you to take advantage of your majority in the Lok Sabha to now get the Women's Reservation Bill passed in the Lower House as well." advertisement "The Congress party has always and will continue to support this legislation, which will be a significant step forward in the empowerment of women," she wrote. The Women's Reservation Bill envisages 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and all state legislative assemblies. Sonia reminded Modi that the Bill has already been passed by the Rajya Sabha on March 9, 2010 when the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) was in power. In her letter, Sonia also mentioned that her husband and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was the first to moot the reservation of women in panchayats and nagarpalikas. In May this year, the Congress's women's wing, Mahila Congress, had also launched a signature campaign seeking early passage of the Women's Reservation Bill in Parliament. The campaign was launched by Sonia Gandhi on the occasion of the 26th death anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi at his memorial Veer Bhoomi in New Delhi. --- ENDS --- By PTI: New Delhi, Sep 21 (PTI) Congress president Sonia Gandhi has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to get the womens reservation bill passed in the Lok Sabha by taking advantage of the BJPs majority in the House. Gandhi assured him of her partys support to the legislation, which she said would be a significant step forward in the empowerment of women. advertisement The Rajya Sabha had passed the bill on March 9, 2010. "I am writing to request you to take advantage of your majority in the Lok Sabha to now get the womens reservation bill passed in the Lower House as well," Gandhi said in the letter, dated September 20. Speaking to reporters here, Congress womens wing chief Sushmita Dev questioned the alleged delay by the government in ensuring the passage of the bill in the Lok Sabha. The ruling BJP should show that its commitment towards the legislation is not mere "symbolism", she said. She asked Modi to assure the countrys women that the reservations would be implemented before 2019, when the next general elections will be held. In her letter, Gandhi recalled that the Congress and its late leader Rajiv Gandhi had first mooted the provision for quotas for women in panchayats and municipal bodies through Constitution amendment bills. Gandhi said the bills were "thwarted" by the opposition in 1989, but were passed by both the Houses of Parliament in 1993. Dev, who read the letter out to reporters at the briefing, said, "The question we ask Modiji after three years of the BJP coming to power) is...why the delay?" The lawmaker said given the work that will follow once a decision is taken to pass the bill in the Lok Sabha and the time that it will take, the government will have to get going with the business "right now". To a question by a reporter on why the main opposition party did not take the matter up with the government after the BJP came into power, Dev said the issue was flagged on several occasions including during debates on the floor of the House. She recalled that Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, as the Parliamentary Affairs minister, had said the government had received several letters from public representatives and NGOs pressing for passing the bill. Naidu, Dev said, had also stated that the government was "discussing and seriously thinking" about the bill. "Once a Parliamentary Affairs minister makes that statement on the floor of the Lok Sabha and if Sonia Gandhiji gives him time of six months or a year to implement that, I will say it was her faith in the governments motive. But this did not happen," she said. advertisement Another Congress leader, Shobha Oza, seconded Dev and said the party had collected "lakhs of signatures" from across the country and those would be submitted to President Ram Nath Kovind while pressing for the demand. PTI ENM BDS --- ENDS --- The CEO of Corrs Chambers Westgarth is calling on the worlds business leaders to promote the benefits of global trade, amid the hostility of some governments to globalisation. The Trump administration in the US, for example, has withdrawn from the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement, and has also threatened to terminate the North American Free Trade Agreement.Trade is seen as an enemy, not a friend. But this is simply not right. Trade helps lift millions out of poverty, promotes economic growth and job creation, and drives technical progress to unprecedented levels. It makes our lives better, said CEO John Denton during his keynote address at the tenth World Chambers Congress in Sydney.According to Denton, businesses and chambers are in the best position to show the benefits of global trade by connecting with the average person on the street. Talk of the benefits of trade is of little comfort to someone who has lost their job. Those of us who see the benefits of open markets in our daily work must reconnect with those who, understandably, believe globalisation has failed them.Its clear the response to the challenges of global change will define the global and political and economic landscape for a generation to come, he added. We must be ready to meet these challenges and lead the debate. 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. AMG kW But first, we need to talk about the cars the police uses in Australia. The Ford Falcon is already history, and with the imminent demise of Holden production in the Land Down Under, the Commodore is no longer relevant. Whats more, Toyota will pull the plug on the locally manufactured Camry sedan in October.Given these circumstances, its no wonder the police has been testing various vehicles in the past few years, trialing them to find out if theyre sufficiently reliable and capable for active duty. Ford failed with the Mustang , Mercedes-came up with the E43, but in the end, the BMW 5 Series won outright.The Victoria Police and BMW Australia announced that 80 examples of the breed would join the force in 2018 as highway patrol cars, all of them specified in 530d attire. The reason the B57 3.0-liter inline-six turbo diesel was chosen over any other powerplant, despite the fact Dieselgate curbed the appeal of Satan's fuel, is the combination of efficiency and acceleration.Sure the straight-six has only 265 metric ponies (195) at its disposal, but the torque ( 620 Nm; 460 lb-ft ) is available from low down in the rev range and it ensures the 530d hits 100 km/h (62 mph) in 5.7 seconds. Top speed? An electronically limited 250 km/h (155 mph) is more than adequate.The cars acquired by Victoria Police present themselves in entry-level specification, and each is gifted with the mandatory police package and graphics. Lauded by media and customers alike for its combination of performance, safety, and efficiency, the new BMW 5 Series range is a natural fit for police duty, said BMW Australia head honcho Marc Werner. A CCTV camera captured the horrifying moment where the German sportscar turned onto Rivonia Road and totally lost control. It seems to have been traveling at some serious pace, as the Audi is sent flying through the air and crashes through numerous signs and a wall.Paramedics arrived on the scene within minutes and found a young woman they believe to be in her early 20s. She was taken to hospital in critical condition.ER24 paramedics responded to the scene after receiving the emergency call at 05h15 ER24 spokesman Russel Meiring said in a statement on Monday. Upon arrival paramedics found a wrecked performance vehicle lying next to a wall. The woman was found lying a short distance behind the vehicle. Paramedics assessed the woman and found that she had sustained numerous injuries and was in a critical condition.The aftermath of the crash is equally as shocking, and we can hardly believe she even managed to crawl away from the wreckage.The engine and gearbox can be seen broken into pieces by the severe crash. The left side of the TTS is caved and mangled. Fortunately, they use RHD cars in South Africa. Cracked rims, torn suspension - not a single piece has been left intact.While not the ultimate speed machine, the TTS is relatively light and makes the most of its 310 horsepower 2-liter turbo engine. It will hit 100 km/h in 4.9 seconds, just to give you an idea of its capabilities. Much of the bodywork is made from aluminum.Back in 2015, the TT scored only a 4-star safety rating with Euro NCAP "amongst other reasons due to lack of latest advanced technologies such as autonomous emergency braking. So it's not really the rigidity of the body that was called into question. However, nobody tests what happens when you fly through a wall at ultra-high speed. And that's because the two, who share their livery, were recently taken for a driver by Mad Mike Whiddett. You know, the New Zealand drifter who keeps thrilling us with his extreme appearances - here's an example of just how dedicated he is to the Japanese brand.The Kiwi slider recently visited the Liberty Walk mother ship in Japan, with Kato Wataru, the man behind the label, allowing him to enjoy the might of these go-fast animals.Thanks to the piece of footage below, you'll get to see the two velocity tools delivering a monstrous spectacle, especially when it comes to the aural side of the adventure.As those of you who are tuned into our tuning tales know, we've covered both the LB Walk RX-3 and the 650S in the past, so you can easily understand the joy we experience when checking them out together.As for Mad Mike, since the drifter has a thing for Mazda, he used this experience to share some Wankel memories with us."These 1970's style cars bring back many memories of my teenage years pulsing around the streets of New Zealand and Auckland City. We must have annoyed everyone with the disturbance from our rowdy bridgeport rotary engines, bolted into everything from Mazda Bongo Vans, Mazda 323's, Toyota Corolla's, genuine RX Mazda's or anything rear wheel drive that was cheap out of the local Trade & Exchange. The buzz was to always create something fresh and unique with its own aggressive character, and build that street cred - URBAN DISTURBANCE, the athlete told Red Bull, which happens to be his sponsor. Stratolaunch, the massive airplane that is being built by Scaled Composites to deliver satellites to low Earth orbit, successfully ran all six of its Pratt & Whitney turbofan engines for the first time this week, the company has announced. The PW4056 engines, which previously powered a Boeing 747, support a payload capacity of more than 150,000 pounds and an operational range of about 2,000 nautical miles. At 385 feet from wingtip to wingtip, Stratolaunch is the largest airplane, by wingspan, ever built. Its also the first aircraft to fly with six 747 engines. Its under construction at the Mojave Air & Space Port, in California. The company, which is funded by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, says the airplane will be fully operational by 2020. The engine tests consisted of three phases, the company said. The first test was as a dry motor, using an auxiliary power unit to charge the engine. Next was a wet motor test, using fuel. Finally, each engine was started, one at a time, and allowed to idle. In these initial tests, each of the six engines operated as expected, the company said. A number of failure-mode conditions also were tested. The team also completed fuel testing. Each of the six fuel tanks was filled independently to ensure proper operations of fuel mechanisms and to validate the tanks were properly sealed. Prerequisite testing of the electrical, pneumatic and fire detection systems also were completed successfully. Tests also have begun on the flight control system. So far, the company said, they have exercised the full limits of motion and rate of deflection of control surfaces on the wing and stabilizers. Follow-up testing this fall will exercise the unique avionics, hydraulics, electrical and fuel systems, said Joe Ruddy, director of the Stratolaunch project. This will advance the aircraft one step closer to taxi testing one of the final test series prior to flight. Paul Manafort was in the room when Donald Trump Jr. met with a Russian lawyer hoping for dirt on Hillary Clinton. One month later, he reportedly sent an email to a Russian billionaire offering private briefings on the campaign. Before he even signed on with Trump, the FBI was reportedly secretly monitoring his calls. Why it matters: Now, he has surrendered to authorities and been charged with 12 counts in the first indictments of Robert Mueller's Russia probe. The timeline: 2006 Manafort begins working for Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, who has close ties with Vladimir Putin, for $10 million per year, per the Washington Post. Around the same time, he's hired by a pro-Russia political party in Ukraine. 2014 The FBI begins investigating Manafort over his consulting work in Ukraine. As a part of that investigation, the FBI obtains a FISA warrant to wiretap Manafort, per CNN. It was discontinued at some point in 2016, and later renewed. The CNN report emerged in September, 2017. 2016 March 28: Manafort joins the Trump campaign, tasked with wrangling delegates for the convention. Manafort joins the Trump campaign, tasked with wrangling delegates for the convention. Spring 2016: A new FBI investigation into Manafort is opened, relating to his business ties to foreign countries, including Russia, per the NY Times. A new FBI investigation into Manafort is opened, relating to his business ties to foreign countries, including Russia, per the NY Times. May 19: Manafort is promoted to campaign chairman. Manafort is promoted to campaign chairman. June 9: Manafort attends the Trump Tower meeting at which Donald Trump Jr. had been told he'd receive dirt on Hillary Clinton as part of the Russian government's efforts to help his father win. News of the meeting emerged in July, 2017. Manafort attends the Trump Tower meeting at which Donald Trump Jr. had been told he'd receive dirt on Hillary Clinton as part of the Russian government's efforts to help his father win. News of the meeting emerged in July, 2017. July 7: Manafort reportedly sends an email to an associate of Deripaska, asking if the billionaire would like private briefings on the campaign. News of the email emerged in September, 2017. Manafort reportedly sends an email to an associate of Deripaska, asking if the billionaire would like private briefings on the campaign. News of the email emerged in September, 2017. August 12: The AP reports on secret ledgers that record $12.7 million in payments to Manafort from the Ukrainian political party, the Party of Regions. The AP reports on secret ledgers that record $12.7 million in payments to Manafort from the Ukrainian political party, the Party of Regions. August 19: Manafort quits the campaign, with Jared Kushner reportedly telling him if he doesn't resign immediately he'll be fired. Manafort quits the campaign, with Jared Kushner reportedly telling him if he doesn't resign immediately he'll be fired. Late 2016: The FBI renews its wiretaps of Manafort's communications, per CNN. The FBI renews its wiretaps of Manafort's communications, per CNN. November 8: Trump is elected president. 2017 March 20: Sean Spicer claims Manafort "played a very limited role for a very limited amount of time" on the campaign. Sean Spicer claims Manafort "played a very limited role for a very limited amount of time" on the campaign. May 17: Robert Mueller is named special prosecutor in the Russia probe 8 days after Trump removed James Comey as FBI director. Robert Mueller is named special prosecutor in the Russia probe 8 days after Trump removed James Comey as FBI director. May: Deripaska says he'll cooperate with the Congressional Russia investigations in exchange for full immunity. The offer is declined. June 27: Manafort registers as a foreign agent. Manafort registers as a foreign agent. July 20: The Wall St Journal reports that Mueller is investigating Manafort for possible money laundering. The Wall St Journal reports that Mueller is investigating Manafort for possible money laundering. July 25: Manafort testifies in private before staff for the Senate Intelligence Committee, and turns over his notes from the Trump Jr. meeting. The Senate Judiciary Committee withdraws a subpoena ordering him to appear, and he agrees to produce documents for that committee. Manafort testifies in private before staff for the Senate Intelligence Committee, and turns over his notes from the Trump Jr. meeting. The Senate Judiciary Committee withdraws a subpoena ordering him to appear, and he agrees to produce documents for that committee. July 26: The FBI raids Manafort's home in Virginia. After the search, prosecutors on the Mueller probe tell Manafort they plan to indict him, per the NY Times. News of the raid emerged in early August. The FBI raids Manafort's home in Virginia. After the search, prosecutors on the Mueller probe tell Manafort they plan to indict him, per the NY Times. News of the raid emerged in early August. September 8: Unwittingly communicating with a prankster, Trump lawyer Ty Cobb writes, "Manafort and Flynn have issues separate and apart from the WH that will cause the investigation to linger." Unwittingly communicating with a prankster, Trump lawyer Ty Cobb writes, "Manafort and Flynn have issues separate and apart from the WH that will cause the investigation to linger." September 15: Jason Maloni, Manafort's spokesman, testifies before Mueller's grand jury. Manafort's lawyer had also been subpoenaed. Jason Maloni, Manafort's spokesman, testifies before Mueller's grand jury. Manafort's lawyer had also been subpoenaed. September 20: CNN reports that Mueller's is looking into "possible crimes committed as far back as January 2006" by Manafort. CNN reports that Mueller's is looking into "possible crimes committed as far back as January 2006" by Manafort. September 26: Roger Stone says Manafort's attorneys are expecting an indictment soon. Roger Stone says Manafort's attorneys are expecting an indictment soon. October 29: Buzzfeed reports that the FBI is investigating suspicious wire transfers from offshore companies linked to Manafort. Buzzfeed reports that the FBI is investigating suspicious wire transfers from offshore companies linked to Manafort. October 30: Manafort is asked to surrender to authorities. Editor's Note: Sign up for Axios newsletters to get our smart brevity delivered to your inbox every morning. By PTI: By Lalit K Jha New York, Sep 19 (PTI) 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 Indias development agenda. Swaraj held talks with the foreign ministers of Tunisia, Bahrain, Latvia, the United Arab Emirates and Denmark. advertisement "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 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. advertisement "Some discussion also took place on the regional issue especially situation in the Gulf," Kumar said. PTI LKJ NSA --- ENDS --- Having just emerged from what he called an "open and candid exchange" with the parties to the Iran nuclear deal, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said President Trump had made up his mind about whether to walk away from the deal, but wouldn't tell the public or other world leaders yet. Taking questions from reporters, he repeatedly emphasized the "significant issues" Trump has with the pact. "I think it's pretty difficult to say that the expectations of the parties who negotiated this agreement have been met. Perhaps the technical aspects have but in the broader context the aspiration has not." One eyebrow-raising quote : "Prime Minister May [of the U.K.] asked him if he would share [his decision] with her and he said no." : "Prime Minister May [of the U.K.] asked him if he would share [his decision] with her and he said no." On Trump's pronouncement that he's made up his mind: "I didn't know he was going to say today he made a decision. I knew he had." "I didn't know he was going to say today he made a decision. I knew he had." Iran's violations of the "expectations" of the deal: "Since the agreement has been confirmed we have seen anything but a more peaceful, stable region." Tillerson cited Iran's cyber activity, missile tests and support for Bashar al-Assad. "Since the agreement has been confirmed we have seen anything but a more peaceful, stable region." Tillerson cited Iran's cyber activity, missile tests and support for Bashar al-Assad. On the current U.S. stance: "We expect Iran to fill its commitments, until that time we'll consider our commitments and the president has the matter under consideration." "We expect Iran to fill its commitments, until that time we'll consider our commitments and the president has the matter under consideration." On whether backing out of Iran would undermine attempts at a North Korea deal: "An agreement we would strike with North Korea would be of a very different nature." The European stance: European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said after the meeting that all parties agreed Iran is living up to the agreement, and that she didn't see any need for renegotiation. Prime Minister Karen Karapetian insisted on Thursday that he did not order a controversial government initiative to step up the teaching of the Russian language in Armenias schools. In a policy concept posted on a government website on September 11, the Armenian Education Ministry stressed the economic, cultural, scientific and even geopolitical importance of popularizing Russian in the country. It said it will therefore strive to improve the quality of mandatory Russian language classes in public schools. The ministry also said that it was instructed by the Armenian prime minister to draw up the concept. Karapetian, who lived and worked in Russia from 2011-2016, denied that. There was no directive regarding the Russian language, he told reporters. Ive made it very clear: there was no such directive, the premier added when pressed by them. The ministry initiative has prompted strong criticism from independent media commentators and some prominent public figures who consider it as a threat to the status of Armenian as the countrys sole official language. Some of them have also accused Russia of seeking to further deepen its influence on Armenia. Education Minister Levon Mkrtchian has dismissed the criticism, arguing that good knowledge of foreign languages is important for young Armenians. Critics counter that his ministrys policy paper refers only to Russian. The Russian parliament speaker, Vyacheslav Volodin, caused a stir in Yerevan in July when he suggested that Armenia adopt Russian as its second official language in order to make Armenian driving licenses fully valid in Russia. Armenian officials were quick to reject the idea. 21 September 2017 12:42 (UTC+04:00) By Rashid Shirinov The issues concerning the monuments destroyed by Armenia in the occupied Azerbaijani territories and problems of refugees and internally displaced persons will be raised at the Committee meeting on culture, science, education and media of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). The Azerbaijani MP and member of Azerbaijans Permanent Delegation to PACE Rafael Huseynov told Trend on September 21that the Azerbaijani delegation constantly raises these issues and opinions on this topic will be expressed at the PACE meetings. Rafael Huseynov will be in Paris from September 21 to 24 to participate in the Committee meeting on culture, science, education and media. Huseynov further added that a report on the activities of democratic institutions in Azerbaijan will be presented at the PACE autumn session in October. In addition, a report on the work done in the period of Azerbaijan's chairmanship at the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe will be discussed there. During the question-and-answer session the Azerbaijani delegation will direct questions concerning Armenia's aggression against Azerbaijan to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Thorbjorn Jagland. Since the beginning of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and occupation of Azerbaijani territories, Armenian aggressors destroyed 1,200 historical and architectural monuments, looted 27 museums, over 100,000 items were exported to Armenia. In addition, the Armenian occupiers destroyed 152 religious monuments and 62 mosques, 4.6 million books in 927 libraries, including the Holy Quran and rare Islamic manuscripts. The aggressor country also destroyed 4.6 million copies of books and valuable manuscripts in 927 libraries in the occupied Azerbaijani territories as part of the purposeful policy to annihilate the history and culture of neighboring Azerbaijan. Estimations by Azerbaijan's working group on the assessment of damage in the occupied territories showed that the total damage inflicted to Azerbaijan by the Armenian occupation accounted to $819.15 billion. The destruction and damage of historical and cultural monuments by the Armenian invaders in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan contradict many international conventions on the preservation of cultural and natural heritages, including the Hague, European and UNESCO conventions. --- Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 21 September 2017 15:07 (UTC+04:00) By Rashid Shirinov The liberation of Azerbaijans Jojug Marjanli village from the Armenian occupation and its restoration has become a historic milestone for the country. The Jojug Marjanli village is now viewed as the beginning of the Great Return of Azerbaijanis into their native lands. The Jojug Marjanli village located in Jabrail region of Azerbaijan has suffered a lot from the Armenian aggression. The village and its houses were destroyed because of fierce fighting, while its residents were forced to live a refugee life in other regions of Azerbaijan. After 23 years, the life has returned to the Jojug Marjanli village, which welcomed its residents in July 2017. The Great Return of Azerbaijanis into their native lands was launched with Jojug Marjanli, said Ali Hasanov, Azerbaijans Deputy Prime Minister, Chairman of the State Committee for Refugees and IDPs. Hasanov made the remark at presentation of the book Ilham Aliyev returned us to Jojug Marjanli and the movie Beginning of the Great return Jojug Marjanli in Baku on September 21. Addressing the event, Hasanov reminded that a part of the Azerbaijani lands occupied by Armenians in the 1990s was released during the Horadiz operation in 1994 and counteroffensive operation in April 2016. In 1994, Azerbaijani Armed Forces liberated over 20 villages from the Armenian occupation, including Jojug Marjanli , and Horadiz settlement todays Horadiz city. In 2016, following a successful counteroffensive operation, the Leletepe height was freed, making life in Jojug Marjanli safe for people. This was followed by restoration and construction works, the first stage of which has been completed. President Ilham Aliyev signed decrees on the restoration of the Jojug Marjanli village. Some residents have already returned to their homes, and construction of new houses continues, Hasanov said. During the first phase of restoration, 50 private houses, a school, mosque, electric substation, hydrometeorological station, highway and other relevant infrastructure were constructed in Jojug Marjanli. The village was provided with gas, electricity and water supply. The second phase of restoration work in the village started on June 15, after President Ilham Aliyev signed another decree. Currently construction of 100 more new houses is ongoing in the village. Hasanov further reminded that representatives of the media, and then foreign ambassadors visited the liberated Jojug Marjanli. The foreign guests saw firsthand the atrocities committed in the village that was under Armenian occupation, and the whole world knew about the Armenian vandalism, he stressed. Hasanov noted that peoples of both Armenia and Azerbaijan are tired of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, further adding that the Armenians should get rid of the Sargsyan regime. This regime will never agree to the settlement of the conflict, as it came to power, having shed blood of the Azerbaijani people and occupied Azerbaijani territories, said the official. The Armenian occupants continue to illegally remain in other territories of Azerbaijan. More than a million of Azerbaijanis who lost their homes and families due to Armenian aggression, are waiting for the day to return to their native lands. For about three decades Armenia and Azerbaijan are in a state of war following Yerevans aggression, ethnic cleansing policy and illegal territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenia keeps under control over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions in a brutal war in the early 1990s. Despite a fragile ceasefire agreement signed in 1994, Armenia keeps violating armistice with Azerbaijan. --- Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 21 September 2017 12:10 (UTC+04:00) By Sara Israfilbayova Azerbaijan plans to appoint its next trade representative to Hungary, a landlocked country in central Europe. The trade representative will work to expand Azerbaijans non-oil exports, promote the Made in Azerbaijan brand in Europe and attract investment into the country. So far, Azerbaijan has appointed trade representatives to Russia, China and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Economy Minister Shahin Mustafayev said that Azerbaijan is also considering other mechanisms to expand bilateral trade with Hungary, Azertac reported The trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Hungary amounted to $ 20.12 million in January-July 2017, according to the State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan. The 7th meeting of Azerbaijan-Hungary Joint Commission on Economic Cooperation will take place in Budapest. In October, Budapest will also welcome the export mission of Azerbaijans entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs involved in the export mission are specialized in the production of fruits and vegetables, mineral water, fruit juices, sugar and confectionery products, wine and other alcohol products, honey and products from it, tea, hazelnuts and other industrial products. Since early 2017, Azerbaijan has already sent export missions to Qatar, Kazakhstan, Germany, Afghanistan and Pakistan. The export missions play an important role in expanding non-oil exports and promoting the Made in Azerbaijan brand. As of today, 92 trademarks of Azerbaijan are protected under the Made in Azerbaijan brand, while the countrys total outputs nears 250 kinds of products in food, light, heavy and construction industries. The brand is highly successful in regional and world markets, and Azerbaijans local output meets all the necessary standards. In January 2017, President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree About appointment of trade representatives in embassies and consulates of the Republic. Under the decree, the countrys economy minister appoints trade representatives in the Azerbaijani embassies and consulates abroad to facilitate business ties and increase the effectiveness of export promotion measures, represent and fully protect the trade and economic interests of the country and expand the delivery of Azerbaijani products to foreign markets. Trade representatives main mission is to take measures to expand Azerbaijan`s economic and trade relations with foreign countries, protect economic interests of Azerbaijan, increase export of Azerbaijani goods and services, promote Azerbaijans business environment and investment opportunities. Moreover, Azerbaijan opens Trade Houses in foreign countries. Azerbaijans first Trade House was opened in the Belarusian capital Minsk and the second one maybe opened in Russias Arkhangelsk region. It is also expected to open Trade Houses in Ukraine and Kazakhstan. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 21 September 2017 14:00 (UTC+04:00) By Amina Nazarli A multi-million dollar project on Rasht-Astara railway route, a part of the International North-South Transportation Corridor, is expected to be launched this year. The construction of the section of Resht-Astara will cost Iran $1.1 billion. Azerbaijan will provide Iran with a loan of 500 million euros to complete the construction of the railway section. The two countries, within the International North-South Transport Corridor [a multi-model route to link India and the Middle East to the Caucasus, Central Asia and Europe], are making efforts to connect their railways through the Qazvin-Rasht-Astara route, connecting Irans northern city of Astara to its namesake in the Azerbaijan. Nourollah Beiranvand, the deputy for planning and investment at Iran Railways, told Trend that Azerbaijan agreed to allocate this fund. Taking into account the mutual benefit of the Rest-Astara railway for the two countries, the Azerbaijani government agreed to finance the project, Beiranvand said. He denied the recent rumors that Baku will fully finance the construction of the Resht-Astara, saying that half of the required amount will be provided by Azerbaijan, and other half by Iran. The financing will be carried out in the form of a loan. The invested amount will be later deducted from the income of the project, he said. Beiranvand also touched upon the construction of the Astara railway station and said that Azerbaijan agreed to invest in the construction of the station and cargo terminals. Azerbaijan earlier agreed to provide 60 million euros for developing railway facilities in Iranian city of Astara. Approximately half of this amount is projected to be used to finance the construction of a 1.4-kilometer railway in Astara, as well as the station building, Beiranvand said. The remaining half will be spent on the construction of four terminals, according the official. This rail road link is important as it will significantly facilitate and expedite exchange of good and trade amongst Iran, Azerbaijan and Russia. The agreement signed between Azerbaijan Railways and Iran Railways envisages that Azerbaijan rents the railway line for a period of 15 years, and terminals for 25 years. The transport corridor "North-South" is designed to connect Northern Europe with South-East Asia, including the unification of the railways of Azerbaijan, Iran and Russia. At the first stage, along the corridor, it is planned to transport five million tons of cargo per year, increasing later to more than 10 million tons of cargo. -- Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 21 September 2017 15:50 (UTC+04:00) By Sara Israfilbayova Cotton-growing and textiles have always been a tradition in Azerbaijan, where people have been engaged in cotton growing for centuries. Here, the cotton trade with Western countries started centuries ago. Today, the state is making every effort to revive the cotton industry, providing huge support to entrepreneurs. Year 2016 was a turning point from the perspective of cotton-growing in the country. Last year, cotton was planted on an area of 51,000 hectares, while the harvest hit 90,000 tons. That is three times more than in 2015. The country has big plans for 2017, as the State Investment Program envisaged large funds for the development of cotton-growing. This year, cotton was planted in more than 20 regions of Azerbaijan. Currently, cotton harvesting continues successfully in Saatli. Cotton planters of the region collected more than 5,000 tons of cotton from their fields and sent them to reception centers. During the day, some 350-370 tons of crops are harvested from the fields. The Agriculture Department of Saatli reported that cotton was planted on17, 220 hectares. Last year, this figure was 8,109 hectares. This year, Saatlis entrepreneurs plan to harvest 35,000 tons of crops. Last year, 12,000 tons of white gold was harvested in Saatli. In March, President Ilham Aliyev attended a conference in Saatli on the development of cotton-growing in Azerbaijan. Then, the head of state said that in the future cotton growing will develop even more intensively, will gain even greater scope, thus bringing great benefits to both citizens and the state. He said the development of cotton-growing will make an outstanding contribution to boosting light industry. In early 2017, the State Program for 2017-2022 was approved with an aim of strengthening measures directed at developing this sphere. The purpose of the State Program is to develop cotton growing, increase export potential in this sphere, ensure employment of the rural population and increase the production of cotton. The new goal of the state is to bring the cotton production up to 500,000 tons by 2022 from the current 260,000 tons. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 21 September 2017 16:21 (UTC+04:00) By Sara Israfilbayova A scientific and practical conference on "Azerbaijan-China Economic Relations" was held at the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS) on September 21. The event was jointly organized by the Institute of Economics of ANAS jointly with the Institute of Economy of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. President of ANAS, academician Akif Alizadeh, delivering an opening speech at the event, stressed that relations between the countries are expanding. He noted that in 1993 the volume of trade turnover between the countries amounted to only $1.5 million, while in 2016 this figure equaled to $770 million. Touching upon the humanitarian ties between Azerbaijan and China, Alizadeh brought to the attention that the Days of Culture are being held in the countries periodically. He went on to say that ties between academic circles of the two countries are also deepening. President of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Wang Weiguang, in turn, mentioned that at present the stage of rapid development of the Azerbaijani-Chinese cooperation has begun. Speaking about the importance of the Chinese initiative "One belt - One Way", he informed about the funds allocated for this initiative. The One Belt, One Road initiative is aimed at improving existing and creating new trade routes, as well as transport and economic corridors, linking more than 60 countries of Central Asia, Europe and Africa, which will contribute to the development of their trade relations with China. He stressed that the favorable geographical location of Azerbaijan, which is the heart of the Eurasian continent, turns this country into a strategic partner of China. Chinese Ambassador to Azerbaijan Wei Jinghua, in turn, emphasized that relations between the countries are based on the principles of friendship and partnership. 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. To date, more than 50 agreements were signed between the two countries. Overall, trade turnover between China and Azerbaijan has grown 800-fold over the past two decades. Initially, bilateral trade amounted to only $1.5 million, while in 2004, it jumped to $200 million, and $368 million in 2006. By 2013, the trade turnover reached around $1.5 billion. Today, China takes the 4th place in the overall trade turnover of Azerbaijan, 3rd place - in exports and imports. The trade turnover between Azerbaijan and China amounted to $964.68 million in January-August 2017, which is an increase by 78.8 percent as compared to the same period of 2016, according to the State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 21 September 2017 18:25 (UTC+04:00) By Sara Israfilbayova The Czech Republic intends to further expand cooperation with Azerbaijan in the energy sector. Deputy Minister of Energy Gulmammad Javadov, addressing a meeting with representatives of Czech oil, gas and energy companies, stressed that the Czech Republic is of special interest for Azerbaijan, the energy ministry reported on September 21. As a producer and exporter of oil and gas, Azerbaijan is also of great importance for the Czech Republic, the ministry said. Around 30 percent of the total oil import of the Czech Republic accounts for Azerbaijani oil. The trade turnover between the two countries is growing from year to year due to oil products. Javadov also stressed the energy relations between the two countries. The Czech Republic appreciates the role of the Southern Gas Corridor project in ensuring the energy security of Europe and is ready at any time to cooperate with Azerbaijan as part of this project, the ministry said. The discussions focused on the definition of new goals in the energy sector within the Strategic Roadmap for the Development of Public Services, as well as the importance of using European experience in achieving these goals. The Czech companies have submitted their proposals for rendering diversified services that enable to apply high quality standards in all areas of the energy sector. There are ample opportunities for launching a new stage of cooperation between the Czech Republic and Azerbaijan, according to the ministry. Javadov added that meetings with the representatives of Azerishiq OJSC (energy operator of Azerbaijan) and Azerenergy JSC, the countrys main electricity producer, will be organized to assess the proposals. The Azerbaijani energy ministry is always ready to support the expansion of relations with the Czech Republic, Javadov said. Today, Azerbaijan significantly increases the energy security of the Czech Republic and the national oil provides about a quarter of the annual consumption of the Czech Republic, therefore Azerbaijan, which has made a significant contribution to the diversification of Czech energy resources, has become an important strategic partner of this European country. The Czech entrepreneurs play active role in Azerbaijans economy investing $1.3 billion so far. Czech companies as contractors are involved in various projects in Azerbaijan, totaling $16 billion. The trade turnover between Azerbaijan and the Czech Republic amounted to $201.011 million in January-June 2017. The Czech Republic ranks the 12th in the list of main importers of Azerbaijani goods. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 21 September 2017 10:33 (UTC+04:00) By Rashid Shirinov Azerbaijan`s Foreign Ministry announced that the illegal visit of the members of House of Representatives of the US Congress Frank Pallone and Tulsi Gabbard to the occupied Azerbaijani territories is being investigated. "The appropriate and necessary steps will be taken against them soon after the investigation is completed," Spokesman for the Ministry Hikmat Hajiyev told Trend. "These persons who introduce themselves as members of the US Congress have been financed by the Armenian lobby in the United States and by Armenia for many years and are completely dependent on the Armenian lobby," Hajiyev added. Armenian media outlets earlier reported that Members of the US House of Representatives Frank Pallone and Tulsi Gabbard are on a visit to the Armenian-occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. Unauthorized visits to Nagorno-Karabakh and other regions of Azerbaijan occupied by Armenia are considered illegal, and any individuals paying such visits are included in the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry's list of undesirable persons. Baku continues the work to prevent such illegal actions, and the foreign citizens should keep their eyes peeled in order not to be deceived by Armenian occupiers. 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 Salaria, 58, who hails from Chauhana village of Bhoa assembly segment, is a member of the BJP's National Executive. By Poulomi Saha: The BJP today said Swaran Singh Salaria will be its candidate for the upcoming Lok Sabha byelection from Punjab's Gurdaspur, which was represented by late actor-turned-politician Vinod Khanna. Salaria, 58, who hails from Chauhana village of Bhoa assembly segment, is a member of the BJP's National Executive. He is a businessman too, dealing in real estate, a fleet of chartered aircrafts, helicopters, hotels, restaurant chains and famous Trig Company, which provides security service. advertisement Vinod Khanna, who was Gurdaspur MP between 1998-2009 and 2014-2017, passed away on April 27 this year. Also Watch : BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj: Millions support Ram Rahim. Who's right, complainant or millions? --- ENDS --- 21 September 2017 17:59 (UTC+04:00) By Rashid Shirinov By Rashid Shirinov Since the protracted Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan still waits for its resolution, the regional security and stability continue to suffer from its destructive effect. The war that flared up in 1988 due to Armenias territorial claims against Azerbaijan took thousands of lives and was stopped in 1994 with a fragile ceasefire. To that moment, Armenia occupied 20 percent of internationally recognized lands of Azerbaijan, and more than a million of Azerbaijanis became refugees and internally displaced persons because of the Armenian aggression. Over the past years, the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group have been trying to help Azerbaijan and Armenia resolve the conflict, but their efforts havent bear fruit as Armenia refuses to withdraw its armed forces from Azerbaijans Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions, even though the UN Security Council adopted four resolutions in this regard. Baku has repeatedly called for implementation of the UNSC resolutions and just resolution of the conflict, but the conflict failed to achieve a due attention of the world community. Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov, from the UN platform, has once again condemned the aggressive policy of Yerevan and ignorance of the international bodies. Maintaining security and stability is a crucial component in building successful society and regional cooperation, he said at the Extraordinary Session of Council of Ministers of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) member-states on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly Session in New York. The minister voiced regret that stability and security in the region became even more fragile, new conflict hotbeds emerged and prospects of the regions development were seriously compromised. Armenia continues its occupation of 20 percent of Azerbaijans internationally recognized territories, thus undermining the regional security and stability, as well as impedes full-fledged regional cooperation, Mammadyarov said. Armenia in the first place hurts itself by continuing its aggressive policy against Azerbaijan. Armenia even more plunges itself into an economic blockade and political isolation, deprives itself of opportunity to join regional projects that could help the country get out of severe economic crisis. The foreign minister noted that Armenia went even further in its aggression policy now trying to associate other countries with the illegal occupation through attracting businesses, trade and investments in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. It is very important for our cooperation that all countries must be aware of such intentions of Armenia and reject any type of social, economic and cultural involvement in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, Mammadyarov said. The minister noted that withdrawal of Armenian military forces from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan and ensuring the return of the refugees and internally displaced people to their houses not only will contribute to peace and security in the South Caucasus but also enhance full-fledged intra-regional cooperation. Azerbaijan always takes necessary measures against those, who are engaged in illegal business or economic activity in the territories occupied by Armenia. Moreover, unauthorized visits to Nagorno-Karabakh and other occupied regions of Azerbaijan are considered illegal and individuals who pay such visits are included in the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministrys black list. In New York, Mammadyarov also addressed the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Contact Group meeting on the Armenian aggression against Azerbaijan. During its summit in Istanbul in April last year, OIC made a decision to establish a contact group for the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which included the foreign ministers of the OIC member-states. The decision was made at Turkeys initiative. Mammadyarov urged the OIC member countries to make every effort to support the measures to end Armenias aggression against Azerbaijan, avoid illegal economic and other activities in the occupied Azerbaijani territories, and limit all forms of cooperation with Armenia. He noted that for the period after the first meeting of the OIC Contact Group, the situation on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflicts settlement process didnt change. On the contrary, clashes on the frontline, as well as cases of deliberate killing of Azerbaijani civilians residing along the contact line between the Armenian and Azerbaijani troops increased. The Armenian militaries using heavy machine guns and mortars deliberately aim at Azerbaijan settlements near the frontline in order to hurt civilians living there, and sometimes such provocations result in murder of Azerbaijani civilians. The last such tragic incident took place in July this year when the Armenian armed forces fired the Alkhanli village of Azerbaijans Fuzuli region with heavy artillery. As a result, the aggressors killed 51-year-old Sahiba Allahverdiyeva and her toddler granddaughter Zahra Guliyeva. Mammadyarov urged the OIC countries to refrain from Armenias armament in order to prevent the escalation of the conflict, and ban the transit of weapons and military equipment through their territories for this purpose. Azerbaijan relies on the consistent solidarity of the Islamic world in resolute condemnation of the use of force against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country and the occupation of its territories, Mammadyarov added. Today Armenia controls fifth part of Azerbaijan's territory and rejects implementing four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from there. In contrast, Azerbaijan has long ago expressed its consent to come to the negotiating table with Yerevan to finally resolve the conflict by peaceful means, but the occupier country continues to play for time and avoids substantive negotiations in order to preserve the inadmissible status quo in Nagorno-Karabakh. --- Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 22 September 2017 10:00 (UTC+04:00) By Rashid Shirinov The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the status quo that Armenia tries to preserve in Azerbaijans occupied lands create big problems to the regional security and development. The presence of unresolved conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan also poses challenges for the regional neighbors. Unfortunately, the international community and such an influential organization as the UN do not take the necessary measures for the implementation of UNSC resolutions, said Azerbaijani MP Asim Mollazade. Mollazade made the remark when commenting on the speech of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev at the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly, where he spoke about application of international sanctions against Armenia that ignores resolutions of the UN Security Council. The Azerbaijani president has once again informed the international community about the crimes of Armenia against Azerbaijan, Mollazade told Trend. The thoughts that the head of state voiced in his speech are of great importance. In order to prevent the strategy Azerbaijan implements, the criminal regime of Armenia violates all norms of international law, the MP said. He added that this regime entirely ignores the decisions of the UN Security Council, demanding withdrawal from the occupied territories and return of refugees and IDPs. The organization does not take due steps to implement its tasks. In his speech, the President of Azerbaijan explained the real situation very well, Mollazade said. 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. Although the UN Security Council adopted four resolutions on Armenian withdrawal from the occupied lands of Azerbaijan in 1993, they have not been enforced during these 24 years. However, the UN Secirity Council hasn't taken any decisive actions in this regard yet. --- Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 21 September 2017 11:06 (UTC+04:00) By Sara Israfilbayova The Parliamentary Committee on Agrarian Policy held its first meeting within the autumn session on September 20. The meeting participants considered several issues, including draft laws on the approval of the agreement "On cooperation between the Government of Azerbaijan and the Government of Kazakhstan in the field of quarantine and plant protection", "On stimulating insurance in agriculture" and on introducing amendments to the law "On fauna." The agreement between Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan was signed within the framework of the official visit of President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev to Azerbaijan in April 2017. The document was undersigned by Azerbaijani Minister of Agriculture Heydar Asadov and first deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Askar Mamin The draft law "On stimulating insurance in agriculture" will be discussed in December within the autumn session. The state has worked with the IFC on the draft law. Currently, the government provides subsidies for agricultural insurance, but their coverage is very small. The purpose of introducing amendments to the law of Azerbaijan On fauna is to bring this law into line with the law "On Science". Under the law, scientific studies of the animal world will be carried out by appropriate scientific institutions, organizations and financed according to the law "On Science". The Parliamentary Committee on Agrarian Policy held seven meetings during the spring session in 2017, while14 laws and decisions were adopted. The autumn session of Azerbaijans Parliament started on August 30. The committees' meetings began on September 12. The first plenary meeting of the autumn session is scheduled for September 30. -- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 21 September 2017 10:43 (UTC+04:00) By Rashid Shirinov A Pakistani delegation led by Chief of Air Staff of the Air Force Sohail Aman has arrived in Baku for talks on military-technical cooperation with Azerbaijan. In Baku, the Pakistani delegation first met with Minister of Emergency Situations, Colonel General Kamaladdin Heydarov. At the meeting held on September 20, Heydarov highlighted wide prospects for cooperation with Pakistan's relevant authorities. Sohail Aman, in turn, said relations between Azerbaijan and Pakistan are built on a solid foundation. Hailing the successful development of relations between the two countries, he underlined the importance of expanding cooperation. The parties also discussed the prospects of training Pakistani students at the Academy of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Emergency Situations. On the same day, Sohail Aman met with Deputy Minister of Defense, Air Force Commander Lieutenant General Ramiz Tairov. The parties exchanged views on future prospects for cooperation in the military, military-technical sphere and in the field of military education, as well as on other issues of mutual interest. The military cooperation takes a special place in Azerbaijan-Pakistan relations. Pakistan backed Azerbaijan during and after the Nagorno-Karabakh War and it is the only country that does not recognize Armenia. Pakistan also adopted a resolution strongly condemning the genocide against the civilian population of Khojaly, which was committed by Armenian armed forces. Back in November 2016, Azerbaijans Defense Ministry and Pakistans Joint Staff Headquarters signed a plan of bilateral military cooperation in Islamabad. The sides agreed to continue cooperation in carrying out joint military exercises and discussed detailed cooperation in defense sector and joint military production. --- Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 21 September 2017 09:55 (UTC+04:00) Azerbaijan`s Minister of Internal Affairs Ramil Usubov has met with chief of the Central Administration for Russias Internal Affairs of the City of St. Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast Sergey Umnov to discuss prospects for strengthening relations between the two counties` law enforcement authorities. Usubov stressed the necessity of developing neighborly and strategic partnership even more, Azertac reported. The minister said Azerbaijan pays special attention to strengthening relations with Russia`s internal affairs, including the Central Administration for Russias Internal Affairs of the City of St. Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast in staff training and exchange of information and experience. Umnov said that leadership of the administration is also interested in deepening cooperation with Azerbaijan`s internal affairs ministry. He expressed his confidence that this visit will give impetus to this process. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 21 September 2017 13:21 (UTC+04:00) By Sara Israfilbayova Azerbaijans Mountain Jews living in Guba region has celebrated Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. Rosh Hashanah, one of the two High Holy Days in Judaism, commemorates the creation of the world and marks the beginning of the Days of Awe, a 10-day period of introspection and repentance that culminates in the Yom Kippur holiday, also known as the Day of Atonement. During the two-day holiday, residents of the Krasnaya Sloboda village in Guba read prayers in the synagogue, help the needy, gather at the festive table, ask the Almighty to forgive their sins. Like the Jews of the whole world, the inhabitants of the Krasnaya Sloboda village also meet 5778th year according to the Jewish calendar. Although the date of the Rosh Hashanah holiday varies depending on the calendar, usually this holiday is celebrated in September, Azertac reported. Yavushva Simanduyev, the principal of school No 1 named after Isakov Khanukov in Krasnaya Sloboda, said that the Rosh Hashanah dinner always includes carrots, fish heads, pomegranates, apple and honey. Carrots sliced with mugs symbolize gold coins, well-being, and the fish symbolizes the eldest member of the family. Krasnaya Sloboda is one of the rare places in the world densely populated by the Jews. The Jews living in this village, which is called "Israel of the Caucasus", have been keeping their traditions for many years. The religious community and the center of the national culture of the Jews are functioning here. The settlement of Krasnaya Sloboda is located on the left bank of the Gudyalchai river in Guba. Here the Jews have lived together with the Azerbaijanis for many years in peace and tranquility. Azerbaijan's Community of Mountain Jews is one of the largest of the three Jewish communities of the Caucasus, going back to the Jews of ancient Persia who are believed to have settled in the region 1,000 years ago. They speak Juhuri, a mixture of Hebrew and Farsi. The history of the settlement of Mountain Jews in the territory of Guba region goes back to the middle of the 18th century. During the reign of Fatali khan, the Jews living in the surrounding territories began to move here. More than 10 synagogues were built in the Jewish neighborhoods at that time. Thus, a settlement of a large numbers of Jewish citizens was organized without fear of discrimination, retribution, or clashes with neighboring towns and states. The flourishing community of 18,000 people became known as Yevreskaya Sloboda or Jewish settlement, but was renamed as Krasnaya Sloboda when the Bolsheviks came to power in the 20th century. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 21 September 2017 12:57 (UTC+04:00) By Rashid Shirinov The large-scale military exercises with participation of various military branches of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces continue. The national army conducted a live-fire stage in the course of the exercises on September 21. At this stage, artillery, air defense assets, aviation, as well as other forces and formations of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces fulfilled combat-training tasks using new weapons and military equipment. The troops practically improved their skills in organizing and practicing various methods of conducting a modern combined-arms operation throughout the exercises that were held in difficult conditions of mountain relief, electronic warfare environment, and also other characteristic features. Effective use of troops and control systems was also carried out at the exercises. The troops also held live firing and fire maneuvers with the use of new weapon systems in various firing ranges and training areas equipped with modern equipment. The exercises are held in accordance with the plan approved by the President of Azerbaijan, Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ilham Aliyev. The drills, that will last until September 22, involve up to 15,000 military personnel, more than 150 tanks and armored vehicles, up to 120 missiles and artillery systems of different calibers, multiple launch rocket systems and mortars, 20 combat aircrafts for various purposes, as well as new types of electronic warfare assets and unmanned aerial vehicles. The Azerbaijani Army, which today is considered the most modern army in the Caucasus, consists of Air Force and Air Defense Forces, the Navy, and the Land Forces. Today, Azerbaijani Army is one of the most powerful, highly disciplined armies in the world and the leading army in the region, which is equipped with modern military machinery. The skills and combat readiness of the Azerbaijani army are growing year by year, as the countrys Armed Forces regularly conduct military exercises. The army building process in Azerbaijan is progressing as well. --- Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 21 September 2017 17:24 (UTC+04:00) By Amina Nazarli The Parliament of Volunteers project will be launched in Azerbaijan once again with the financial support of the Youth Foundation under the President of Azerbaijan, the organization of "ASAN Volunteers" and the Training Center of the Taxes Ministry. During the four-day project, which will take place in Shamakhi region, participants will have the opportunity to discuss their political analysis skills through discussions on various topics. The main objective of the project is to involve the youth in public and legislative life of the country, as well as promote constructive approach in solving problems. The Parliament of Volunteers project will simulate the work of the Parliament of Azerbaijan. As many as 80 young people will be in Shamakhi to attend the four-day sessions of the Parliaments simulation. Young people will also participate in various social activities. Young people who want to become participants of the "Parliament of Volunteers" project can register following the link https://goo.gl/c4mpLv The selected candidates will participate in special training on topics such as political analysts, political scientists and MPs on October 6-8. Following the training on October 10, participants will demonstrate the information they learned in a written version. The selected individuals will be eligible to participate in a simulation exercise in Shamakhi. ASAN Volunteers was established in 2009. The main mission of the organization is to support young generation and create opportunities for volunteers to improve their self- development. -- Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 21 September 2017 18:21 (UTC+04:00) The Inauguration of the first green public buildings, which belong to Azerbaijans energy giant SOCAR, took place on September 21 in the city of Sumgayit. At least 400 people will benefit from energy efficient buildings, retrofitted as part of the United Nations Development Programmes (UNDP) project on Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMA). Ghulam Isaczai, United Nations Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Azerbaijan, and Rovnag Abdullayev, President of SOCAR, participated in the launch event, Azertac reported. Service buildings, which will use approximately 20 per cent less energy, have been retrofitted in line with the principles of integrated building design approach and will serve as a good example for showing how to reduce energy consumption in public buildings. Azerbaijan has big saving potential regarding energy efficiency in public buildings. With support of UNDP, which has great experience in energy efficiency worldwide, this pilot activity can serve as a model for public sector, said the UN Resident Coordinator. Technical aspects of the service buildings include energy efficient windows, floor heating systems, energy efficient ventilation systems, decorative facade cover layer, heating isolation systems and solar power systems. NAMA project is funded by Global Environment Facility (GEF), UNDP and SOCAR. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 21 September 2017 14:23 (UTC+04:00) By Kamila Aliyeva Water remains one of the greatest challenges for Central Asian nations due to the lack of cooperation and regional dialogue on resource management between the upstream and downstream countries. Central Asias main sources of water are two rivers - the Amu Darya and Syr Darya - both of which are tributaries of the Aral Sea, once the largest lake in the world. The Amu Darya originates in Tajikistan, flows along the border between Afghanistan and Uzbekistan and goes through Turkmenistan before returning to Uzbekistan and falls into the Aral Sea. Together, the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers have about 77 cubic kilometers of water, 96 percent of which is used for irrigation. The impact of climate change on water problems in Central Asia Glaciers are the main source of clean drinking water in Central Asia. Almost one third of the Central Asian glaciers are expected to disappear by 2050 due to the effect of climate change and global warming. Such disasters are devastating for the countries whose agricultural sector is the key contributor to the states GDP. Moreover, the key transport infrastructure might be washed away taking long time for further restoration. It is forecasted that due to the melting of mountain glaciers, the river runoff in the Amu Darya river basin will be reduced by 30 percent, compared with the average annual runoff over the past 10 years. This will lead to increased spring runoff, causing more flooding, as well as dramatically reduced water availability in the summer, causing more droughts. Such situation will negatively impact the agricultural sphere that dominates in the economies of Central Asian nations. Controversies over water issues among Central Asian nations The reason for poor water management lies in the fact that downstream countries (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan) and upstream countries (Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan) have conflicting interests in how these water resources should be used. Downstream countries are strongly dependent on irrigated agriculture while upstream countries are more focused on expanding reservoir capacity and hydroelectric power generation. In summer the downstream countries want water for irrigation while the upstream countries want to accumulate it for winter power generation. In the Soviet times a system of compensation for the upstream countries with oil and gas from the downstream countries was introduced, but currently all five countries have their own national interests. International communitys efforts to solve water-related issues in Central Asia A number of international institutions including the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea, the Interstate Coordination Water Commission of Central Asia, and the Research and Information Centre have been established in the region to fight with water scarcity. These organizations, as well as a number of water management projects, have received financial and technical assistance from international agencies, such as Swiss, German, and American international development agencies, the United Nations Development Programme, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and the European Union. Another high-level event 'Towards Implementation of the International Decade for Action 'Water for Sustainable Development' 2018-2028' within the framework of the United Nations General Assembly was held on September 19. Tajikistans President Emomali Rahmon attended the event. He expressed the confidence that the realization of these goals and tasks is possible only if cooperation and mobilization of the necessary resources - human, financial and scientific - is enhanced. Rahmon said that efforts and aspirations in the framework of the UN and other organizations and institutions undertaken during this forty-year period contributed to the expansion of the process of access to safe drinking water, improvement of knowledge and skills in the field of broad water resources management, strengthening cooperation and integration in the water sphere, formation of new views and bases for consideration of world and regional problems connected with water resources. Despite these advances, the Tajik President in his speech suggested to take into account those factors that narrow the arena of further cooperation. Effective transnational cooperation can promote sound and sustainable management and use of water resources, and lead to a reduction in unjustified costs and a balance between different forms and uses of water resources, according to the president. Concluding his speech, Rahmon noted that as the initiator of the International Decade of Action Water for Sustainable Development Tajikistan intends to create a Special Center to ensure coordination of activities for its implementation. Also in order to implement the National Action Plan to promote the International Decade, he proposed to hold an international conference on this topic in Dushanbe in 2018. The fate of hydro energy projects in Central Asia Both Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are involved in construction of hydro power plants aiming to provide energy security in their countries. Lack of electricity in these two states remains an extremely important issue. In 2007, Kyrgyzstan resumed construction of the Kambarata-2 project, abandoned in the 1990s. The first unit of the Kambarata-2 hydroelectric project will allow Kyrgyzstan to produce an additional 500 million to 700 million kilowatt hours per year of electricity. Kyrgyzstan's ambitions to control the flow of its rivers in order to generate more hydroelectric power are of particular concern to Uzbekistan as it relies on rivers that originate or pass through Kyrgyzstan and its mountainous neighbor, Tajikistan, to irrigate its cotton fields. The Kambarata project is only the first of several projects planned along the Naryn River, which rises in the Tien Shan Mountains and is dammed at Toktogul, the largest reservoir in Kyrgyzstan, before running on to merge with another river to become the Syr Darya. The power plant has received critique from energy experts who argue that the Kambarata dams are too expensive. The construction and exploitation of Kambar Ata HPP and the Upper-Naryn cascade will allow Kyrgyzstan to produce about five billion kilowatt hours of electricity per year and cover the growing needs of the population. However, the implementation of Kyrgyz ambitious project to construct the Upper-Naryn cascade remains questionable due to inability to attract foreign investment. Representatives of the Czech company Liglass Trading, which was the surprise winner of a tender last summer, acknowledged on September 18 that they do not have the money to proceed with the project. Tajikistan is also suffering from poor management of water resources, as during the winter months the country faces electricity shortages and severe cold. One of the most controversial dam projects is the Rogun HPP on Vakhsh river. This project also caused tensions with Uzbekistan because it claims that water flows will be seriously decreased. The Rogun HPP is seen as a solution to the energy independence and a tool for economic growth in Tajikistan. By implementing the project, Tajikistan will be able to generate about 13 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually. This will not only help the country to meet its domestic needs but will also make Tajikistan a major exporter of electricity. The HPP is being constructed on the upper reaches of the Vakhsh River in the Pamir mountain ranges. The project is being developed by OJSC Rogun Hydropower Plant on behalf of the Government of Tajikistan. Approximately $4 billion is needed to complete the country's main energy project - Rogun HPP. About 2 billion somoni have been allocated from the state budget for the completion of the hydroelectric power station this year. The Rogun HPP construction project was developed during the Soviet era. Construction of the plant was initiated in 1976, but stopped after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The dam should form a large Rogun reservoir with a total volume of 13.3 cubic meters. The project is criticized because of the location in the zone of high seismicity, landslide and mudflow processes, and the presence of a tectonic fault filled with rock salt under the base of the dam. Central Asian nations have to unite efforts In order to find solution to the key water problems in the region, all five Central Asian nations should unite their efforts and begin constructive dialogue. The first attempts have already been made during the recent meeting between Kyrgyz and Uzbek leaders Almazbek Atambayev and Shavkat Mirziyoyev. Both sides stressed that one of the key factors of the Central Asias well-being is the integrated use of water and energy resources, taking into account the interests of all the states of the region. They also agreed on the rational use of water resources in accordance with the common interests. Although it doesnt mean that Uzbekistan supports the construction of HPPs in Kyrgyzstan, the country demonstrated its readiness for open dialogue and compromise. --- Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz An injured man being taken to hospital. (Photo/IndiaToday) By India Today Web Desk: Terrorists hurled grenades and opened indiscriminate firing at a police party near a crowded bus stand in Tral area of Pulwama district killing three civilians today. Several people, including seven CRPF men have been injured in the attack. Senior Jammu and Kashmir minister Naeem Akhtar, who was present at the scene, had a narrow escape and managed to get away unhurt in the attack. advertisement The terror attack comes nearly a week after security forces gunned down Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander Abu Ismail , the mastermind behind the July 10 attack on Amarnath yatra pilgrims. The encounter took place at Aribagh in Nowgam area on the outskirts of Srinagar. Ismail was the mastermind of the 10 July attack on a bus carrying Amarnath yatra pilgrims in south Kashmir's Anantnag district. The attack left eight pilgrims dead. WATCH: Tral terror attack: 2 civilians killed, several jawans injured --- ENDS --- 21 September 2017 10:34 (UTC+04:00) By Trend German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in an interview with Deutsche Welle on Wednesday that she was against the threats "to destroy" North Korea voiced by US President Donald Trump at the UN General Assembly (UNGA), Sputnik reported. On Tuesday, Trump threatened to "totally destroy" North Korea if forced to defend the United States or its allies. "I am against threats of this kind. And speaking for myself and the government I must say that we consider any type of military solution for absolutely inappropriate and we are counting on diplomatic efforts," Merkel said, adding that she had voiced Berlin's position regarding Pyongyang to Trump before his UN speech. The German leader added that sanctions would be the most effective way to respond to the North Korean military activities. "Even if this conflict is far away from Germany, it is one that also affects us. That is why I am prepared, as is the foreign minister, to assume responsibility here," Merkel added. The situation on the Korean Peninsula has escalated in recent months due to Pyongyang's missile launches and nuclear tests, all conducted in violation of the UN Security Council resolutions with the most recent nuclear test conducted on September 3. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 21 September 2017 11:18 (UTC+04:00) By Kamila Aliyeva As many as 300 JAC electric vehicles of Kazakh production will be released in 2018. This was stated by the representative of Kazakhstan's automakers, Sergei Mogilatov, within the framework of the sixth International Scientific and Practical Conference Industrial Policy of Kazakhstan: Increasing the Competitiveness of Enterprises by Increasing Labor Productivity, Kazinform reported. "Today, within the framework of the engineering forum, we announced our strategic step, which is to choose the model of electric vehicle with our partner JAC. We plan to produce it serially in Kazakhstan, he said adding that car will be presented in October in China. After that certification work will be conducted in Kazakhstan. If we talk about the actual production of this model of electric vehicles, the first batch will be produced in 2018. It will consist of about 300 electric vehicles, he said. A large-scale production is planned for 2019. Mogilatov faced difficulty to specify the approximate cost of the electric car. At the moment, it's hard for me to name the figure, because the full cycle of certification work is not yet completed. And this affects the final price of the car. I can say that the cost of an electric car produced in Kazakhstan will be slightly higher than the cost of an ordinary car. Still, this is a new technology that makes the first steps. It depends, first of all, on the units that will be used in the electric vehicle, he noted. One of the key issues in the production of electric vehicles in Kazakhstan is the creation of an appropriate infrastructure. Particularly, its refueling by electricity is important. Even on cell phones, the battery is an annoying factor as when it ends, you need to recharge it urgently. From the point of view of an electric vehicle - this is no less important element. Therefore, the first issue to be solved is the infrastructure that will allow the consumer not to worry about where he will refuel this electric battery. One of the important points is how fast the consumer will charge it. At the usual gas station, we can do this for 3-5 minutes. If we are talking about charging an electric battery, there is a fundamentally different approach," Mogilatov explained. We need to charge it fully during the night, and having spent it during the day, you need to be able to drive up to the nearest electric station and bring the battery level to 80 percent in 10 minutes. Each electric car has two ports - one allows you to charge at home, the other - at a filling station," he added. JAC Motors (officially Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Co., Ltd.) is a Chinese state-owned automobile and commercial vehicle manufacturer. In 2002, JAC started its exploration of new energy vehicles, undergoing thousands of discussions, The Pure Electric Vehicle Development Plan was fixed. From 2010 to 2012, JAC created the largest scale of electric vehicle model operations within the industry. So far, approximately 5,000 units of pure electric vehicles have been sold, ranking in the Top 3 globally and Top 1 in China. Car manufacturing is growing at an unprecedented rate in Kazakhstan and significant expansion is planned in coming years. As of November 2015, the number of registered vehicles reached 5 million automobiles, a 63% growth from 2013 (a 10% compound annual growth rate). On average, there is a car in every second household in the country. --- Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 21 September 2017 12:21 (UTC+04:00) By Kamila Aliyeva Iran seeks to increase the crude oil swap with Caspian states in a bid to boost the overall efficiency of Islamic Republic energy sector. The country plans to up the volume of crude oil swap with Caspian states to 40,000 barrels per day by the end of 2017, said Sirafkan Ghorbani, an official at the National Iranian Oil Pipelines and Telecommunication Company. The volume currently stands at averagely 10,000 barrels per day, Ghorbani said, Iranian Oil Ministrys official website reported Sept. 18. Ghorbani said that the volume of oil swap is planned to reach 200,000 b/d in 2018. Back in August, Iran confirmed that has received several oil cargoes from Turkmenistan in the Neka port. The official further noted that over 720,000 barrels of crude oil, unloaded in Neka port, is delivered to Tehran and Tabriz refineries from the beginning of the crude oil swap last month. The companies deliver oil to the Neka port for being used in Tabriz and Tehran refineries, located in northern Iran, and take the same amount of Iranian oil in Persian Gulf. Ghorbani said that the aforementioned volume is transferred in stages through the 32-inch Neka-Sari-Rey oil pipeline. At the moment, the pipeline and the related facilities have capacity to transfer 370,000 barrels of crude oil per day, however it can be increased to 500,000 barrels, he added. In early august, a source in Azerbaijans oil and gas market told Trend that Dragon Oil and Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC) had delivered the second Turkmen oil cargo to Iran. Oil swaps make possible for Iran to optimize oil deliveries to refineries in the north of the country because the greater portion of oilfields is concentrated in the South Iran. Before the introduction of sanctions, Iran was an active participant in swap operations, which began in 1997 on the basis of signed contracts. Under the oil swap agreements, which were in place for over 12 years, Iran received crude oil of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan in the Neka port and delivered an equal volume to the clients of the same countries in Persian Gulf. From 1997 to 2009, the total income received by Iran from these swap transactions amounted to $880 million. In 2010, Tehran stopped the swap arrangement with Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan, arguing that the $1 a barrel fee charged had to be increased and based on the international crude oil price. The Hague International Court of Justice fined the National Iranian Oil Company $5.5 million due to stopping the swap of oil with its international partners. In 2012, Iran tried to revive the old swap deals. However, the Iranian petroleum sector had been subject to EU and U.S. sanctions, while Naftiran Intertrade Company (NICO) was put on a U.S. blacklist. This meant that any direct trade, even by non-U.S. companies, with NICO would lead to penalties by United States. Following the nuclear deal concluded between Iran and the six world powers, Iran voiced its interest in reviving the previous swap agreements. Iran has huge reserves of oil as its proved reserves for 2017 amounted to 137.6 billion barrels of oil. The country ranks fourth in the world for oil reserves. --- Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 21 September 2017 13:33 (UTC+04:00) By Kamila Aliyeva Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that his country may purchase Russian S-600 anti-aircraft missile systems (SAM). Erdogan noted that Turkey has the right to self-defense and no country can tell it what to do, Trend reported with the reference to Turkish media. The issue of purchasing Russian SAMs will be discussed during the visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Turkey on September 28. The meeting of the two presidents will also address Syrian issue. Earlier, Erdogan announced that Russia and Turkey are discussing the terms of the loan for the acquisition of the S-400 complex and the first payment has already been made. Under the $2.5 billion agreement Ankara would receive two batteries of the antiaircraft missile from Moscow within the coming year and then produce two more batteries in Turkey. The S-400 is Russia's next-generation air defense system, carrying three different types of missiles capable of destroying aerial targets at a short-to-extremely-long range. The weapon is capable of tracking and destroying all existing aerial targets, including ballistics and cruise missiles. Turkey is also in talks to acquire anti-aircraft missile systems from Italy and France. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced about this on September 20, adding that Turkey has the right to self-defense. Turkey is the key NATO ally, which is on the border with Syria and Iraq, Stoltenberg noted. Erdogan previously said in an interview with the American PBS TV channel that despite negotiations with NATO member states regarding the acquisition of an air defense system, none of the alliance members provided Turkey with such an opportunity. He noted that Turkey must ensure its own security and based on this, it was decided to acquire Russian S-400 air defense system. The deal on S-400 raised eyebrows among Ankaras fellow NATO members and caused concerns as they are supposed to only buy compatible weapons systems from other members. Turkey has the second-largest military force in NATO, after the U.S., but ties among the NATO allies have worsened last July after a failed coup attempt. Relations further deteriorated following an April referendum which expanded the powers of the president. Ankara also objects to some NATO members military support for Syrian Kurdish rebels, who are linked to PKK terrorists. --- Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 21 September 2017 15:22 (UTC+04:00) By Kamila Aliyeva Honey, a healthy foodstuff which improves human nutrition and boosts immunity, has long tradition as a food source in Uzbekistan. Currently, beekeeping continues to develop dynamically in this Central Asian country. Special attention paid to the development of beekeeping and saturation of the domestic market with affordable and high-quality products has a positive impact on the expansion of honey production. This year it is planned to produce more than 1,700 tons of honey in the Fergana region, UzA reported. Uzbekistan pays special attention to the further development of beekeeping and wide popularization of best practices in the field. The consistent reforms implemented in Uzbekistan serve to ensure abundance in the markets, supplying the population with quality and affordable vitamin products. Annual honey making in Uzbekistan remains quite low, fluctuating around the mark of 13,000 tons. Bees and products of their life activity is a real gift of nature to people, however, long-standing roots and traditional methods do not prevent beekeeping from remaining an actual business idea. Association of beekeepers of the Fergana region is carrying out large-scale work on further development of the industry. The Association, which previously consisted of 10-15 beekeepers, now unites more than 1,200 qualified specialists in its ranks. Among them there are a lot of those whose experience is studied and highly valued not only in Uzbekistan, but also abroad. Together with their families, they raise up to 1,500-2,000 bee colonies. Special attention is paid to strengthening cooperation with specialists from the United States, Israel, Russia, Spain, Canada, Switzerland and other countries, studying and making extensive use of their experience. Beekeepers throughout the year exported more than 30,000 bee queens and received a good income. Beekeepers of the Fergana region have established an exchange of experience with their colleagues from Israel. Their experience of obtaining large volumes of quality honey was well studied and widely introduced in the region. Beekeeping from an ecological point of view is definitely a "green" business, which makes it even more attractive. Bees pollinate not only fruit trees and flowering herbs, but also agricultural crops, increasing their yield by 30-40 percent and increasing the productivity of land. Beekeeping farms receive honey and beekeeping products for 10 billion soums per year, while 120 billion soums of profit is received due to pollination of cotton, wheat and other plants. In this regard, opportunities will be created to expand and improve the effectiveness of this work at the level of modern requirements. Earlier, the training center under the Association was created. The center has a research laboratory, training halls, a specialized library, an electronic archival database, a workshop for processing and packaging honey, a sewing workshop as well as a workshop for making wax frames, equipment and beehives. A special school for the training of young beekeepers has been opened. Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev visited this training center during his trip to the Fergana region in June and familiarized with the work carried out here. He also gave instructions on the development of beekeeping and training of specialists in this sphere. At present, large-scale work is being carried out in this direction. --- Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 21 September 2017 16:37 (UTC+04:00) By Kamila Aliyeva The United States has reportedly prevented a military solution to the Gulf crisis erupted in June between Qatar and its Arab neighbors in which neither side wants to lose face. President Donald Trump warned Saudi Arabia and the UAE over taking military action against Qatar, the world leader in the gas export, according to Bloomberg. The Gulf allies are reported to have considered taking military action against their energy-rich neighbor in the early stages of their ongoing dispute with Doha, before Donald Trump called leaders of both countries and warned them to back off. Trump stressed that any military action would trigger a crisis across the Middle East that would only benefit Iran, according to a source familiar with the U.S. presidents discussions. Saudi Arabia has denied that military action was ever contemplated. Trump met with Qatars emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday. The U.S. president answered negatively to the question whether he warned Saudi Arabia and the UAE against military action. At the same time, it is not known exactly when the question of the use of military force was discussed. During this meeting Trump voiced the hope that the dispute between Qatar and its Arab neighbors would be resolved quickly. The Gulf crisis erupted after Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt cut ties with Qatar, accusing it of supporting extremism. Qatar has vehemently denied the charges as baseless. The Gulf standoff has opened new fault lines in a Middle East already roiled by wars in Syria and Yemen. Egypt and Bahrain joined the Saudi-led boycott, while Turkey and Iran provided supplies to Qatar as its import routes were closed. The four Arab states boycotting Qatar said that sanctions would remain in place until Doha met their demands and that they would keep a close eye on the tiny Gulf monarchys efforts to fight terrorism funding. The standoff has yet to be resolved, despite efforts by Kuwait to mediate. At the UN, Qatar compared the blockade to terrorism and said that it amounted to a betrayal by the Saudis. --- Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 21 September 2017 17:31 (UTC+04:00) By Sara Israfilbayova Moscow has hosted the 75th meeting of the Economic Council of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The agenda included a wide range of issues of interaction of the CIS countries in the economic sphere. The meeting participants approved the drafts of the Concept of Cooperation of the Commonwealth States in the field of land reclamation and the Concept of Cooperation of the CIS Countries in the field of oil and gas engineering. Moreover, the protocol on amendments to the agreement on the rules for determining the country of origin of goods in the CIS, the protocol on amendments to the agreement on the harmonization of requirements for additional training and the professional competence of international road carriers of the Commonwealth States was adopted. The meeting participants discussed the preparations for the census of the population in the Commonwealth states in 2020. A number of budget, financial and organizational issues were discussed. The next meeting of the CIS Economic Council is scheduled for December 15. The Economic Council of the CIS was established in April 1999.The Council is the main executive body ensuring the implementation of agreements adopted within the framework of the CIS, decisions of the Council of Heads of States and the Council of Heads of Government of the Commonwealth on the formation and functioning of a free trade zone and other issues of socio-economic cooperation. The main functions of the Economic Council of the CIS are developing proposals for the creation of a system of mutual settlements and payments for trading and other transactions; creation of legal, economic and organizational conditions for the transition to higher levels of economic cooperation based on the free movement of goods, services, labor and capital; assistance in the entry of the CIS member states into the world economic system, etc. The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is free association of sovereign states formed in 1991 by Russia and 11 other republics that were formerly part of the Soviet Union. The CISs functions are to coordinate its members policies regarding their economies, defense, immigration policies, environmental protection, and law enforcement. The CIS united Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine. However, in 2008 Georgia withdrew its membership. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend At least four individuals have been killed and 14 injured after a huge explosion in the holy city of Qom 125 kilometers south west of capital Tehran. Authorities have said that the incident took place at a hotel near a holy site in the city, IRNA news agency reported. The governor of the city, Reza Sayyar, has ruled out the possibility of a terror attack. According to the report, 10 injured individuals are Iraqi nationals. 21 September 2017 17:37 (UTC+04:00) By Kamila Aliyeva Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced the launch of an operation to liberate the El-Ha'wij region, southwest of the oil-rich city of Kirkuk, seized by militants of the IS terrorist group. "With the beginning of the new day, we are announcing the beginning of the first stage of the operation for the liberation of El-Ha'wij, fulfilling our promise to the Iraqi people for the complete liberation of Iraqi lands from ISIS terrorist group," RIA Novosti reported citing Abadi's statement on his Facebook page. The Iraqi army is simultaneously conducting operations to liberate several areas, winning again and again, according to the prime minister. About 20,000 soldiers and militia fighters take part in the operation for the liberation of El-Ha'wij, according to Sky News Arabia. Iraqi officers who participated in the operation told the Akhbar Al Aan TV channel that the majority of ISIS fighters in El-Ha'wij are Iraqis but their commanders are foreigners. Currently, almost 2,000 ISIS terrorists are in the city of El-Ha'wij. Previously, the Iraqi Prime Minister announced the beginning of an operation by Iraqs armed forces to clean up the Anbar province bordering Syria from militants. Al-Abadi promised to defeat the militants "who will be overtaken by death." In August, the Iraqi military seized the city of Tall Afar and, thus, liberated the northern province of Ninawa from ISIS terrorists. In July, the military destroyed a group of radicals in the second largest city of Iraq, Mosul. On July 10, Prime Minister of Iraq Haider al-Abadi officially announced victory over the IS in Mosul. The city has been under the IS control since June 2014. Abadi's announcement of victory over ISIS was met with international praise from a number of countries still actively battling the militants, including the U.S., Russia, Iran and Syria, where the remaining half of ISIS's self-proclaimed caliphate lies. --- Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva 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 By Manogya Loiwal : Noor Bahar, 30, stands on the Bangladesh side of the Bangladesh-Myanmar border and watches as her house burns down to ashes. Noor Bahar is one of the 4.5 lakh Rohingya Muslims who have crossed over from Myanmar into Bangladesh in search of shelter and some support for life. Standing at the edge of the riverine border, she points at the burning house and cannot find words to express the tragedy that she is going through. advertisement Noor Bahar sobs and explains, "The Burmese army was killing people in cold blood. Everyone was being beaten and tortured. Had we not escaped I would have also got killed. I am sitting here and I can see fumes coming where my house is. I can't believe I am sitting on this road in this country and seeing my house being burnt across the river border. The houses of Rohingyas are burning...and our hearts too are burning." Noor Bahar is not the sole witness to this tragedy. The Burmese army had initiated action against the Rohingyas after militant attacks on them. The Army action has displaced lakhs of people from the Rakhine state. Rahima Khatun, 28, is crying and feeding her third child... a toddler and the only child left alive. She lost her elder two children in Myanmar and then fled to Bangladesh but only to see her house burning from across the river. While escaping from Myanmar, Rahima and her husband Noor Islam ended up exactly opposite their house but on the Bangladesh side. The trauma did not end here. Sitting on the bank of the river Naf which makes up the riverine border, they saw their hous burning. Noor Islam says, "We came here a day ago. We could not find a way out from the bombing. The smoke is still coming out of the burnt houses. The Burmese army treated women the worst...and are murdering everyone they are identifying. I can see the area of my house from here...it was also burnt ..." Clad in a yellow hijab and a black burqa... the only clothing she has with her to wear every day now, Rahima cannot hold back the tears. She explains and questions, "We have lost everything in the unrest. If we had even the slightest hope, we would have stayed back but the bombing and burning forced us out of Myanmar. Who wants to come to another country in a situation like this?" Also Watch : Person of interest: Aung San Suu Kyi under scrutiny for silence over Rohingya Muslims crisis --- ENDS --- advertisement This addresses a long standing anomaly and ensures that the changes in norms keeps pace with changes in costs on an annual basis The proposal for revision of cost norms with annual cost indexation for Supplementary Nutrition (SN) for the beneficiaries of Anganwadi Services and Adolescent Girls (out of school 11-14 years) under the Umbrella ICDS Scheme has been approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by the prime minister. In the next three years government is planning to invest an additional Rs 12,000 crore for the nutrition of pregnant and lactating women, children in the age group of 0-6 years, and out of school adolescent girls. The revised supplementary nutrition Cost norms for the beneficiaries of children has been revised to Rs 8 from Rs 6. In case of pregnant women & lactating mothers it has been revised to Rs 9.50 from Rs 7. There is also a revision in cost norms for nutrition provided to severely malnourished from Rs 9 to Rs 12. In case of adolescent girls (11-14 years) it has been revised to Rs 9.50 from Rs 5. This follows the decision by the Government to provide cash benefits to pregnant and lactating mothers under the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana, and is part of an intensive effort to improve the nutritional status of women and children. Delhi is all set to hold Indian, Afghanistan trade show The show will feature Afghan entities from agriculture, health, education, and energy sectors seeking trade and investment opportunities with India. The national capital of India, New Delhi, is gearing up to hold a 4 day India and Afghanistan trade show from 27-30 September, 2017. This show is facilitated by US in the backdrop of Donald Trump's call to the Modi government to expand socio-economic projects for the Afghans. The show will feature Afghan entities from agriculture, health, education, and energy sectors seeking trade and investment opportunities with India, according to persons familiar with the matter. CEOs from major Indian companies will also be participating, and thematic panel sessions on relevant topics will be held throughout the event. Afghanistan is being assisted by United States Agency for International Development for this trade and investment show aimed at developing stronger India-Afghanistan relations by forging business deals for Afghan products such as produce, spices, carpets and gems and connecting Indian investors with Afghan companies and government entities in the education, healthcare, infrastructure, energy and agricultural sectors. This comes close on the heels of Indo-Afghan decision to launch New Development Partnership involving 116 new High Impact Development Projects that would be jointly implemented in the suburban and rural communities in 31 provinces of the landlocked country. However, USA is not the only P-5 nation that India is engaging to safeguard its interest in Afghanistan. Close on the heels of investment meet Russian Presidential Envoy on Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov will visit Delhi in October to take forward PM Narendra Modi and President Vladimir Putin dialogue in Xiamen on Sep 4 that also focused on Indo-Russian cooperation to stabilise the landlocked country. Russia has revived its interest in Afghanistan since it pulled out from there in 1989 owing to growing network of terror groups in the Eurasian region. India will assist in Shatoot dam and drinking water supply project for Kabul, low-cost housing for returning refugees, water supply network for Charikar city and polyclinic in Mazar-e-Sharif, Gypsum board manufacturing plant in Kabul to promote value-added industry among the slew of projects planned for Afghanistan. This was announced by Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj after second Indo-Afghan Strategic Partnership Council meeting with her counterpart Salahuddin Rabbani here on Sep 11. 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 Kapil Sharma Show will not be returning next month, contrary to various reports. By India Today Web Desk: Popular comedy show The Kapil Sharma Show has taken a season break, as its host and producer is taking care of his health issues. However, Kapil, who was supposed to undergo a treatment of 40 days in Bangalore, returned to Mumbai on Sunday itself, thanks to his upcoming film commitments. "He needed to return to Mumbai to complete his film Firangi and start promoting and marketing it for its November release," DNA quoted Kapil's close friend as saying. advertisement There were also reports that TKSS would be returning next month, but apparently that is not the case, as the comedian is taking a well-deserved break from work. According to DNA's report, the show would only be returning early next year. "The show will return only when Kapil has fully recovered. Kapil has realised health is the most important thing in life. As for the show, it is very dear to him and it isn't going anywhere," Kapil's friend told DNA. --- ENDS --- The latest move by the TRAI to reduce the interconnect usage charges from the existing 14 paisa per minute to 6 paisa per minute would adversely impact the larger incumbents over the medium term, said rating agency ICRA. By India Today Web Desk: The latest move by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to reduce the interconnect usage charges (IUC) from the existing 14 paisa per minute to 6 paisa per minute would adversely impact the larger incumbents over the medium term, said rating agency ICRA. In the process, it would benefit the new entrant Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd. (RJio). TRAI has also prescribed adopting the 'Bill and Keep' (BAK) regime from January 1, 2020, thereby reducing the IUC to zero. advertisement Harsh Jagnani, sector head and vice president, corporate ratings, ICRA Limited says, "At the industry level, IUC is largely a zero-sum, but it impacts each operator differently, driven by the extent of traffic asymmetry between them." An operator with higher proportion of off-net (a call from subscriber of one operator to that of a different operator) incoming minutes over off-net outgoing minutes benefits by way of net inflow of IUC revenues, and vice-versa. While the larger incumbents had always been net earners of IUC revenues, the extent of gain had increased following the launch of services by RJio, with free voice plans leading to higher off-net outgoing traffic from RJio subscribers. Thus, the latest TRAI regulation is expected to translate into savings for RJio in terms of the IUC it had to pay to other operators - as per RJio's financials, its IUC charges for FY2017 stood at Rs 2,589 crore, for around seven months of service. For the incumbents, competitive intensity prevents any increase in tariffs to meet the shortfall in IUC revenues thereby impacting the Ebitda generation. It is estimated that the decline in Ebitda for the larger incumbents would be in the range of 5-12 per cent. Apart from the immediate impact on Ebitda generation, the industry also faces the challenge of continuation of competitive intensity from RJio, given the headroom it has got from the IUC savings, says ICRA. The last reduction in IUC was done in February 2015, when the termination charges were reduced by 6 paisa - from 20 paisa per minute to 14 paisa per minute. Since this time the quantum of reduction as well as the proportion of incoming calls is higher, the impact on revenues of the larger incumbents is also expected to be higher. Nevertheless, ICRA is of the opinion that in the longer run, the asymmetry in traffic between the larger incumbents and RJio is expected to reduce, following the reduction in the subscriber base gap between them. Thus, the impact of lower IUC would be negated to some extent. Further, the impact of reduction of IUC to zero by adopting the 'Bill and Keep' model from 1st January 2020 implies that an operator can charge for incoming voice minutes, but the same is unlikely given the extent of competition and continuous move towards lower pricing of voice. advertisement "At a time when there are talks of providing incentives to the industry, which is ailing with pressure on profitability, elevated debt levels, and continued capex requirements, the timing of this reduction in IUC would add to the woes of the industry. This move is likely to keep the competitive intensity for the industry high and prolong the restoration of pricing power, a must for all operators to generate adequate return on investments," Jagnani adds. --- ENDS --- Fairfax Media's Domain will start selling home, car and landlord insurance to users of its website and apps, as it eyes a slice of a $2 billion-a-year market from distributing cover to consumers. As part of its plan to collect revenue from the many transactions involved in property sales and rentals, Domain will on Friday announce it will use its digital assets to offer policies under the brand Domain Insure. Domain chief executive Antony Catalano said the move into insurance would boost revenue from transactions. Credit:Wayne Taylor Domain will not carry the actual underwriting risk, with Hollard Insurance likely to be key partner. Fairfax Media is the publisher of the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. Instead, it plans to collect commissions on the insurance sold, following its move into other "adjacent" businesses including mortgage broking. Australian gambling giants Tabcorp and Tatts insist their planned $11 billion merger will proceed in line with its original timetable despite a significant setback in the Federal Court. On Monday, the court found in favour of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's claim that the Australian Competition Tribunal had made reviewable errors in allowing the merger to proceed. Much has changed since Tabcorp's first attempt to take over Tatts 10 years ago. The court set aside the tribunal's decision and ordered it to reassess the bid. The Federal Court's reasons were not released publicly. In statements to the ASX on Thursday morning, Tatts and Tabcorp said the tribunal had advised the parties that "it wishes to further consider and determine the matter as soon as practically possible". "In this regard, the tribunal is of the tentative view that the parties and participants file with the tribunal, and serve on the other parties and participants, written submissions relevant to the remittal to the tribunal on or before 4.00pm on Monday," the statements said. Federal Court judge John Middleton, overseeing the competition tribunal, wrote to the parties on Wednesday night saying he would fast-track the process and would take only written submissions before delivering the new determination. "If the issues in contention are narrow in scope, the tribunal would endeavour to make a new determination by 28 September 2017 after considering the submissions of the parties and the participants," the gambling companies statements said. Loading A Queensland taxi licence that was worth $530,000 about three years ago is now worth only about $150,000. Now cabbies say they feel doomed and their taxi licence as a form of superannuation is a sinking asset. In some cases a taxi licence owner may receive less than $150,000 for the cab licence, according to Queensland Taxi Council chief executive Blair Davies. The Queensland Taxi Council has blasted a plan to allow unmarked private taxis to take late-night revellers home. A few years ago a taxi licence was selling in the order of $530,000 to $540,000, Mr Davies said. Australias biggest carrot oversupply in 25 years has prompted farmers, along with chefs and winemakers, to get creative and use the popular vegetable in foams, consommes and infuse it in vodka. Carrot farmers are faced with the tough decision of what to do with the excess of carrots while wanting to avoid the product, hailed as the second most purchased vegetable in Australia, ending up as food waste. Australia is facing its largest carrot oversupply in 25 years. Carrot farm Kalfresh in Queenslands Scenic Rim has paddocks full of excess carrots, and director and farmer Rob Hinrichsen has said he has never seen Australias carrot market as bad as it currently is. Mr Hinrichsen put the excess in vegetables down to optimal growing conditions, big crop yields and Russias ban on European imports for having a domino effect on the world carrot market. Pakistan PM is busy spewing venom against India in New York where he is leading his country's delegation to the UNGA while ministers and senior officials of his govt back home in Islamabad are complementing his efforts. By Santosh Chaubey: The 72nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly is in progress in New York and the Pakistani delegation here has some tough job on its hand to do, obviously including the routine anti-India propaganda. So, the prime minister of Pakistan is busy spewing venom against India in New York where he is leading his country's delegation to the UNGA while ministers and senior officials of his government back home in Islamabad are complementing his efforts. advertisement And their efforts are based on negating two highly hostile perceptions about Pakistan, especially with the Donald Trump presidency in America - one, that it is a safe terror haven and the other, that trusting Pakistan in Afghanistan affairs have been counter-productive and it is better to go with India. So, Pakistan's Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi is busy telling the world community and more importantly to the US that how India is an existential threat for Pakistan and it is rather a terror victim with an impressive track record in fighting and eliminating terrorists and the US declaring it a safe haven for terrorists is unjustified, even if he wasn't given a chance to have one-on-one meeting with Donald Trump. The fact is, Trump has not met a Pakistani prime minister, be in Abbasi or his predecessor Nawaz Sharif, so far in his presidency and it is a telling sign that Pakistan has lost its credibility in Washington. Like Nawaz Sharif was humiliated at the US-Arab-Islamic Summit in Riyadh in May this year, Donald Trump's first major interaction with the Muslim nations of the world, this time, too, the Pakistani prime minister met the same fate. Reportedly, Trump refused to meet Abbasi as 'he was too busy'. Abbasi then had to settle down on a meeting with US Vice-President Mike Pence where, as per Pakistani claims, the two sides agreed to remain engaged "to achieve shared objectives of peace, stability and economic prosperity in the region." Also, Abbasi told yesterday, in another boastful claim, that Trump thought positively on Pakistan's role in the war against terror, refuting claims of downward spiral in US-Pakistan ties. While the truth is, the US is disappointed and angry over Pakistan's double-dealings, the country that has been a major recipient of US financial aid, over $15 billion in just last five years. While unveiling his government's Afghanistan centric South Asia policy last month, Trump had slammed Pakistan and had warned that the US would no longer be silent about Pakistan's double-dealings and had demanded that Pakistan's attitude of doublespeak had to change immediately. Abbasi, reportedly, also complained to the US, in fact, in his meeting with Mike Pence about US policy change on Afghanistan which seeks greater Indian role in Afghanistan rebuilding process, something that Pakistan believes is hostile to its interests in the region. And today, he went on to say that Pakistan sees 'zero role for India in Afghanistan and will never accept India politically or militarily engaged in Afghanistan'. advertisement Repeating Pakistan's rant on Kashmir, an integral part of India where Pakistan is fuelling terror and separatism, that India is suppressing the freedom struggle of the Kashmiris, Abbasi, after a long time, again took the line that Pakistan has developed tactical nuclear weapons to take on the Indian threat. Pakistan had left the practice of issuing hollow nuclear threats to India after the surgical strike last September in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir that left Pakistan's ruling elite humiliated and divided. Back in Pakistan, its ministers and officers are busy extending helping hands to their prime minister. Its Foreign Office is repeating the routine Pakistani propaganda that "India is involved in funding terrorism in Pakistan" with a new vigour. Apart from blaming India for fomenting terror in its provinces including the restive Balochistan province, Pakistan is also blaming India to fund the anti-Pakistan campaign by Baloch activists in Geneva while the reality is the world community has now started accepting Pakistan's atrocities in Balochistan and Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir. advertisement The country is also taking on other countries like Japan that endorse the Indian viewpoint that Pakistan is a terror sponsor nation. The Indo-Japan joint statement last week during Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe's India visit had denounced Pakistan as a country harbouring terrorists. Yesterday, Pakistan's Defence Minister Khurram Dastagir Khan accused India of trying to sabotage the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a $50 Billion Chinese investment that passes through Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir, legally an Indian territory. The same minister had last week boasted that it was not Pakistan's job to satisfy the US. And only a week later, the Pakistani prime minister is trying to woo the US administration in the US. --- ENDS --- Police have given staff at AFL House the all-clear to return to work after a threat was received on Thursday afternoon, sparking an evacuation of the organisation's headquarters. More than 150 AFL employees in Melbourne's Docklands were forced to evacuate about midday after the league received a threatening phone call. On Wednesday, the AFL changed its logo on the building to "Yes" in support of same-sex marriage but removed it by Thursday morning, claiming it was only a temporary measure. Police declared the area safe after conducting safety checks, with staff returning to work shortly before 1.30pm. A man has been convicted of sexually abusing a nine-year-old boy in Western Australia's north more than 30 years ago. Ivan Tharren Butterfield went on trial in the WA District Court this week, charged with seven offences committed during two separate incidents in Broome in 1983, when Butterfield was aged 19. Butterfield was convicted of the historic crimes on Thursday. Credit:Viki Lascari The victim, now 43, testified during the trial that Butterfield threatened to kill him if he told anyone what had happened and he "lived in fear". Butterfield took the victim into a bedroom, locked the door and sexually abused him after the boy had visited the house to see a friend. He had no recollection of it but he would have just signed it without reading even though one form only included one sentence because his father had told him to and his father was very meticulous with his records. I certainly would have asked, speculation, because Im already Australian, but I cant recall any of that, he said. I was 19 and more keen on football than on filling out forms. Senator Roberts said he asked his sister about his citizenship because she was always more accurate on these things and she said: stateless. 'I had always believed I was Australian' Senator Roberts said he came to Australia for the first time in 1962 but had always travelled on his Australian mothers passport. Although he read a report regarding citizenship in September 2016, I had always believed I was Australian, he said. But he admitted in court on Thursday he would accept he had not always been Australian. He rejected the suggestion that by sending the email with the subject line Am I still a British citizen? meant he knew he had been British at some point. My inquiry was to see whether or not, to explore the possibility of being British, Senator Roberts said. There was a possibility of Indian, and there was a possibility of British and I checked both. The defunct email addresses Earlier senior counsel Stephen Lloyd, appearing as amicus curiae, told the High Court two of the email addresses were decommissioned by the British government in 2010. None of these emails according Senator Roberts current evidence led to any responses, he said. We say its relevant in terms of the reasonableness of the steps taken. Whether he sent them to actual addresses, sent to the UK. Mr Lloyd said the incorrect email addresses were able to be found in an online search, but they were no longer used. They werent the addresses they were using, he said. There was no response ever to those emails. The facts are that the first email, which is headed something like 'Am I still a British citizen?' .... He said a third email address appeared to be in use in May and June, 2016. Mr Lloyd said Senator Roberts later sent another email complaining about not receiving a response. 'How to renounce my British citizenship?' Mr Lloyd said it was also possible to Google How to renounce my British citizenship? and it came up with the official websites with the .gov.uk ending. This information was also available at the time, he said. One Nation Senator Malcolm Roberts outside court in Brisbane. Credit:AAP Smiling and appearing relaxed as he began to be examined after 11.15am, Senator Roberts said he did not remember where he found the email addresses he used in May and June 2016. We usually use Google, he said. The court was also told there were documents which showed Mr Roberts signed that he was British when he was 19 years old. To which Senator Roberts responded, I was a citizen of the UK and colonies, Mr Lloyd said. Barrister Robert Newlinds, acting for Senator Roberts, said their case would be that at the relevant time, which was in June, when the nomination form was lodged, Senator Roberts did not believe he was a British citizen. We dont contest that he was a British citizen at the date, Mr Newlinds said. But he didnt know that, or to use a more helpful word, he didnt believe he was and never has, Mr Newlinds said. But Senator Roberts did not appear to be buying the idea that he could have been British, and said he was still not clear of his citizenship in the past. It is still not clear in any way that I have British citizenship, and that includes the Home Office, he said. Senator Roberts said the High Court hearing was the first time he had heard his lawyers agree he would have been British at the time of his nomination. He told the court he would not accept he was not only Australian until after speaking with his barrister. I believe I have never had citizenship of another country. I would be happy to say that because no one has ever shown me, I had citizenship of another country. But I believe there are various other requirements so I cant rule it out altogether, he said. It would be my firm belief at that time that I had not had citizenship of another country. I believed I was always Australian and only Australian. Justice Patrick Keane said he did not see his remit on Thursday as going beyond finding primary facts. Not findings that involved questions of facts of law, he said. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has defended the federal government's decision to build the final leg of the Melbourne to Brisbane inland railway on Queensland floodplains. The government officially announced on Thursday that the route would run between Yelarbon and Gowrie. A Darling Downs local says the inland rail track will affect every landholder along the route. Credit:Jessica Hromas It will cut directly across the Condamine floodplain in the state's Darling Downs region. Farmers have hit out at the plan, with local Wes Judd saying it had the potential to "directly affect every landholder" along the track. Never borrow from a family member or discuss religion with strangers. And whatever you do, don't mix politics and sport. Such entreaties seem quaint, if not absurd, now that we've plunged heroically into a public debate that wilfully mixes up family, religion, politics, and sport. Football fans gearing up for the finals this weekend will have noticed the AFL logo at its headquarters was overlaid temporarily with the word "yes" on Wednesday. Many will agree with the sentiment, while others will not. But even among those who do, some might wonder why the league has inveigled itself in such a heated political furore. The OnePlus 5 features a USB-C charge port but sticks with the standard 3.5mm headphone jack. The OnePlus 5 feels great, with a solid unibody aluminum design and a slender bezel along the sides of the 5.5-inch screen making it look tall but not cumbersome. That's the design trend these days with premium larger-screen phones, to ensure they're not too wide for your average hand. Admittedly the handset isn't quite as sleek and compact as Samsung's Galaxy S8, which crams a slightly larger 5.8-inch display into a slightly smaller body thanks to the bezel-less design. The OnePlus 5 is roughly half a centimetre taller and wider, yet still manages to be a tad thinner and lighter. The big trade-off is that the OnePlus 5 only offers 1920x1080 Full HD screen resolution, which is nothing to be ashamed of but still falls short of flagship rivals. It's an "Optic AMOLED" screen taking Samsung's Super AMOLED display and tweaking the contrast and colour temperature while optimising it for outdoor viewing. There's more to picture quality than raw resolution and the OnePlus 5 looks very impressive. The screen produces deep blacks, great contrast and vibrant colours, with the choice of colour spaces including sRGB and DCI-P3's wider colour gamut. It's also bright enough to be useable outside on a sunny day without too much screen glare. The screen is tough thanks to Corning Gorilla Glass 5 but unfortunately the handset isn't waterproof. Under the bonnet Run your eye down the OnePlus 5's spec sheet and there's plenty to like: - USB-C - standard 3.5mm headphone jack (but no headphones in the box) - fingerprint reader (in the front button) - dual 16/20MP rear camera with 1.6x optical zoom, 16MP front camera - dual nano SIM - 4G LTE + Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac - NFC + Bluetooth 5.0, A2DP, LE, aptX HD - 8-core Qualcomm MSM8998 Snapdragon 835 CPU + Adreno 540 graphics - OxygenOS 4.5.5 based on Android 7.1.1 Rather than applying a skin to Android, OnePlus actually rolls its own flavour dubbed OxygenOS which has a clean and minimalist look, unlike the cheery and chirpy Android skins favoured by some smartphone makers. Right now the OnePlus 5 ships running OxygenOS based on Android 7.1.1, but OnePlus is already beta testing a version based on Android 8.0 Oreo so it's definitely coming straight from OnePlus rather than waiting for your telco to push out an update. All that grunt under the bonnet makes Android incredibly fluid and responsive, assisted by the slick OxygenOS which doesn't waste any of that grunt on unnecessary cutesy effects. As a result the phone unlocks quickly, even using the fingerprint reader, while there's no lag in the menus and apps are quick to load. OxygenOS adds a few nice touches without getting in the way such as a programmable vibrations, gestures and LED notification lights as well as the choice of placing the navigation buttons on the screen or the bezel. They can be a little too easy to tap by accident when they're on the bezel. You can also pull down the notifications bar by flicking down anywhere on the home screen, rather than reaching to the top. Fire up the Google Play app store and you can feel the performance when browsing the store and installing apps. The phone handles graphics-heavy games like Real Racing 3 without missing a beat, along with high-def Netflix streaming although the single speaker sounds a little thin and lacks the low-end punch to really do a movie soundtrack justice. Power up Of course great performance needs to be backed by a great battery and here the OnePlus 5 doesn't disappoint packing a 3300mAh battery which should get you through the most demanding days. It supports rapid charging, able to draw half a day's power in only half an hour, but only if you use the supplied USB Dash Charge cable and 5 Volt, 4 Amp charger which frustratingly comes with a European plug so you'll want to invest an international power adaptor. That might change once OnePlus gets beyond the Australian soft launch phase. Strike a pose The phone's snappy performance extends to the camera, which launches in a split-second with a fast autofocus that doesn't leave you hanging when you press the shutter button. This is the first OnePlus phone to feature a dual-lens rear camera. The primary lens offers 16MP with an f/1.7 aperture, while the secondary lens delivers 20MP with an f/2.6 aperture, and it's easy to jump between them. Unfortunately the phone lacks optical image stabilisation. Meanwhile there's a generous 16MP front-facing camera which takes crisp, vivid images although skin tones can lack a little detail even before you engage the adjustable "beautification" mode which makes you look like you've been smothered in layers of foundation. You'd expect better from a 16MP front camera it seems OxygenOS is still applying a little beautification even when it's supposedly disabled, but images also a little soft even using third-party camera apps. When it comes to skin detail I've seen better selfies from front cameras with much lower pixel counts, but I guess not everyone wants a brutally honest selfie. You'll naturally get better portraits from the rear camera, which isn't as quick to hide blemishes. Whether you're taking portraits or landscapes, it captures great shots with little noise, even in dark scenes. The colours are a touch saturated, although they're not the worst I've seen it certainly isn't enough to bother your average happy snapper, as blue skies and green grass still look real. Serious shooters can engage Pro mode with access to ISO level, shutter speed, focal distance and white balance while saving in the raw DNG format. Switching to Portrait mode takes advantage of the dual lenses to put the background into soft focus, looking more natural than the overly-aggressive bokeh software filters on which some phones rely. You can also take advantage of the second lens when taking macro shots, but you can't go back and change the focus after you've taken a photo. After dark the camera offers impressive low light performance and HDR mode, with an excellent flash which offers even, neutral lighting without being overpowering. The rear camera can also shoot 4K video, while the front offers 1080p. Attorney General George Brandis is planning a once-in-a-generation shake-up of the legal framework governing who can lawfully influence Australian politicians, amid fears of clandestine Chinese Communist Party influence over politics in this country. Mr Brandis flew to Washington in July, shortly after a series of Fairfax Media reports on the issue of foreign interference, and was briefed by US national security officials about introducing US style "foreign agent" laws into Australia. Fairfax Media has also confirmed that Mr Brandis has been given detailed intelligence briefings that suggest Chinese Communist Party-affiliated lobbyists and business people have sought to exert influence in local, state and federal governments, and with ex-politicians in Australia. Mr Brandis intends to bring laws similar to the Foreign Agents Registration Act to Parliament by November, as part of broader legislation to target the "sub-espionage" level of foreign interference. This includes individuals covertly lobbying, infiltrating or donating to political parties on behalf of foreign governments. Iranian expats in the US protest against Iranian President Hassan Rouhani outside the UN General Assembly in New York with signs that read "free Iran". Credit:Bloomberg But revealing some of the contours of Washington's lobbing of its co-signatories, administration insiders revealed on Wednesday that the White House was casting its push as a bid to renegotiate, not to walk away from the deal as Trump has repeatedly threatened. And later, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson claimed the other signatories now were "looking more carefully" at the US position. The hesitancy that Tillerson claimed to have detected was not, however, apparent in comments by Federica Mogherini, the foreign minister for the European Union who had chaired a meeting of all the parties to the Iran deal. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani delivers his speech to the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday. Credit:AP "The international community cannot afford dismantling an agreement that is working and delivering," she told reporters outside the UN Security Council chamber. "This is an agreement that prevented a nuclear program and potentially prevented military intervention. Let's not forget that. There is no need to renegotiate parts of the agreement, because the agreement is working." United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, right, greets Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. Credit:AP Iran remains under sanctions that were separate from the nuclear row. But in agreeing to curb its nuclear program and to allow international verification of its compliance, it won access to huge reserves of its own cash that had been frozen for years in foreign banks. It is again selling oil and trading with other countries. Trump seemingly wants to walk away from Washington's commitment to all that, at the same time as he is telling sanction-crippled Pyongyang that it too will be welcomed back into the world community if it agrees to disarm. German Chancellor Angela Merkel joined the Pyongyang and Tehran dots explicitly for Trump and at the same time rejected Trump's threat of the total destruction of North Korea as "absolutely inappropriate". Declaring "we clearly disagree with the US president", Merkel used a radio interview to invoke her standing as one of the signatories, and to invoke the Iran nuclear deal as a blueprint for defusing the North Korea crisis. "We took part in negotiating with the Iran agreement, which I think is good, and better than having no agreement at all. It took many years, but in the end it did limit Iran's possibilities for nuclear armament," she said. "And I think we must take the same path or a similar one, with Russia, with China, together with the US, also in the case of North Korea." Trump's objection to the deal with Iran focuses on the exclusion, from what is a nuclear deal, of a range of non-nuclear issues and a 10-year sunset clause, by which it expires in 2025. US Tillerson described to reporters on Wednesday as a "countdown clock to when Iran can resume its nuclear weapons programs, its nuclear activities". In an interview with The New York Times last year, Trump expressly cited as failings the deal's omission of curbs on Iran's missile capability, the jailing of Americans in Iran and Tehran's support for Middle Eastern groups designated as terrorists. On Wednesday, Tillerson was more specific, citing a series of charges which he insisted contravened the expectations of the non-Iranian signatories to the deal. These included Tehran's support for the Assad regime in Syria; its engagement in "malicious" cyber activity; its "aggressive" ballistic missile tests, in defiance of the UN Security Council, which were a threat to US security; its arming and training of forces fighting in Yemen, in Syria and Iraq; and its provocative operations against US ships in the Gulf. Asked about American credibility on any negotiations with North Korea if Washington does walk away from the Iran deal, Tillerson answered a different question, arguing that the US would be seeking a different kind of agreement with Pyongyang the issues and the two countries were different, he said. "The threat is the same, but the nature of the agreements are going to be quite different in terms of what's necessary to achieve the objective: a denuclearised North Korea, an Iran that never pursues nuclear weapons. So the endpoints, obviously, are the same, but the elements that allow you to achieve that are very, very different." Tillerson had earlier met with all the signatories to the deal, for what he said was a "political" discussion "there was no yelling, we didn't throw shoes at one another," he said of the encounter, which was his first with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. And despite their widely reported resistance to undoing the Iran nuclear deal, Tillerson said: "We believe they're now looking more carefully and seriously at that as a means to push back on this other behaviour of Iran's that they agree with us is just simply unacceptable." Russia and China are unlikely to side with Trump against Iran they've said as much. And though Britain and France say they are willing to seek a renegotiation, Tehran has said no way, prompting this from French President Emmanuel Macron when he spoke to reporters in New York on Wednesday: "I think it would be a mistake just to abandon the nuclear agreement without that". Since becoming president, Trump has twice certified Iran's compliance with the terms of the deal and this week Tillerson conceded that Tehran was "technically" in compliance, but the administration vents about Iran's non-nuclear missile program, its support for Hamas and Hezbollah and Iran's expansionist ambitions in the region. On Tuesday, Tillerson was adamant, telling Fox News: "If we're going to stick with the Iran deal there has to be changes made to it". The administration is countering the argument of reduced US credibility, with claims that the Iran deal was a lesson for North Korea, that the US could be duped into agreeing on a temporary fix. Trump's ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, insisted that Trump's General Assembly speech was less a "clear signal he plans to withdraw", and more an indication he was "clearly not happy" with it. "I think what [Rouhani] needs to do is instead of focusing on us leaving the agreement, he needs to start following the rules," she told CBS News. "He's got to stop smuggling arms, he's got to stop all of the meddling they're doing over the Middle East, stop the ballistic missile testing. He is not keeping his end of the deal, and what he's trying to do is put it on us. But we have to keep it on him." But in his Fox News interview, Tillerson said: "The President really wants to redo that deal", although he acknowledged the lack of support from Washington's co-signatories. "We do need the support, I think, of our allies, the European allies and others, to make the case as well to Iran that this deal really has to be revisited." New Jersey governor and informal Trump adviser Chris Christie, however, expects the President to pull out of the Iran deal. "I am just telling you that I know the guy for the last 15 years," he reportedly said, "and if I had to guess, that's my guess of what's going to happen, because of what I've heard him say during the campaign and what I think he believes philosophically, which is a bad deal is worse than no deal." Back at the General Assembly, at UN headquarters on the banks of New York's East River, Rouhani parsed the nuclear deal as a pact with six world powers, which the UN Security Council had signed off, before declaring: "It belongs to the international community in its entirety and not only to one or two countries". In the event of Washington retreating from the deal, he said that Iran might increase its enrichment of uranium for use in its reactors, but: "Iran will never seek a nuclear weapon". Recalling that European governments and businesses had defied sanctions in the 1990s, he said that Iran's response ultimately would depend on the response of the other signatories. By PTI: Chandigarh, Sep 21 (PTI) An unidentified man allegedly tried to sexually assault a Class 4 girl in the toilet of a private school in Panipat, a senior police official said today. A case has been registered under various sections of the POCSO Act against the unidentified man after the girls father reported the matter to the police yesterday, the station house officer of Women Police Station in Panipat, sub-inspector Kavita, told PTI over the phone. advertisement "The girl was found crying by her teachers in the school yesterday. She insisted on meeting her parents. Her parents were immediately called and she left with them. At home, she narrated her ordeal," the SHO said. Kavita said senior police officials visited the school today to investigate the matter. "We are questioning the teaching and non-teaching staff of the school and trying to verify details from the CCTV cameras," she said, adding that preliminary investigations suggest that the man tried to sexually assault her but the exact sequence of events is yet to be understood. Panipat District Education Officer (DEO) Udai Pratap also visited the school today. "Police officials have questioned the school staff as part of their ongoing probe. The department will take appropriate action against the school if lapses are found," he said. Pratap said he met the school principal as well and the authorities have promised to cooperate with the investigation. Asked whether closed-circuit cameras were installed outside the toilet, the DEO said, "CCTV cameras are installed at many points in the school and their footage is being scrutinised". Scores of parents gathered outside the school today and protested against the administration. The incident comes close on the heels of the alleged murder of a Class 2 boy in Ryan International School in Gurgaon. Seven-year-old Pradyuman Thakur was found with his throat slit in the school washroom on September 8. Following the Gurgaon incident, the state government asked all schools in Haryana to install CCTV cameras across its premises, form safety committees and ensure transportation facilities for students. PTI SUN RMS BDS ANB --- ENDS --- Inspiring the Future has been launched in Ireland today by South Dublin County Partnership with support from Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Google. The project aims to address the greatest barriers to young people, particularly the most disadvantaged, to securing successful and fulfilling lives and careers. The programme recognises key youth challenges including youth alienation, unemployment, skills mismatch, gender stereotyping and poor pupil motivation. It was developed following extensive consultation with a range of stakeholders employers, education, government, third sector and intermediaries. Since the launch, interest in the programme has come from over 35 countries including Australia, Bangladesh, China, the UAE and the U.S. and Uganda. The inaugural Inspiring the Future Ireland Career Speed Networking event took place today in Collinstown Park Community College in Clondalkin, the first school in Ireland to avail of this new initiative. Volunteers from Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Google and Takeda Pharmaceutical were present at todays event. Following the launch event Inspiring the Future Ireland will be available to schools in the South Dublin County region and the project will expand nationwide if the pilot initiative proves successful. The ambition is to have 20-30 schools sign up within the first year. South Dublin County Partnership is seeking to recruit 600 volunteers to pledge just one hour a year to volunteer in a secondary school near where they live or work to talk to young people about their job and career route. Speaking today, An Tanaiste and Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Frances Fitzgerald said, "I want to congratulate Principal, Ms. Pauline Duffy and the staff of Collinstown Park Community College for introducing this important programme to the school curriculum. My focus as Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation is to ensure that we continue to create an environment in which business can succeed and create jobs, including those for our young people." She added, "Programmes such as Inspiring the Future play an important role in helping break the cycle of youth unemployment by increasing the chances of young people remaining in education and succeeding in life. I look forward to seeing this initiative expand to schools throughout Ireland in the coming years." Source: www.businessworld.ie The European Commission said the EU should proceed with an overhaul of taxes on digital firms even if the rest of the rich world did not follow suit, a draft report said. The document is part of an EU push to tap more revenues from online multinationals such as Amazon and Facebook , who are accused of paying too little tax in Europe by routing most of their profits to low-rate countries such as Ireland or Luxembourg. The draft report, to be adopted on Thursday, said that on average brick-and-mortar multinationals pay in taxes in the EU more than twice what their digital competitors do. Traditional large firms face a median 23.2% tax rate, while digital giants do not pay more than 10.1% - and when they sell directly to customers, rather than to firms, their effective rate goes down to 8.9%, data cited by the Commission showed. An earlier report by a European lawmaker said EU states may have lost in tax revenues up to 5.4 billion euros just from Facebook and Google, now part of Alphabet, between 2013 and 2015. "A level playing field is a pre-condition for all businesses to be able to innovate, develop and grow," the Commission said, adding that fairer taxation of the digital economy was urgently needed. Partly because of the uneven taxation, revenues in the EU retail sector grew on average by only 1% a year between 2008 and 2016, while in the same period revenues of the top-five online retailers, such as Amazon, grew on average by 32% per year, the Commission's report says. The document, seen by Reuters, will be presented at a summit of EU leaders on September 29 dedicated to digital issues. Despite divergences and scepticism among some smaller states, the 28 EU countries are expected to find common ground on digital taxation by December. The Commission is seeking a compromise among rich countries worldwide in a bid to reduce opposition from EU states that fear losing competitiveness if the EU moves ahead on its own in this field. But "in the absence of adequate global progress, EU solutions should be advanced within the single market", the document said, adding that a legislative proposal may be presented in the spring regardless of global developments. The best way to tackle distortions would be to review the notion of "permanent establishment" so that firms could be taxed also in countries where they do not have a physical presence, the Commission said. At the moment online companies can often avoid paying taxes in countries where they generate large revenues because they do not have a physical presence there. A proposal to change the corporate tax base is already under discussion in the EU. The Commission believes it represents "a basis to address these key challenges", but needs the unanimous support of EU states to turn the plan into law. To move ahead more quickly, the Commission said short-term solutions could be considered. They include an "equalisation" tax on turnover, as proposed by France and backed by 10 EU countries, the report said. Alternative short-term options would be a withholding tax on payments to digital businesses and a levy on revenues from advertisements or other services provided by digital firms. But short-term options "have pros and cons, and further work is needed", the Commission said, warning that they may go against double-taxation treaties, state aid rules, fundamental freedoms and EU international commitments under free trade agreements and the World Trade Organisation (WTO). (Reuters) Source: www.businessworld.ie Alphabet Inc's Google said it would pay $1.1 billion in cash to acquire the division at Taiwan's HTC Corp that develops the U.S. firm's Pixel smartphones, its latest push into hardware manufacturing. Google has sought to beef up its hardware capability with deals and product launches, and last year hired Rick Osterloh, a former Motorola executive, to run its hardware division. "For Google, this agreement further reinforces its commitment to smartphones and overall investment in its emerging hardware business," the search giant said in a statement. Under the deal, Google will also receive a non-exclusive license for HTC's intellectual property. The Taiwanese firm will continue to run its remaining smartphone business. HTC is a long-time partner of Google and some analysts estimate that Pixel smartphones account for 20 percent of HTC's smartphone shipments. But the Taiwanese firm, which once sold one in 10 smartphones globally, has seen its market share dwindle sharply due to competition from Apple Inc, Samsung Electronics Co and Chinese rivals. Its sharp decline had some analysts questioning the wisdom of the deal. "HTC is past its prime in terms of being a leading hardware design house, mainly because of how much it has had to scale back over the years as because of declining revenues," said Ryan Reith, an analyst at research firm IDC. "Unless Google really wants to control hardware for its other businesses like Home and Chromebooks in addition to smartphones, then I dont see this as being a bet that pays off." The deal marks Google's second major foray into smartphone manufacturing. It purchased Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion in 2012 and sold it off to China's Lenovo Group Ltd for less than $3 billion two years later. "Its still early days for Googles hardware business," Osterloh said in a blog post, adding it is focused on bringing together the best of Google software and hardware for a suite of its core products. Other hardware initiatives include its acquisition of thermostats maker Nest for $3.2 billion in 2014, while product launches include voice-controlled speaker Google Home and virtual-reality device Daydream View. Google's strategy of licensing Android for free and profiting from embedded services such as search and maps has made Android the dominant mobile operating system with some 89 percent of the global market, according to IDC. But it has long been frustrated by the emergence of many variations of Android and the inconsistent experience that has produced. Pushing its own hardware will likely complicate its relationship with Android licensees, analysts said. HTC shares were on a trading halt on Thursday. The stock has suffered steep declines over the past couple of years. It has fallen 12 percent so far this year and the company is worth around $1.9 billion. HTC's worldwide smartphone market share declined to 0.9 percent last year from a peak of 8.8 percent in 2011, according to IDC. Google's Pixel had less than 1 percent market share since it was launched a year ago, with an estimated 2.8 million shipments, IDC estimates. The transaction, which is subject to regulatory approvals, is expected to close by early 2018. Evercore served as financial advisor to HTC and Lazard served as financial advisor to Google. (Reuters) Source: www.businessworld.ie The security situation on the Korean Peninsula seems to be moving further away from Beijings preferred objectives. Of most concern are the uncontrollable risks engendered by North Koreas stepping up the development of its nuclear weapons and missile capabilities. The prospect of rolling back the nuclearization of the Korean Peninsula has progressively faded away. Since Kim Jong Un inherited power, Pyongyang has conducted four nuclear tests and more than 75 short- to intermediate-range ballistic-missile tests. Many believe the missiles tested are intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of striking the U.S. mainland a significant advance. The question now is how long Japan and South Korea will maintain their confidence in the U.S. nuclear umbrella before moving to develop their own nuclear deterrence capabilities. Meanwhile, seeking to ratchet up military pressure on North Korea, the United States has conducted air operations over the Korean Peninsula. It has also participated in military exercises with South Korea and Japan. Despite U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillersons four nos to reassure North Korea that the United States will not seek regime change, the collapse of the regime, an accelerated reunification of the peninsula or an excuse to send the U.S. military north of the 38th parallel many in the United States, including a significant number in Congress, believe the time for negotiation with North Korea is over. President Donald Trump has been called upon to follow through on his maximum pressure policy, including pressing China to execute financial blocks and economic embargoes on North Korea. Whenever tensions between Pyongyang and Washington are rising, so is the risk of miscalculation and inadvertent military confrontation. Trumps petulant and unpredictable personal character should not be understated in such a tense atmosphere. His provocative fire and fury remarks did nothing to deter Pyongyang but instead ratcheted up the tension. U.S. deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, missile-defense system in South Korea has not only undermined the strategic deterrence capabilities of both China and Russia, but has also strained relations between Beijing and Seoul. The brawl over North Koreas nuclear issue has also made Beijings relations with Washington more unpredictable. Washington complains that Beijing, with its unique economic sources of leverage, has fallen short of its obligations to rein in Pyongyangs misbehavior. Beijing in return argues that Washington has long failed in its own attempts at risk reduction on the peninsula. Pyongyang of course must be blamed for violating U.N. resolutions and is responsible for rising regional tension and instability. But North Koreas nuclear issue is both the cause and result of the security situation on the Korean Peninsula. From Pyongyangs perspective, developing nuclear weapons provides deterrence against a regime-change attack from the United States and other outside threats. Pyongyang will never shy away from pressing for more concessions by leveraging its nuclear weapons program, even at the expense of Chinas national security interests and overall regional stability. It should also recognize that its persistence in nuclear weapons development has made its prospect of improving the national economy a mission impossible. To a large extent, the spiraling tensions over the North Korea nuclear issue should also be attributed to Washingtons and Seouls continuous flip-flopping on their policies toward Pyongyang, which has damaged their policy credibility. The deficit in strategic collaboration and lack of synchronized efforts among key stakeholders, including China and the United States, have given Pyongyang more opportunities to drive wedges between these states. These wedges have enabled North Korea to evade pressure from the international community and reduced the efficacy of both carrots and sticks. The entrenched strategic suspicion among key players particularly between Beijing and Washington has rendered the supposed international united front against North Koreas nuclear program fragile and vulnerable. There is a need for improvement in Beijings policy, particularly on sending a stronger message of opposition to Pyongyangs nuclear weapons and related programs that violate U.N. resolutions. Beijings decision to turn the screws on North Korea this year is the right step forward to ensure Pyongyang pays a higher price for its irresponsible behavior. That said, it is Pyongyang and Washington that hold the key to the final solution of the North Korean nuclear crisis. Beijing will likely continue to pursue dual-track approaches in a more-forceful way, simultaneously seeking to roll back North Korean nuclearization and encouraging constructive dialogue between Pyongyang and Washington. But it has also been stepping up its preparation for the worst-case scenario. Encouraging reconciliation between Washington and Pyongyang, and between Seoul and Pyongyang, is crucial. The challenge is to integrate international pressure so that dialogue with Pyongyang is as clear and credible as possible. As a first step, Pyongyang and Washington both need to consider the two suspension proposal seriously Pyongyang suspending its nuclear and long-range missile tests in exchange for the suspension of joint military exercises or other shows of force targeting Pyongyang by Washington and its allies. Beijing needs to reconsider its quasi-alliance commitment toward Pyongyang, unless North Korea stops its nuclear weapons program and other provocative actions at the cost of Chinas vital security interests. Beijings message toward Washington should also be clear and stern: China will intervene, including by military means, if the United States and its allies attempt any pre-emptive military action against North Korea for regime change. Innovative ideas should be encouraged, including the proposal of a joint security assurance from Beijing, Moscow and Washington to Pyongyang in return for freezing its nuclear weapons program. Neither single-handed pressure nor fragmented incentives will work. Given the urgency of the crisis, all parties should step up their risk-reduction efforts before its too late. Chen Dongxiao is president of the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies. PPC Zimbabwe's MD vows recent investments will come good 21 September 2017 PPC Zimbabwe's Managing Director, Kelibone Masiyane, has spoken out on the long-term commitment to the local cement market and on its recent Harare and Colleen Bawn investments. PPC Zimbabwe has invested over US$120m in different projects in Zimbabwe since 2009 and is looking forward to do more, Mr Masiyane told NewsDay. "We have invested over US$120m [since 2009]. Recently, we just commissioned the Harare plant at a cost of US$82m. In Colleen Bawn we installed modern great cooler at a cost of over US$35m. Here in Bulawayo we have done quite a number of initiatives involving installing bulk handling systems, palletisers as well," he said. "You can imagine even on the decision to build our Harare plant, one had to consider which is better do we import cement or clinker from South Africa or we invest in Zimbabwe. So, because cement is a long-time business, we are not looking at current issues only, we look at the long term and we do believe that Zimbabwe will make a turn and that investment will start paying for itself," he said. Mr Masiyane added that "We are pushing some volumes in Harare. So from a footprint point of view we do believe that it [building the Harare grinding plant] was a right decision to do and Zimbabwe is just waiting to turn," he said. However, imports remain a drain on potential profits. "We are engaging the government to try and get assistance around that to see how we can in the meantime reduce imports. But over and above what we can do internally as businesses we also need support from the government in terms of creating that enabling environment," said Mr Masiyane. Published under 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. Apostle Paul never said 'women should remain silent': scholars claim controversial passage was added later The Apostle Paul never told women to be silent in church and the Bible passage that indicates he did was a later addition by scribes, scholars have said though others have rebutted their claims. It remains one of the most controversial clauses in the New Testament and has fuelled centuries of misogyny as well as supporting the belief women should not be ordained. But the infamous instruction in 1 Corinthians 14 that 'women should remain silent in the churches' was added later and was not written by the original author St Paul, according to analysis of ancient manuscripts by academics at the University of Cambridge. The presence of a tiny dash, known by scholars as 'distigme-obelos' which indicates a section of text added later and not present in the earliest versions, could unravel centuries of theological debate. Analysis of the Codex Vaticanus one of the earliest and most reliable copies of the New Testament, dating back to the fourth century has revealed such a marking next to the insistence that 'it is disgraceful for a women to speak in church'. Verses 34-35 of 1 Corinthians 14, which are being disputed, read: 'Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says. If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.' The scholars point to evidence the scribe responsible for Codex Vaticanus, known as 'Scribe B' had 'access to far more early manuscript text than is now extant' which is 'enough to trust' their judgment on the text's reliability. The article concludes: 'Scribe B was a careful textual critic who identifies 1 Cor[inthians] 14:34-5, the only Bible passage silencing women in the church, as added text. 'Vaticanus provides early and credible judgment in what is widely regarded as the most important NT manuscript that vv. 34-5 were not in the body text Paul's original letter, but are a later addition.' The discovery, which has been suggested by a number of other scholars previously, could explain Paul's self-contradiction where he apparently tells women to 'be silent' in chapter 14 after instructing them to prophesy in church in chapter 11. The scholars note: 'This is important theologically since it offers a resolution to the notorious difficulty of reconciling vv. 34-5 with Paul's many affirmations of women in vocal ministry and their equal standing with men in Christ.' However, their claims have not gone unchallenged. Dr Pieter Lalleman, tutor in Biblical Studies at Spurgeon's College, told Christian Today: 'The issue is that the contested words (1 Corinthians 14:34-35) look a bit different in the authoritative Codex Vaticanus. But this is really not very important. A medieval scribe strengthened the letters of this Codex Vaticanus (re-inking). This scribe did not re-ink letters and words that he thought were not original to Paul, but he did re-ink the now-disputed verses. They do also occur in older manuscripts than Codex Vaticanus. 'The fact that some manuscripts have the passage in a different location (at the end of chapter 14) can be explained by the fact that at one stage a copyist forgot the verses and added them at the end of the chapter. The fact is that no single surviving manuscript omits the two verses altogether.' By PTI: New Delhi, Sep 21 (PTI) Days after being elected to the state legislative council, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and his deputy Keshav Prasad Maurya today resigned as Lok Sabha members. A senior Lok Sabha secretariat official said the two BJP MPs submitted their resignation letters to the secretariat. While Adityanath represented the Gorakhpur Lok Sabha seat, Maurya represented the Phulpur (Allahabad) constituency. advertisement Adityanath and Maurya were sworn in as UP chief minister and deputy chief minister respectively in March after the BJP won the state polls with a massive majority. They were last week elected unopposed to the state legislative council. Once their resignations are notified, the Election Commission will announce by-polls to the two Lok Sabha seats. Recently, Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar had resigned as member of the Rajya Sabha from UP after he won the Panaji assembly by-poll. He had resigned from the union cabinet in March to take over as the chief minister of Goa. PTI NAB ASK ASK --- ENDS --- Deadly issue of witchcraft to be tackled at UN human rights gathering Experts on witchcraft are gathering under the banner of the United Nations (UN) in Geneva this week for discussions aimed at tackling the phenomenon, which is estimated to kill, maim and otherwise affect thousands of people every year. The gathering will enable UN experts, states, academics and members of civil society to develop a greater understanding of witchcraft, which is believed to be on the increase. 'In numerous countries around the world, harmful practices related to witchcraft result in serious human rights violations, such as various forms of torture and murder, discrimination and exclusion, including banishment from communities,' said the UN independent expert on the human rights of persons with albinism, Ikponwosa Ero, who is one of the main organisers of the gathering. 'These attacks and violations, which frequently target people in vulnerable situations including persons with albinism, are astonishing in their brutality,' she added. 'In addition, there are gaps in applicable legal frameworks and challenges with implementation and enforcement, and far too often perpetrators are not brought to justice. This impunity simply cannot be tolerated.' The workshop, which will hear from victims of witchcraft and activists working on the issue from various regions of the world, is being held in the margins of the current session of the Human Rights Council. 'This ground-breaking event means that, for the first time, witchcraft and human rights will be discussed in a holistic, systematic and in-depth manner, building on and consolidating critical work done on the issue to date by various experts including co-organizers of the event,' Ero said. 'Other goals of the event are to contribute to discourse on harmful practice and identify workable solutions.' The killing of albino people is particularly prevalent in Tanzania, where one in 1,400 are affected by albinism, according to a 2006 BMC Public Health report. This compares with one in 20,000 in Western countries. In 2015, the UN said that nearly 80 albino Tanzanians had been killed there since 2000. That year, more than 200 witchdoctors and traditional healers were arrested in Tanzania in a crackdown on the murder of albino people. The killings were driven by the belief, which is advanced by some witchdoctors, that the body parts have properties that confer wealth and good luck. According to the Red Cross, witchdoctors are prepared to pay $75,000 (50,000) for a complete set of albino body parts. New Indian anti-conversion law draws Christian protests So-called 'anti-conversion' laws in India are designed to restrict religious freedom, according to Indian theologian Fr Michael Kerketta, who teaches in the capital of the latest state to enact them. Kerketta is a professor in Ranchi, capital of Jharkand, which recently became the ninth state to introduce an anti-conversion law. He told the Fides news service: 'The measure affects non-Hindu religious communities like Christians, Muslims, Sikhs, and other local communities. It is our duty to denounce an injustice that violates the freedom of conscience and religion and is against the Constitution.' Protests agains the law will be held on Saturday, September 23. Kerketta noted that the state government was in the hands of the right-wing Baratya Janata Party (BJP). He said: 'Hindu extremist groups in the state of Jharkhand are strong and have ample space in society. In past days anti-Christian demonstrations in Ranchi and violent militants shook the city. Some Christians are in prison for false accusations of having promoted conversions.' Bishop Theodore Mascarenhas, Secretary General of the Indian Bishops' Conference previously wrote to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi warning of hostility toward religious minorities he said was promoted by the First Minister of Jharkhand, Raghubar Das, and his executive. The bishop said: 'If it is not immediately brought under control, it could lead the state and its population to a path of violence and hatred.' The letter says that 'the Catholic Church strongly opposes forced conversions. But at the same time it affirms its right to preach, practise and spread the faith.' It says Christians, though victims of violence, 'will not respond with violence' but will continue to work for the poor and marginalised with 'education, medical care and other social activities'. Primates meeting: 'As many as six' Anglican leaders won't attend Welby's pivotal summit The Archbishop of Canterbury has revealed as many as six Anglican primates may not attend a pivotal meeting next month. The gathering of leaders from the 39 Anglican provinces around the world will be boycotted by a handful of African archbishops because of what they see as the Church's liberal drift on sexuality. The Archbishop of Nigeria and Archbishop of Uganda have already announced they will not come but in a video posted online on Wednesday evening Justin Welby said 'possibly as many as six' will not be present 'either through health or because they have chosen not to be'. Christian Today understands that at least three of the six will not come in protest after the Scottish Episcopal Church joined Anglican Churches in the US in permitting gay marriage. The remaining absentees will not attend for other reasons. 'We will miss those who are not there,' Welby said, 'miss them very much.' But he insisted he was 'greatly looking forward' to the meeting in Canterbury in October and that 'it's an extraordinary feeling to have the leaders of all the provinces gathering together'. The final agenda is yet to be agreed but it is the first time the primates have met since January 2016 when The Episcopal Church in the US faced 'consequences' for allowing same-sex couples to marry in church. Welby described that meeting as 'one of the most memorable weeks of my life' and highlighted the commitment to 'walk together' despite their disagreements. Since then 16 new primates have taken office, meaning this gathering will have a radically different make-up from that in 2016. 'There will be a whole lot of fresh energy and fresh excitement and, no doubt, some tough questions ... I think that's going to be fabulous,' Welby said. You can watch the full video message below: 'The sexual revolution is remorseless': Christian Today's interview with the new head of the Coalition for Marriage Britain's leading conservative, pro-family organisation, the Coalition for Marriage, has just appointed a new campaign director who spent the past four years not in the UK during a time of considerable change, but in Nigeria, working on an infrastructure development programme provided to the federal Government there. 'It was often hard work but very rewarding and I feel blessed to have spent so much time in a country for which I came to form the deepest love and respect,' Thomas Pascoe tells Christian Today. While the 31-year-old was out there, however, this married former newspaper man he was previously an assistant comment editor at the Telegraph was keeping an increasingly concerned eye on the British media. 'In the end I came back because every time I opened a newspaper or a website from home and read about radical changes in respect of marriage and family life I hoped someone would do something about it,' he says. 'Eventually I realised that I needed to do so. Thanks to the support of my wife and family, as well as the patience of the team at the Coalition, I am now in place and thoroughly enjoying myself.' The Coalition for Marriage, or 'C4M', is the UK's largest pro-traditional marriage organisation with hundreds of thousands of supporters. It was established in 2012 to oppose what it calls 'government attempts to redefine marriage and promote the traditional definition of marriage as being between one man and one woman, to the exclusion of all others and for life'. In which case, it is tempting to ask, after the introduction of same-sex marriage, what there is left to fight over? In the press release announcing his appointment yesterday, Pascoe was quoted as saying that 'traditional marriage and its supporters remain under attack by an army of politicians and activists'. Now Pascoe, who read Politics, Philosophy and Economics at Oxford, repeats the word 'attack': 'The slippery slope argument made when same-sex marriage was legalised has been totally vindicated. Far from same-sex marriage being a limited albeit radical reform, it is clear to me that it has ushered in an era in which the very concepts not only of marriage but gender too are under attack. 'Only two years after the first same-sex marriage we have the London Underground claiming that "ladies and gentlemen" is an offensive term, lawyers pushing hard to dismantle the remainder of our divorce laws and a hyper aggressive attempt to indoctrinate children with homosexual and transgender propaganda in the classroom well before their minds have developed sufficiently to critically assess it and often without the knowledge of their parents.' The same release declared that C4M was 'preparing for our biggest campaigning year since the Same-Sex Marriage Act became law'. So what will this entail? 'This is not just an important year, it is critical,' Pascoe says. 'We will be fighting on four fronts: the propaganda being pushed to our children in the classroom, the Government's proposals to make gender a matter of personal choice, the BBC's determination to use its position to push an entirely one-sided view of gender, and protecting our supporters and their freedom of speech and from harassment.' C4M's publicity also said it is sending out a new 'brochure' to coincide with Pascoe's appointment. Pascoe explains: 'One thing I was keen to do on joining was to throw some light on the activities of the Coalition. The work which it does behind the scenes runs very deep, but only a small portion of that reaches our supporters. The brochure is one way of answering the perennial question: "What can I do to help?" I will also be starting a regular blog which will hopefully provide a more regular insight into our work for those who are interested.' This frenetic work is all very well, but is there not a straw man problem here? After all, arguably same-sex marriage merely extends marriage; it doesn't represent an attack on the ability for traditional, heterosexual couples to marry as they always have. 'I disagree,' says Pascoe. 'Traditional marriage which is between a man and a woman, to the exclusion of all others, and for life has always enjoyed a position quite unlike any other social institution. This is right and proper as it reflects the centrality of traditional marriage to raising children as well as family, local and national life. 'The greater the expansion of the definition of marriage, the more that the special status of marriage is diluted. If marriage no longer has anything to do with producing and raising children a biological impossibility for a same-sex couple without a third party from outside the marriage, then it is something else, something weaker and less important. Marriage should be the gold standard for society, but our current public morality which places the individual's wish fulfilment above all else means that it is in danger of becoming simply a contract, a change which would harm the vulnerable the most, particularly children.' Pascoe talks like a traditionalist Christian. Yet one of the curiosities about C4M, as he points out, is that it is 'not affiliated to any particular religion or church'. It seems perhaps a little bizarre to be so opposed to same-sex marriage from a non-Christian point of view. Yet Pascoe says: 'Christians are not the only people concerned about the status of traditional marriage and our supporter base is very broad across faith groups as well as secular society. 'From a personal perspective, I would say that if we have learnt anything about the sexual revolution it's that it is remorseless. It does not stop. There is no concession which will lead to anything other than a demand for a further concession. Religious people taking the view that it is best to give up on the legal definition of marriage will not find that they are left alone. Rather, having banked that concession, the campaigners will soon turn their focus to the churches and other places of worship.' Concluding on a characteristically pessimistic note, Pascoe cites colourful examples of what does, admittedly, appear to be a growing tyranny of social liberalism at Westminster. 'Earlier this year Justine Greening, the Education Secretary and Equalities Minister, ordered the Church of England to "reflect" on its attitude towards same-sex marriage. The Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow has said that homosexual couples should "******* well" be able to get married in churches. 'In other words religious people who support traditional marriage but who ignore what the state says and does in the expectation that they will be left alone, do so at their peril.' This story of two modern slaves is why we should care about slavery This coming Sunday, September 24, thousands of churches around the world will dedicate their service to fighting modern day slavery as part of International Justice Mission's annual 'Freedom Sunday'. 2,600 churches from 16 countries will share stories about the reality of slavery and call on their congregants to partner with IJM until all are free. The call to act on slavery will go out in 10 different languages as Christians worldwide unite to fight for over 40 million men, women and children who are in slavery today. More people are in slavery today than at any other point in human history, and an estimated one in four modern day slaves are children. Slavery takes many forms from forced labour in brick kilns and rock quarries to new crimes like cybersex trafficking. The global response to modern slavery is starting to gain momentum and that momentum is needed more than ever. Should the sheer size of the global slavery figure numb your senses, let me tell from you about two of those slaves, Dialu and Nilambar. The two men were among a group of 14 men and women from the impoverished Indian state of Odisha who were trafficked by recruiters attempting to enslave them in a brick kiln. Dialu and Nilambar escaped by jumping from the truck but were quickly recaptured. For nearly a week, their traffickers held them captive, starving, taunting, and torturing them as punishment for the escape attempt. Then, late one night, the traffickers threatened to kill the men and gave them a choice: lose your head, your right leg or your right hand. Dialu and Nilambar each had a hand amputated at the wrist. Dialu and Nilambar's horrific abuse was captured in the Indian press and created a public uproar that contributed to decisive government action. The Indian Supreme Court instructed the Odisha and Telangana High Courts to ensure proper procedures for rescuing victims and preventing further brutalities like this. Anti-slavery NGO International Justice Mission provided legal representation to the victims and represented them in court, as well as supporting them as they came to terms with their trauma. On December 24, 2016 the court convicted all eight of the suspects in custody for charges including kidnapping, trafficking, bonded labour slavery and attempted murder and sentenced them to life imprisonment. Dialu and Nilambar's story is unusual not in its brutality slavery everywhere is characterised by violence that terrifies millions of victims into submission but in its outcome. Prosecution for bonded and forced labour slavery is exceptionally rare. The US State Department's latest slavery data puts the number of convictions for labour slavery globally at a disgracefully paltry 717 this for a crime that claims tens of millions of victims every year and generates $150 billion in profits annually! The ILO and Walk Free have done a great service to the world by engaging in collaborative scholarship to secure the strongest, most accurate estimate of global slavery to date. But, ultimately, the bigger global challenge is not to count slaves but to free them. And that brings us to The Global Fund to End Modern Slavery. The Global Fund to End Modern Slavery is designed to significantly expand victim rescue, rehabilitation, and perpetrator accountability in the world's most slavery-burdened countries. The US and UK have taken a lead in making the first contributions to GFEMS but for the fund to achieve its goal other donor countries will need to join the fight. In our own anti-slavery work in the field, International Justice Mission has found that traffickers, brothel owners, pimps, and slave owners aren't especially courageous. When local police are equipped to do their jobs rescue victims, gather evidence, and apprehend suspects and when local courts prosecute and punish them, the crime can dry up quickly. IJM found that the prevalence of children available for sexual exploitation in the Philippines and Cambodia, for example, plummeted over just a few years when we worked with local government and law enforcement to ensure that police were equipped, trained, mentored and motivated to enforce the law. IJM and its local government partners have shown that slaves can be rescued, perpetrators can be punished and slavery prevalence can be dramatically reduced. Slavery today is more vast than ever, but also more stoppable than ever. This week marks a significant step forward in the fight to end modern slavery for good. It's now up to all of us to play our part. David Westlake is chief executive officer of International Justice Mission. To join the fight to end slavery visit www.ijmuk.org/give To take part in Freedom Sunday visit www.ijmuk.org/freedomsunday CBSA Announces Canadian Immigration Fraud Arrests in BC Eman Katem Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif Sans Font Size A A Four more individuals have been found guilty of immigration misrepresentation and tax evasion in connection to the New Can Consultants and Wellong International Investments immigration fraud case. Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) Criminal Investigations sections announced these additional sentences on September 15. To date, eight people associated with this case have been found guilty in the largest immigration fraud case to take place in British Columbia (BC). The CBSA disclosed that individuals working on behalf of New Can Consultants provided false addresses and phone numbers to clients so they could maintain the appearance of residency in Canada while living outside the country. The crackdown by CBSA has resulted in nearly half of the companys 1,600 clients to lose their permanent residency or citizenship status, or face inadmissibility hearings in Canada. Arrests related to New Can Consultants fraud case October 2012: The companys owner, Xun Sunny Wang and three employees received jail time after pleading guilty to passport offences, misrepresentation, forgery and tax evasion. Wang was sentenced to seven years in prison and fined $900,000. July 2017: Company client, Che Fang, was issued an exclusion order after pretending to be an employee of the company by receiving paycheques and T4s he issued himself. An exclusion order removes a person from Canada and that person is not able to return for one year unless an Authorization to Return to Canada (ARC) is obtained. For exclusion orders resulting from misrepresentation the removal is for two years. Fang was also fined $50,000 for misrepresentation under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA). August 2017: Tian Gary Chen and Xiao Ben Ben Chu received conditional sentences as a result of being unlicensed immigration consultants. Chen is also expected to complete 40 hours of community service due to misrepresentation under the IRPA. September 2017: Company employee, Zhen Wen Vicky Ye was sentenced to pay $94,532 and received a conditional sentence of two years less a day. Yes charges were related to passport fraud and five years of misrepresentation when she provided unlicensed immigration services to 265 clients. Ye was charged under the IRPA and the Income Tax Act. These investigations and successful sentences demonstrate the Canada Border Services Agencys commitment to prosecuting individuals who abuse our immigration system. We continue to investigate any case of alleged offences under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and are dedicated to upholding the integrity of our immigration system, said Harald M. Wuigk, Assistant Director of Criminal Investigations Section at CBSA. Immigration fraud cases can have serious repercussions on defrauders and their victims alike. Therefore, it is important to remain informed of the various ways immigration fraud may be committed. Unauthorized immigration representatives It is critical to verify an immigration representative thoroughly before consulting their services. When it comes to Canadian immigration, an individual can be represented by either a licensed Canadian lawyer who must be a licensed member of the proper Bar Association or Law Society, or a consultant who is a member of the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council (ICCRC). Illegitimate job offers Securing a job offer from an employer in Canada can be beneficial when planning to immigrate to Canada. Many Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) streams require a job offer. A job offer is also advantageous to candidates in the federal Express Entry pool, who, depending on the job offer, may receive 50 or 200 points based on the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). Therefore, a qualifying job offer may improve a candidates potential of receiving an Invitation to Apply (ITA) and obtaining permanent resident status. Potential immigrants who are eager to receive a job offer from a Canadian employer may fall prey to fraudulent job offers. There may be serious consequences for individuals who claim to have obtained a job offer which in reality may be fraudulent. In addition to potential financial and emotional costs, individuals who misrepresent themselves or their situation for immigration purposes even if advised do so by a representative may be banned from submitting another immigration application for five years. Ways to verify validity of a job offer Do some research on the company and the person who contacted you. If a company does not have a website, it may be fake. If the companys website has contact information, search this separately online. Look at the email address of the person who contacted you. Reputable recruiters and employers will likely have corporate email addresses. Did the recruiter or employer ask for payment upfront? If someone is asking for a deposit, training fee, or money to cover costs such as work permit or visa fees, it may be a scam. Canadian companies very rarely hire without an interview, either in person or by phone. If you have only communicated by email with a potential employer who does not want to meet face-to-face or speak over the phone, it is likely a fraudulent offer. To learn more about authorized legal services for immigration to Canada, please visit this page. If you suspect immigration fraud has taken place or may be taking place, please consult this page from the government of Canada. To find out if you are eligible to immigrate to Canada permanently, fill out a free online assessment form. 2017 CICNews All Rights Reserved Brian Jackson, CIO of Texas Tech Credit Union, wants to boost the amount of data being used by employees to make decisions. As such, Jackson continues to fine-tune the organizations business intelligence (BI) strategy, which launched in 2014 with its initial implementation of BI tools. Over the interceding eight years, Jackson has worked with his peer executives to mature the program. Theyve upgraded to a new BI platform from software maker Domo, trained more workers on the tool, and developed a plan for advancing the use of data and intelligence even further. Such moves, he says, have helped the credit union leverage data more often and more effectively throughout the organization, noting that a game-changer for us has been getting workers to query the data by phrasing requests as actual business-oriented questions. Jackson is hardly alone in his attention to data, as organizations of all kinds prioritize data projects. Yet even as companies look to advanced data-fueled technologies such as automation and artificial intelligence, organizations still find significant value in well-run BI programs. A recent survey of more than 700 business leaders conducted by analytics tech company Unsupervised found that 71% of businesses have implemented a BI strategy, with the desire to forecast business, improve customer experience, gain a competitive advantage, speed up data analysis, and make more data-driven decisions being the top reasons for a BI program. And their BI investments are paying off, according to the survey data. It showed that 94% saw their companys revenue increase post-implementation. Survey respondents listed increased revenue, increased sales volume, improved customer service, increased productivity, and more new customers as the top five benefits they derived from their BI use. Better supply chain management, increased employee satisfaction, and increased customer retention were the next three benefits cited. Yet business leaders also acknowledged challenges to their BI programs. According to the survey, top 10 roadblocks to BI success include software-related issues, lack of adequate budget, lack of training and expertise, lack of strategy, unclear strategy goals, and lack of companywide adoption. Those findings show, and Jacksons comments illustrate, that a successful BI program is about more than just technology. Here are 12 essential elements that can help overcome those challenges to create a successful BI strategy. 1. Consider your existing infrastructure when selecting a BI tool Ashley Fitzgerald, senior director for data science and analytics at Appnovation, a digital consultancy, once worked with a client who had purchased a multimillion-dollar BI package that couldnt connect to the company databases, even via APIs. Rather, the company had to build integration tools to enable the flow of data. Essentially, Fitzgerald says, We had to build a tool on top of the tool they bought. That extra technology added unnecessary cost and complexity to the product, which could have been avoided by being more attentive to the existing infrastructure, the BI software available, the limitations of each and how those would impact deployment, she adds. Jackson agrees, saying that the credit union once had a BI application that was difficult to scale and required hard-to-find specialized tech skills. So when the organization sought out a new solution, finding the best solution we could leverage with the existing infrastructure we had in place was top of mind for us. IT infrastructure requirements should not be the only requirement influencing BI tool selection, says Sri Manchala, CEO of Trianz, an IT service management company. The CIO and the IT procurement staff should solicit the workers who will be using the software to understand what kind of questions theyre seeking to answer and how they want to receive answers to those questions. Spend enough time with the business to understand what their priorities are, what kind of insights and visualization theyre looking for, he says. Let the business describe what they want, and then [IT] can figure out how to deliver that. Such information will help identify what data stores the business will require for their BI needs, what kinds of interface might be most useful to the users, and what features and functions would best meet business needs. Its less about the technology and more about the business, the data they have, and how they interact with it. Its about creating a data-centric culture, to be able to provide those insights back to the end users to tell that organizations story, says Steve Tycast, senior director of data and analytics at AIM Consulting. 3. Bring due diligence to the procurement process To some degree, BI tools have become commodity products, says Chris Herman, a senior analyst and contracting specialist with Swingtide, a management and IT consulting firm. That may take some of the pressure off the selection and procurement process, he says, because when everything in the market does reasonably well, youre not risking a complete disaster. But when CIOs and procurement teams take shortcuts in the contracting process because of that, they can be left with a product that wont meet business expectations. They implement a garden-variety agreement based on the demo and, as a result, risk not getting an optimal experience, Herman explains. Instead, he reminds companies to be as diligent when contracting for their BI systems as they are for core applications, with competitive requests for proposals, detailed service-level agreements, and clear deliverables. 4. Cultivate a culture that trusts the data Organizations that want data to truly inform decisions need to cultivate a culture that embraces that vision and build an infrastructure that supports it, says Sanjay Srivastava, chief digital officer with business transformation services firm Genpact. Enterprise leaders must make available the right data that single version of the truth. Then they must demonstrate to business users that they can trust the data and, thus, the answers produced by their business intelligence tools. Having that truth and trust in data is super critical, Srivastava say. And they need to demonstrate the value that data brings, by modeling how to use BI for everyday business needs. Theres a little bit of top-down, he notes. But there is the bottom-up piece of it, too. If someone says, It just doesnt look right, you cant say, Trust me. You have to expose it, show them the history, where the data came from. That lineage is what gets you to that trust. 5. Dont shortchange change management and training Similarly, enterprise leaders who want to optimize the value of their BI initiatives need to incorporate change management into their strategies and include adequate user training, Fitzgerald says. That, though, isnt always happening. People often think you turn on a light switch and you have a program, she says. Even if you built the perfect platform with clean data, only [a small percentage] of companies think about training, adoption, and optimization. Fitzgerald says she typically plans for three to six months of change management and training to ensure a BI tool is being fully utilized, noting that we need to tell people what they need to look at to drive their decision-making. Go through their day-to-day activities and say, Heres where you can use the tool. Study which widgets are being used, which arent, and where do people still go to Excel. She worked with a medical device company that had less than 10% of its salespeople use a newly deployed BI platform but found that those workers using BI sold more. Company executives then showcased the success of those early adopters and had those early adopters run sessions to teach their colleagues how they, too, could use BI to boost job performance. We focused in on what would motivate them selling more and used that to train, Fitzgerald says, adding that the combination quickly drove up the adoption rate. 6. Democratize data, empower the user We all know this: Analytics is only valuable if its answering the questions you need to answer, Srivastava says. You need the intersection of business requirements and business needs, and the questions you need answered and the questions you didnt even think to ask. To get there, Srivastava says CIOs must put the ability to explore and interrogate the data into the hands of the business user. That means delivering, for example, functions that enable users to visualize data in ways that facilitate recommendations or lead them to new queries. Srivastava says this is about the democratization of data, which happens when CIOs build tools that can be used by not data scientists but by business users. 7. Put governance in your BI strategy BI tools should bring data to more workers throughout the enterprise, an accessibility that can create more real-time visibility into the business but could also create privacy and security risks if not adequately managed with controls. The CIO has to bring this tool kit, Srivastava says. Governance should address data privacy and security as well as regulatory compliance. But it shouldnt end there, according to Herman, the Swingtide analyst. He says governance should also include procedures to check how well BI tools are working over their lifespan so that CIOs can identify needed adjustments, improvements, and upgrades. 8. Iterate and advance Like so much else in IT and business in general, an effective BI strategy involves iterative improvements as well as bigger leaps into more advanced uses of data, such as predictive and prescriptive analytics. An effective BI strategy should reflect that. Data is a journey and not a destination, so IT should continue to play a strategic supporting role to understand the new and evolving tools and technologies to support the ability for business users to access and utilize the data, Tycast says. Kateryna Dubrova, a research analyst with ABI Research, agrees, stressing that the BI program should be able to change along with transformation priorities. The best approach for BI is that iterative one, which also leads to expansion as business units choose where or whether BI meets their needs, she says. The strategy should be considered as a dynamic and unstoppable process that can take in any future decisions in business or environment. By P S Gopikrishnan Unnithan: In yet another case of suspected ISIS recruit, the family of a youngster has received information that their son is performing 'Hijrah'. According to Islamic belief, Hijrah is the migration done by prophet Muhammed and his followers from Mecca to Medina. Najeeb, a 24-year-old engineering post graduate went missing from his home in Malappuram since September 16. With hardly any information about their son, the family which approached the local police, received information that he has left for Iran and there has been no information since then. Later his family received a call from an international number asking them to install messaging application 'Telegram'. advertisement On August 26, they received a message claiming himself to be Najeeb. His infuriated mother requested him to return, but Najeeb stood firm on his ground. The mother tried to convince her son that they are in trouble and will commit suicide if he doesn't return. However, she gets reply from Najeeb that he is performing Hijrah and there is no need to search for him or inform the police. "I've reached my destination, we all will die soon. Why waste 'Akhira' (life after death according to Islamic belief) and live with Kiffar (Kafir) and Munafiqun's. U too make Hijrah, I've reached my destination, here people are like Shahabha. No other land is worth this". The message from Najeeb ends with a warning saying, not to contact police as it will cause more trouble for them. The mother, however asks, why he is not concerned about the family. She also reaffirms that they want to live in India. "We want to live here, we are Indian's we love India", her message reads. Since this conversation, there has been no communication from the other end. The last few messages have remained unread by the receiver. According to the available information, Najeeb has gone to Iran and since then there has been no clear idea about his whereabouts. However, it is likely that he must have joined some terror outfits in Syria or Afghanistan. WATCH: Tral terror attack: 2 civilians killed, several jawans injured --- ENDS --- Law and Disorder: the Chaotic Birth of the NYPD, by Bruce Chadwick (St. Martins Press, 368 pp., $28.99) Bruce Chadwick begins his fascinating, data-packed history of law and disorder in mid-nineteenth century New York City with a gripping account of the anti-abolitionist riot of 1834. A mix-up over the use of a chapel on Chatham Street for a gathering of black leaders and abolitionists led to an all-out attack by several hundred anti-abolitionists. Slavery was legal in New York State until 1827, and thousands of city residents had been sorry to see it go. The abolitionists, however, gave no ground. For four days, rioters swept back and forth across the city, which at that time stretched from the Battery to 14th Street. Seven churches and a school for black children were burned. The Bowery Theater was heavily damaged. Businesses and houses went up in flames, and the homes of prominent abolitionist leaders were sacked and looted. In the midst of the furious mob, vainly attempting to bring the rampage under control, was the citys feeble company of constables. Untrained, unarmed, and unpaid, these political appointees in plainclothes worked for rewards and bonuses, and for the bribes they received from the citys underworld; some constables even served as procurers in the citys flesh trade. These amateur officers were good at making money and many lived in style, but they were not good at enforcing the law. Mayor Cornelius Lawrence summoned the state militia, which arrived on horseback. The militiamen warned the mob to disperse, then opened fire: several people were killed and dozens wounded, ending the riot. For the City of New York, however, an unprecedented wave of crime and chaos had just begun. In 1835, a close mayoral election sent political gangs storming down Broadway. In 1837, a mob protesting reports of profiteering threw 500 barrels of flour into the street. Almost any rabble-rousing tale of injustice could bring hordes of irate rogues and rascals streaming through Manhattan. Rumors that an English actor had insulted America filled the streets with incensed New Yorkers, for whom rioting had become a patriotic duty. In the 1820s, New Yorks newspapers turned up their noses at graphic stories of crime, sin, and degradation. All that changed with the arrival of Scottish immigrant James Gordon Bennett and his penny newspaper, the New York Herald. Bennett seized on the gruesome ax murder of a prostitute to introduce a new form of crusading journalism. Instead of brief news items, Bennett published lengthy interviews with hookers and madams, scandalizing respectable New Yorkersand tripling the Heralds circulation. Following Bennetts lead, Horace Greeleys New York Tribune and nine other dailies joined the battle for newsstand dominance. Not unlike their modern tabloid descendants, they all claimed to be shocked by the lurid crime stories of rape and robbery that were making them rich, and they all called for a larger, better-trained police force. But the need for cops outpaced the supply. About 70 percent of immigrants to America landed in New York. Some 30,000 a year were arriving from Ireland alone, causing a dramatic shift in religious and cultural demographics that soon raised Catholic-Protestant tensions to a boiling point. Churches were burned, and the home of Bishop John Hughes was partly destroyed by an anti-Catholic mob. Ethnic and religious firebrands egged the rioters on. The new immigrants crowded into squalid and dangerous wards like Five Points, a notorious intersection of five streets where Columbus Park stands in Chinatown today. So infamous was this warren of alleys and passageways that, in 1842, a darkly curious Charles Dickens insisted on seeing the wicked slum for himself. More police, better training, better weapons (such as Samuel Colts new revolver), and putting the cops into uniform had little effect on the crime rate. Rioters continued to rule the streets and murders went unsolved. Hotheads and agitators still found it easy to manipulate volatile crowds, and the state militia still replied in kind. When a longstanding feud between two actors brought 10,000 demonstrators to the area around the old Astor Opera House at Lafayette and East 8th Streets, the police lost control. The militia was called. Warning shots were fired. Rocks and bottles flew. A volley was then aimed directly into the crowd. At least 25 people were killed, and a hundred injured. When the anti-draft riots swept the city 14 years later, President Lincoln had to order federal troops to quell the violence. Nothing changed because real change was an almost impossible task. Neither rioters nor reformers nor editors nor politicians nor preachers nor the new and improved police department could defuse the combustible qualities of life in New York. The island city, with only one-quarter the population it has today, was home to 600 brothels, geared to every imaginable inclination, 4,500 bars, and at least 500 casinos and gaming dens. The numbers racket was an important part of daily life. Street gangs defended their turf with knives and clubs. Even honest patrolmen could not enforce the law and end disorder. In 1857, the state legislature, in an effort to bypass City Hall, created a seven-man commission to run a new Metropolitan Police District, which included Brooklyn, Staten Island, and Westchester. Mayor Fernando Wood and his Tammany Hall allies were enraged. They ordered the municipal police to ignore the new commissioners, who responded by hiring 800 new officers. Suddenly, New York had two police departments. Suspects arrested by one force were freed by the other, writes Chadwick. One force would refuse to conduct sweeps ordered by the mayor, but the other force would undertake them. Captains battled over who had control of precinct houses and patrols on the streets. Criminals did not know whom to fear, whom to obey or whom to bribe. Chaos reigned. Eventually, the 7th Regiment of the state militia surrounded City Hall. Fernando Wood was arrested, taken before a judge friendly to Tammany Hall, and released. When state courts approved the Metropolitan Police District on July 3, the old cops were fired. The next day, the Dead Rabbits, the citys most powerful Irish street gang, took advantage of the national holiday and the inexperience of the new Metropolitan cops to launch an attack on the Bowery Boys, their nativist rivals. Two days of deadly brawls ensued. Out came the militia again, and the rioters slipped away. The city settled back to a familiar routine. The new Metropolitan police did not do much more than the old Municipal force, Chadwick notes. Crime, in fact, was worse than ever. Law and Disorder, with its painstaking research and comprehensive bibliography, will be a prime source for students of New York City history for generations to come. It is an indispensable book for anyone seeking to understand the hard realities of life in nineteenth-century New York. Chadwick concludes that the eventual decline of the crime rate in the late 1870s was the result of a strong police department and tougher police work. But crime is not purely a function of the presence of law enforcement officers. In his 1970 book, The New York Police, James F. Richardson cites an English visitor to Manhattan in 1817 who was startled to see merchants leaving large stocks of goods in the street without taking any precautions against theft. Only in a safe city could such liberties be possible. Richardson also mentions a New Yorker who wrote to his daughter in 1819 about a recent murder. For the honor of our city, I believe this to be the first fatal assault that has ever occurred in it (it wasnt). In the early 1820s another visitor from Britain wrote that public order and safety in New York compares favorably with any English city. However, as crime increased sharply in the in the late 1820s, New Yorks Committee of Public Safety observed that the city was so long exempt from the horrors of midnight robbery that it is feared the citizens have relaxed in those precautions necessary for the preservation of their property, and without which, any efforts made by this Board must be ineffectual. In other words, people who had lived in safety for years had forgotten how to defend themselves against crime and disorder. In 1963, when someone broke into my car on Waverly Place, it was not only the first time Id been a crime victim; it was also the first time that Id ever witnessed a crime scene, and I grew up in a housing project. Post-World War II America was, overwhelmingly, a safe society. But it all went away in an eyeblink. In 1966, an NYPD detective told me that he had no interest in the fingerprints of the burglar who had broken into my apartment. The precinct was overwhelmed with crime reports. Buy stronger locks, he advised. Over the next 33 years, though New York City had three of the 25 largest police departments (NYPD, Transit, and Housing) in the country, more than 50,000 people would be murdered in Gotham. Then, in the mid-1990s, as the NYPD adopted innovative new methods under Mayor Rudolph Giulianis first police chief, William J. Bratton, crime began subsidingand it has kept doing so, incredibly, ever since. Though Broken Windows policing has its critics, New Yorks crime drop is one of the great sustained successes of any American city. With crime so low, its not surprising that longtime New Yorkers attest to much stronger civility on the streets than existed in the city 30 years ago. Theres an old saying in criminal-justice circles: crime cannot be reduced below a level that the community is willing to accept. Crime goes down, in other words, because people get tired of it and decide to do something about it (like electing different public officials). Its at that pointwhether were talking about 1817 or 2017that police departments make a difference. Photo by Three Lions/Getty Images Gregory Vincent talks about procurement of currencies when delivering aid and how to avoid the risks while doing so. As an NGO with international commitments, procurement of foreign, often quite exotic, currencies is an unavoidable byproduct of your decision to deliver aid in another country. It can often be quite daunting transacting in foreign exchange markets, particular when the funds are destined for some of the more challenging locations, like South Sudan, Sierra Leone or even Vanuatu. Knowing which provider to use can be difficult as there are many players in the market these days, all promising to save you money. Here are a few tips to consider when deciding how to meet your foreign exchange needs. When considering adding a provider, ask them about their correspondent bank network and which banks they use to deliver specific currencies. This is particularly important in relation to point three below, but it will also give you a good idea of how much control they will have over the payment process: if they are simply feeding your transaction into one of the global banks, chances are that they wont have much control over the settlement process once the funds leave their hands. Does the proposed provider know anything about the market they are sending funds to? Ideally they should be able to talk to you about the local market settlement mechanism, the Central Banks behaviour, the local banks, any settlement peculiarities etc. Make sure you get an all-inclusive rate upfront and that the delivery amount is guaranteed. If the provider cant guarantee that no further fees will be deducted, how do you know if youve really got a good rate? This also suggests that they dont really control the settlement process. Always try to obtain a comparison rate. Any provider that locks you into an exclusive arrangement is acting in their best interests, not yours. If a provider is offering a competitive service, they should not be worried about you comparing this with someone elses. No single provider is always the best price for every currency, every time. De-mystify the process. Procuring currencies is fundamentally the same as procuring mosquito nets, or Toyota trucks or mealie meal. Dont be frightened to haggle a bit and let your provider know you are checking around for rates. Dont let someone try to bamboozle you with jargon and if they tell you that you cant send local currency to a specific country and want you to send USD instead, check that info: maybe its just that they cant send local currency there, but someone else can. Maybe check with your peers what they do for that currency. Check on the financial viability of a provider before agreeing to use them. If they want you to take financial risk on them, then you should know what risk you are really taking. If they have a very small balance sheet, are you sure that they have enough capital to reimburse you should there be a problem? The financial circumstances of any UK company can be verified at Companies House, via the following link . Lastly and most importantly, always remember that your funds are your asset and you should always remain in as much control of them as possible. You should make providers compete for your business and demand transparency from them remember that they are not doing you a favour, but you are doing them one, by bestowing your business on them. Gregory Vincent is head of FX payments (EMEA) at INTL FCStone. He can be contacted at [email protected] or on +44(0)203 580 6123. Civil Society Media would like to thank INTL FCStone for their support with this article. JENNA WORTHAM RECENTLY RETURNED to Charlottesville, Virginia, for the first time in more than a decade. Now a staff writer at The New York Times Magazine, Wortham lived in Charlottesville for years until her graduation from the University of Virginia in 2004. The campus is absolutely beautiful, Wortham told her colleague Wesley Morris on an episode of their Still Processing podcast. And it does feed into this idea that if you come there and you fit in and you do the things that make you part of the culturethen somehow that makes you more American. But its really subversive, and its really dangerous. Weeks before her return, hundreds of white supremacists had gathered at the historical center of the UVA campusan academical village built with slave labor, structured around a lawn where Wortham spent her final night as a UVA student. Their torch-lit campus march marked the start of a violent 24-hour period that included a planned racist rally and culminated in violent attacks on residents and protesters in Charlottesville. back in Charlottesville for the first time since I graduated. ITS SO EERIE. Jenna Wortham (@jennydeluxe) September 18, 2017 Wortham, who comes from a mixed-race family and grew up in Virginia, recalled her first response to photographs of the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville. I just had this gut-crushing feeling of, Of course, said Wortham. News coverage of Charlottesville during and after August 12, Wortham felt, carried a sense of not here, anywhere but here. Sign up for weekly emails from the United States Project Actually, Wortham said, its everywhere, including here. On September 18, CJR convened a panel of journalists in Charlottesville for Race, Racism, and the News, a conversation with local residents and reporters that looked at journalisms abilities to portray and counteract racism in America. More than 200 people joined CJR at The Havena day shelter and sanctuary space located between Charlottesvilles shrouded Robert E. Lee statue and the site where local resident Heather Heyer was killed by a white supremacist who intentionally drove his car into a crowd. The panel included Wortham; Slate chief political correspondent Jamelle Bouie; UnMonumental producer and creator Kelley Libby; Nation Institute fellow Collier Meyerson; UVA Center for Media and Citizenship director Siva Vaidhyanathan; and local freelance reporter Jordy Yager, recipient of AANs 2017 race reporting award. Kyle Pope, CJRs editor and publisher, served as the evenings host, and I moderated the discussion. (I run CJRs United States Project, a local-news reporting effort.) Bouieanother UVA graduate and a Charlottesville residentspoke to the same general sense of disbelief that Wortham raised. I find whenever I talk about Charlottesville with people whove never been herethey say, Oh, its a really beautiful place, said Bouie. And I think theres a real sense in which the real beauty of Charlottesville obscures these conflicts and these disruptions and these problems. It lets people sort of immerse themselves in an illusion that I would hope August 12 puncturedbut Im not entirely convinced of that. Fascinating how there are several POC on the panel but the consensus is a sense of shock that this could happen in a liberal enclave Tressie Mc (@tressiemcphd) September 18, 2017 During a conversation that spanned nearly two hours, panelists criticized reporting that concerned itself with diction at the expense of covering tangible, visible instances of racism. Terms like white supremacy are avoided, said Bouie, rather than used to depict a material reality. Its just a challenge of beginning to recognize that these [terms] arent pejorative, said Bouie. (As Richard Prince put it in his Journal-isms column at The Root, where he covered the panel, Its just stating a fact.) I think that its seen that calling white supremacy white supremacy is seen as a sort of progressive thing to domaybe even radical, said Meyerson. I think its the responsibility of journalists everywhere who have integrity to push back on that and say No, thats not true, and white supremacy is white supremacy is white supremacy. Vaidhyanathan said the news medias fixation on that question of manners and dictionspeaks terribly about where we are. Instead of using what happened in this town on August 12 to deepen and broaden our conversation about how we treat each other, we have regressed into this question of how we talk about each other, he said. The problem of racism isnt really about hate, said Bouie. Its about resources, its about power, its about access, its about opportunity. I could care less, frankly, if someone is nice to me, but I do care if antipathy allows them to crush the opportunities [for] people who look like me. Yager left a job in Washington, DC, years ago in order to report on issues of poverty and the disenfranchised, several of which disproportionately impact people of color in Charlottesville. He encouraged reporters to place those questions about resources, power, and access at the heart of the stories they pursue. When a beer hall goes up, is that racist? asked Yager. Its pushing out black people from black neighborhoods, and its owned by white people. I dont think the white people think of themselves as racists. But its a conversation that needs to be had. Racism is incredibly personal, said Yager, who is white. We as journalists, myself especially, need to focus on what form that takes. .@jordyyager just made me psyched that I'm a reporter and now I'm amped to to do a better job at it. Mallory Noe-Payne (@MalloryNoePayne) September 18, 2017 Panelists responded to numerous questions from attendees, including one from John Edwin Mason, vice chair of Charlottesvilles Blue Ribbon Commission on Race, Memorials and Public Spaces, which recommended that the city either relocate or transform-in-place its Confederate monuments. During our hearings, I started using the phrase white supremacy to talk about the long history of Charlottesville, and the long history of Virginia. Talking about the way that white supremacy, from slavery to Jim Crow to now, has shaped this city. However, he noted, Charlottesvilles daily paper could not bring themselves to repeat the phrase except in scare quotes. How do you go from [an] understanding that white supremacy has many aspectsto bringing people to be able to hear it, to accept it, to then perhaps act upon it? Mason asked. How do you bring people from that pushback to some level of acceptanceas writers, as journalists? In his response, Yager credited Libbys UnMonumental project as an instance where journalism moved beyond [its] traditional means, going into communities, actually touching on real stories that bring [those communities] to light. Thats probably why were here, at this place in time, at this moment in history, because those stories have not been told. Yager added, I think that white people especially should be starting to empower and facilitate the telling of those stories. Journalism makes up a significant part of Americas historical record. If the problem of racism is about power and opportunity, then journalisms practitionersstill too white, still too maleneed to interrogate their own privileged positions, and reckon with how their privilege shapes how they document history. Coverage of Charlottesville frequently treated the neo-Nazis and white supremacists and the Klansmen as something fundamentally foreign, alien or distinct from the overall narrativenot just Charlottesville, but the country, and what it is right now, said Bouie. I think we forget that, in the founding of this country, those who got to write the history books did it with very specific and deliberate intents, said Wortham early in the evening after she recounted her time at UVA. I think that we forget that when we try to erase the parts that make us uncomfortable, we do a disservice. And it makes the stuff thats uncomfortable feel less approachable when it just needs to be part of the entire picture. To strive for less than a complete picture would be to render history as though it were seen by torchlight, and to consign the rest to darkness. Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today Brendan Fitzgerald is senior editor of CJR. Frustrated by the secrecy surrounding Obamacare repeal efforts earlier this year, transparency advocacy group American Oversight in March fired off a series of requests under the Freedom of Information Act. The group asked, among other things, for healthcare-related correspondence between Congress and federal agencies. A federal district court later ruled that a trove of documents should be released. American Oversight received and published the latest batch earlier this month. Last week, the general counsel of the House of Representatives went to court to argue that some of the correspondence should never have been made public, saying it was clearly marked as Congressional, and thus exempt from FOIA. He argued that releasing correspondence between Congress and federal agencies could impair Congressional scrutiny. For Austin Evers, an Obama-era State Department lawyer who is now executive director of American Oversight, that doesnt add up. He referred to one email exchange in particular, in which a Congressional staffer and an official at the White House Office of Management and Budget joke about the healthcare bill. I dont think the emails [show] them conducting oversight of the executive branch, Evers says. I think its former pals from the House going back and forth over very unpopular healthcare legislation. FOIA does not apply to Congress. But it does apply to federal agencies. That makes communication between Congress and those agencies a legal gray area. And transparency advocates like Evers are worried that some members of Congress, particularly in the House of Representatives, are using that ambiguity more frequently to hide often-cozy relationships with federal government staff. In April, for example, the Republican chair of the House Financial Services Committee, Rep. Jeb Hensarling, fired off letters to a dozen government agencies, warning that all correspondence with his committee should be exempt from FOIA. And in May, BuzzFeed reported that the House Ways and Means Committee had taken similar steps to shield its correspondence with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. ICYMI: Americas growing news deserts Sign up for CJR 's daily email The offices of Rep. Hensarling and of House General Counsel Thomas Hungar did not respond to requests for comment. I think weve really seen it take off in 2017. All of a sudden were seeing much more aggressive tactics taken by the House, says Evers. It shows a very bad instinct on their part against transparency. Case law has tended to skew in Congresss favor when it comes to the FOIA status of its communications with federal agencies. But the law isnt entirely clear. This is a murky area. Its definitely not the case that everything that Congress sends to an executive branch agency is exempt from FOIA just because it was sent from Congress. Its also not the rule that everything that Congress sends to the executive branch is subject to FOIA, says Adam Marshall, an attorney at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. The notion that any kind of oversight function is automatically kept secret strikes me as a little bit ridiculous. One important distinction, Marshall says, is that Congress cant retroactively exempt correspondence with executive agencies from FOIA. Others say the existing law doesnt provide for sweeping exemptions at all, even if theyre applied before correspondence is sent. The notion that any kind of oversight function is automatically kept secret strikes me as a little bit ridiculous. Nate Jones, director of the FOIA Project at the National Security Archive, says the courts wont stand for claims that Congressional correspondence with agencies should be routinely off-limits. He also says that transparency groups shining a light on certain elected officials creeping inclination to secrecy will put pressure on them to cut it out. Theyre trying to do this secretly, and they think the publics not gonna care theyre attempting to eviscerate the Freedom of Information Act, Jones says in an interview with CJR. We have to expose it, and make sure it doesnt happen in a cigar-filled room but in a public forum, and that constituents know what their representatives are doing and tell them to stop doing it. A more durable fix than litigation and public pressure would be for Congress to pass a law subjecting itself to FOIA. That would remove much of the present ambiguity about the privileged status of Congressional correspondence with the government and would, according to advocates like Evers and Marshall, shine an important light on how the legislature interacts with the agencies it scrutinizes. Ive looked at public records laws around the world, and we are way behind, says David Cuillier, a FOIA expert at the University of Arizona. The fact that Congress and the courts arent subject to FOIA is embarrassing. Its about time they step up after 50-something years of hypocrisy. Advocates say Congress could easily fold in exemptions around legislative negotiations, national security, and other sensitive informationexemptions that already apply to existing FOIA lawswere it to come under FOIAs purview. At the very least, legislators could agree to make Congressional records publicly available once a certain amount of time has elapsed. As things stand, their deliberations can remain secret indefinitely. Theres tremendous benefit for the historical record and for agencies to say, We need to make this compromise now, but understanding that in 25 years its gonna be public, says Michael Morisy, co-founder of transparency news site MuckRock. That allows them the freedom to negotiate, the freedom to brainstorm, while also making sure they always remember theyre beholden to the public. The fact that Congress and the courts arent subject to FOIA is embarrassing. Its about time they step up after 50-something years of hypocrisy. Alexis Coe, an author and historian who was denied access to many of Joseph McCarthys papers because they were considered Congressional records and therefore exempt from FOIA, agrees. In order to understand anything in political history one needs every document, no matter how dry it might seem, she says. FOIA should be the greatest aid we have. Its almost inconceivable that Congress will make its records subject to FOIA any time soon. But whether or not it takes positive action, a push to limit transparency doesnt reflect public opinion. According to the Roper Center at Cornell University, American voters continue to demand greater openness from the government. Evers, of American Oversight, says Congress understands this, and that the recent under-the-radar actions of some lawmakers are out of step with legislation Congress passed last year to strengthen FOIA. He points out that Hensarling, the committee chair who told agencies not to release his correspondence with them, was a co-sponsor of that bill. If they wanted [full secrecy] to be the law, they could have written it that way. They could have gone through the process of presenting their ideas to the American public, says Evers. Instead, what theyre trying to do is maintain and expand on a legal loophole in the case law, so no one has to take credit for trying to hide these documents. ICYMI: CNN anchor gives startling hurricane report. The only problem? Whats in the background. 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. Alphabet's Nest unit designed its home security system with the help of police and "former burglars" during a years-long development process begun under former CEO Tony Fadell, company executives said. "We brought in a whole bunch of former burglars," Nest general manager Michele Chambers Turner told a room full of media gathered in San Francisco for the unveiling of Nest Secure. The company asked the thieves questions like, "How do you case a house?" and "How did you break in?" and used their replies to help design the system, Turner said during the presentation, which also included video footage of an arrest of a home burglar. The arrest was genuine, not staged, Nest product marketing director Maxime Veron told CNBC after the presentation. That was the case for Spanish energy firm Repsol . In July, its subsidiary Talisman-Vietnam was ordered by Hanoi to stop gas drilling in a China-claimed area after Beijing warned the Southeast Asian country that it would attack bases if operations continued. As the world's second-largest economy threatens military action in the South China Sea, oil and gas players with interests in the disputed zone are put in a bad place. Map courtesy of Stratfor. President Xi Jinping's administration's use of military retaliation is "a worrying escalation" and could result in further , said Hugo Brennan, Asia analyst at Verisk Maplecroft, in a Wednesday note. Companies that have interests or operations in blocks licensed by Southeast Asian governments but located within China-claimed waters are likely to face pressure from Beijing, according to Brennan. There are many overlapping claims in the region. China relies on a concept known as the nine-dash line to mark its territorial claims a massive area that extends roughly 1,000 miles from its southern shores in the South China Sea. But Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also assert sovereign rights over parts of the international waterway, which is rich in resources and boasts key maritime routes. Against that backdrop, firms licensed by other countries to operate in disputed ares will face Chinese protestations. Any company ignoring those would likely face consequences such as on-site harassment, de facto exclusion from the Chinese market and even implicit threats to company staff and assets, Brennan said. experienced the latter option in 2007, he added. "Operators also have to analyse the resolve of Southeast Asian governments to stand up to China. Otherwise, companies with rights to develop blocks or fields in contested waters may find that they are prevented from exercising them as host government become wary of rocking the boat." The next potential flash-point could be Vietnam's Red Emperor oil and gas field, also called Ca Rong Do. Repsol is active in the project, which is located within China's nine-dash line, and drilling is slated for 2019. But in light of Chinese threats, it remains to be seen how much progress the Madrid-based firm will make, Brennan said. We've all seen the news reports, again and again: A massive breach has occurred. Many millions of customer records have been obtained by hackers. The company in question has flubbed the response to the incident. Wall Street is punishing the company, and the stock has plummeted since the breach was reported. That opening to articles on almost-daily cyber crises has become all too familiar. The recent incident involving Equifax, the U.S. credit-reporting company, is particularly egregious and may make it seem as if every attempt to secure our data and personal information is doomed to failure. However, our failures do not come solely from technology and its misuse, but rather from a mindset that, unless we change it, will force us into the same mistakes time and again. These breaches are a failure of leadership and culture as much as they are failures of network security. In order to secure our personal information and networks, we need to recognize that privacy and security are not opposites, but rather they support each other and our economy and society. We need to understand that notifying customers about breaches is a vital part of ensuring security and privacy. And, finally, we must recognize the role that government representatives, and the policy choices they make, should play in this entire system. First, security is often incorrectly framed as a choice between security and privacy. In recent years, whether it is the debate on government's collection of metadata or law enforcement's increasing insistence on access to encrypted data, we are asked to choose sides between privacy versus security. Trading information and the company logo are displayed on a screen where the stock is traded on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., September 8, 2017. Equifax said on Wednesday that on March 10 an attacker "interacted" with a server at the heart of the massive breach disclosed this month, but there is no evidence that the incident was linked to the breach of 143 million records. The company disclosed the incident after the Wall Street Journal reported details of a report from FireEye investigators hired by Equifax, which disclosed the March compromise of the server used to run a consumer dispute portal. The Narendra Modi government last year launched a Rs 100-crore campaign for Deendayal Upadhyay birth centenary celebrations. On September 25, PM Modi and his cabinet colleagues will be paying tributes to him as the year-long programme comes to an end. By Prabhash K Dutta: On September 25, the year-long birth centenary celebration for Bharatiya Jana Sangh leader Deendayal Upadhyay will come to an end with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a host of senior ministers of his government and BJP leaders paying tribute to the party ideologue. At Kozhikode last year, PM Narendra Modi had kick-started the nationwide celebration programme to mark the birth centenary of Deendayal Upadhyay. advertisement Two committees were formed to execute the programme launched by the Modi government. PM Narendra Modi chaired nearly 150-member national panel while Home Minister Rajnath Singh headed a 23-member executive committee. A budget of Rs 100 crore was allocated for the functions. The BJP has called its national executive meet in New Delhi on the birth anniversary of Deendayal Upadhyay in the national capital on September 25. More than 2,200 including chief ministers are expected to attend the executive meet. Tributes will be paid to him while the party members will discuss and devise strategy to counter the negative narrative about GST and demonetisation. Deendayal Upadhyay will be portrayed as the inspiration for economic and pro-poor policies of the Narendra Modi government. But, many still don't know who Deendayal Upadhyay was. WHO WAS DEENDAYAL UPADHYAY? If one goes by the history books, not much is written about Deendayal Upadhyay, who the BJP and RSS believe was as good a visionary as Mahatma Gandhi. Deendayal Upadhyay was born in Mathura in 1916 - the year Mahatma Gandhi engineered Congress-Muslim League pact in Lucknow - to an astrologer father and devout mother. By the time, Deendayal Upadhyay was eight, he was an orphan and lived his life in misery and struggles. Given the family background, his achievements were bright. He excelled at school examination, earned scholarships to continue his studies and secured a BA degree in English. Owing to death of a close relative, Deendayal Upadhyay could not complete his MA. Later, he qualified the civil services examination, where he got his nickname as Panditji for appearing in the examination hall wearing tradition dhoti-kurta and cap. Even after securing the top position in the civil services examination, Deendayal Upadhyay did not join the government service. He rather became, in 1942, a life-time volunteer of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, which he had joined five years ago. DEENDAYAL UPADHYAY AS RSS VOLUNTEER Deendayal Upadhyay was influenced by RSS leaders Nanaji Deshmukh and Bhau Jugade - both were active in Agra. As full-time volunteer Deendayal Upadhyay moved to Lakhimpur district of Uttar Pradesh as an organiser of the RSS. advertisement At RSS, Deendayal Upadhyay founded a publication house, Rashtra Dharma Prakashan in Lucknow and launched a magazine, Rashtra Dharma. Later, he launched weekly Panchjanya - now the mouthpiece of the RSS - and a daily Swadesh. Deendayal teamed up with Syama Prasad Mookerjee in 1950 after the latter resigned from the Jawaharlal Nehru cabinet following Nehru-Liaquat pact. Mookerjee launched the Bharatiya Jana Sangh in 1951 and sought help from the then RSS chief MS Golwalkar. At the advice of Golwalkar, Deendayal was inducted into the Bharatiya Jana Sangh. He was made the general secretary of UP unit. Upadhyay later became the national general secretary of the BJS. After Mookerjee's death in 1953, Deendayal Upadhyay was instrumental in shaping the ideology and socio-political principles of the BJS for next 15 years. AS RSS, BJS THINKER The BJP government at the Centre and in various states have launched several schemes on the lines of Antyodaya (the uplift of the last man) - a principle espoused by both Mahatma Gandhi and Deendayal Upadhyay. However, the BJP attributes this to Deendayal Upadhyay exclusively. advertisement While launching the birth centenary celebration from Kerala last year, PM Narendra Modi said, "Deendayalji used to say that if equality has to be achieved, people at the higher level have to bend down and support those who have been exploited and neglected." Modi also said that Deendayal Upadhyay was for uplift of the Muslims, Dalits and downtrodden. "Fifty years ago, Deendayal Upadhyayji said Muslims should not be treated as different people. Do not reward them, do not rebuke them, but empower them. Muslims should not be looked down upon nor should they be seen as merely a vote bank. Consider them your own," Modi said while reflecting on the thoughts of Deendayal Upadhyay. On philosophical front, Deendayal Upadhyay is best remembered for his principle of "integral humanism", which has been defined as "a classless, casteless and conflict-free social order". It talks about the integration of indigenous "Indian culture" with the social, political and economic fabric of the nation. The nation, Upadhyay believed, is like a human being having a body, mind, intellect and soul of its own. According to Upadhyay, dharma brings peace and prosperity. However, his critics point to his lectures saying he was "biased" against Muslims. Some also criticised him for not seeing evil in caste system. advertisement The BJP, on the other hand, believes that Deendayal Upadhyay's philosophy needs a fresh interpretation. Some of the states, ruled by the BJP, have included chapters on Deendayal Upadhyay in school syllabus. MYSTERIOUS DEATH Deendayal Upadhya's death is shrouded in mystery. According to a website dedicated to Deendayal Upadhyay by the Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee Research Foundation, "Around 3.45 a.m. on Feb. 11, 1968, the leverman at the Mughalsarai station informed the Assistant Station Master that about 150 yards from the station, towards the south of the railway line, a dead body was lying near the electric pole No.1276." This body was later identified as the Bharatiya Jana Sangh President Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya, who was on his way to Patna in a train, which he boarded in Lucknow. Deendayal Upadhyay had boarded the Pathankot-Sealdah Express at 7 pm in Lucknow. Those days, the Pathankot Sealdah Express did not go through Patna. Some bogeys of the train were detached at Mughalsarai and joined with the Delhi-Howrah Express. Deendayal Upadhyay's presence at Mughalsarai railway station is recorded by an emissary he received from the former ruler of Jaunpur at 2.15 am. The Delhi-Howrah Express left Mughalsarai at 2.50 am and reached Patna in the morning. But, Deendayal Upadhyay was not there. Back in Mughalsarai, doctors had declared him dead by that time. His body was taken to New Delhi. The then President Zakir Hussain and Prime Minister Indira Gandhi were among the dignitaries who paid tributes to Deendayal Upadhyay. The BJP is now on a mission to propagate his ideas to counter the challenge from the Congress, which was the most dominant political force then. --- ENDS --- Facebook Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks on stage during the annual Facebook F8 developers conference in San Jose, California, U.S., April 18, 2017. Facebook will lease all of the office space in a skyscraper under construction in downtown San Francisco, a new report says, as the company looks beyond its Silicon Valley home to house its fast-growing workforce. has leased 436,000 square feet at 181 Fremont St., which represents the city's largest office lease in the last three years, the San Francisco Business Times reported. It could house between 2,000 and 3,000 employees, and will be Facebook's first office in the city, which is about 35 miles north of its Menlo Park headquarters. The company paid "around $80 per square foot," or roughly $35 million, to lease the commercial space in the building, which will be the city's third-tallest when it's completed later this year, the report said. Employees of Facebook's Instagram unit will be among the first to move into the San Francisco skyscraper, the city's first property in the city, according to the report, which you can read here. The property is located about a block from Salesforce Tower, the new home of software company Salesforce, which will be the tallest building in San Francisco once it's finished. That will put technology companies at the center of the city's current office construction boom, which is rapidly remaking its skyline. Facebook said in August it had just over 20,600 employees as of June 30, up more than 40 percent from a year earlier. In July, to build a corporate campus on the 56-acre Menlo Science & Technology Park it bought in 2015 near its current headquarters. An email sent to Facebook seeking comment on the lease wasn't immediately returned. French President Emmanuel Macron and U.S. President Donald Trump attend the traditional Bastille Day military parade on the Champs-Elysees in Paris, France, July 14, 2017. French President Emmanuel Macron said he had not yet given up on convincing U.S. President Donald Trump to change his view of the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers. Macron acknowledged the deal by itself was not enough. "Is this agreement enough? No. It is not, given the evolution of the regional situation and increasing pressure that Iran is exerting on the region, and given ... increased activity by Iran on the ballistic level since the accord," Macron told reporters in New York. "This agreement is a brilliant next step in our longstanding partnership, enabling Google to supercharge their hardware business while ensuring continued innovation within our HTC smartphone and VIVE virtual reality businesses," Cher Wang, chairwoman and CEO at HTC, said in a prepared statement. The move formalizes a long-awaited tie-up that could further Google's ambitions in the mobile phone and virtual reality industries and may rescue HTC's flagging business. Under the agreement, Google will acquire a team of approximately 2,000 HTC employees, many of whom have worked with the company on its Pixel smartphone. As part of the transaction, HTC will receive $1.1 billion in cash. subsidiary Google announced on Thursday that it signed a $1.1 billion cooperation agreement with Taiwanese smartphone maker HTC to bolster its smartphone and emerging hardware business. Members of the media examine Google's Pixel phone during an event to introduce Google hardware products on October 4, 2016 in San Francisco, California. In a blog post, Google Senior Vice President of Hardware Rick Osterloh said the agreement will help the tech giant innovate its family of Made by Google products. Made by Google products, introduced last fall, include its Pixel smartphones, Google Home, Google Wifi, Daydream View virtual reality headset and Chromecast Ultra. The second generation of products are set to be unveiled on October 4, according to the blog post. "That's why we've signed an agreement with HTC, a leader in consumer electronics, that will fuel even more product innovation in the years ahead," Osterloh wrote. The deal is subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions. It is expected to close by early 2018. News of agreement comes after the Taiwan Stock Exchange said HTC's stock had been halted, starting Sept. 21 local time, pending the release of "material information." Taiwan-based HTC once had as much as 10 percent of the smartphone market, according to estimates from Counterpoint Research. But despite a cult following, HTC's market share has fallen since the end of 2011 to less than 2 percent. While HTC doubled down in North America and Europe, battling the immense resources of Apple and Samsung, other Chinese brands took hold in emerging markets like India, leaving HTC without a market to fall back to, Counterpoint's Neil Shah wrote in a blog post. Google, however, has provided a lifeline for HTC over the past few years. HTC built some of Google's Nexus tablets, and Google worked closely with HTC on the manufacturing and assembly of its first-ever end-to-end phone design, the Pixel. Google has indicated that making its own hardware, from home speakers to phones, will be a continued focus as the company tries to specialize its software for advanced artificial intelligence and virtual reality. Those types of features require powerful phones, and HTC could help Google make them. Further, HTC makes the high-end Vive virtual reality system. It's the third-most-popular headset in terms of shipments and market share, according to IDC estimates, which means that it likely has a strong base of app developers that could help Google compete with rivals like Samsung, Sony and Facebook. The Singularity is coming, Masayoshi Son says. The founder of SoftBank, the Japanese conglomerate, had the business world chattering on Monday night with his speech at the Appeal of Conscience Foundation. (DealBook is the first to report on it.) His main thrusts: The Singularity, when artificial intelligence finally outstrips that of humans, will replace huge swaths of jobs. The number of sentient robots on Earth will rival the number of humans. From his speech: "Here we have white collar and blue collar. I said a new collar will start: that is metal collar. That metal collar will not only replace most of the blue collar jobs, but many of the white collar jobs. So when they become so smart and the muscles to move, what is the definition of what mankind's job should be? What should we do if they replace many of our jobs? What is the value of our lives? We have to think once more, deeply." More from Mr. Son on artificial intelligence: A Singapore Airlines and a Tiger Air plane parked at Changi International Airport in Singapore on July 29, 2014. A man who worked as a baggage handler at Singapore's Changi Airport swapped tags on hundreds of bags, sending the luggage to the wrong destinations, the Straits Times newspaper reported. Tay Boon Keh, a 63 year-old working as a baggage handler for a sub-contractor of the Changi Airport Group, was charged in court on Tuesday with 286 counts of mischief, the newspaper said. He did not explain his actions, but intends to plead guilty, it said. The next hearing is on Oct 17, when, if convicted, he can be jailed for up to one year and fined for each charge. Luggage originally bound for various parts of the world, including Perth, Manila, Frankfurt, London and San Francisco, was affected, according to court documents. Tay is believed to have changed baggage tags almost every day from November until February, they said. An airport spokesman said there was no breach of security. Nearly 59 million passengers used Changi Airport in 2016. The world's sixth busiest airport for international traffic, it flies passengers to 380 cities on over 100 airlines and was voted the world's best airport in 2017 by the Skytrax air travel consultancy. It handles about 70,000 bags per day, according to the Changi Airport Group website. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi faces a daunting challenge as his administration looks to deport Rohingya refugees while fending off international criticism a balancing act expected to test New Delhi's superpower aims. Escaping what the United Nations has called "ethnic cleansing" in Myanmar's northwest state of Rakhine, thousands of Rohingya a Muslim-majority ethnic group have sought shelter in neighboring countries. Rome's Muslim Community rallies during a demonstration in support of Rohingya Muslims on September 18, 2017 in Rome, Italy. Stefano Montesi / Corbis / Getty Images Around 40,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to India over the past decade, out of which 16,500 are registered with the UN's refugee agency. Bangladesh, meanwhile, has received over 400,000 new arrivals since Myanmar's military began intensifying attacks on Rohingya villages last month. As the violence in Rakhine escalates, New Delhi which is not a party to two major international refugee laws now wants to deport its population of Rohingya escapees back to Myanmar on what it says are national security concerns. This week, Modi's administration said it had evidence of terror links between some India-based Rohingya and extremist groups such as Islamic State. Met with condemnation abroad and embraced by right-wing nationalists at home, the deportation plan is currently being debated in India's Supreme Court. "There is urgent need for deft diplomacy by India," Ashok Sajjanhar, India's former ambassador to Kazakhstan, said in a Tuesday report published by the Vivekananda International Foundation, a non-partisan think tank. The world's biggest democracy has to "simultaneously contend with challenges in its relations with its two extremely significant and sensitive neighbors, Bangladesh and Myanmar, as well as with international human rights watchdogs," he continued. It's a tricky dilemma for New Delhi, which is looking to compete with China as a leading Asian power. watch now The Rohingya crisis will test "New Delhi's place in global politics," warned Kabir Taneja, associate fellow at the Observer Research Foundation. "How [India] balances the age-old conundrum of moralistic decision-making and realpolitik could shape its capabilities of geopolitical influence." Modi must play his cards right to avoid undermining India's positioning in the region, Taneja continued especially because China has already thrown its political weight behind Yangon. Why India wants to deport the Rohingya An army wife has alleged that her husband tarnished and maligned her image by producing 'morphed call recordings' that allegedly had her talking in vulgar and abusive language. By Ajit Kumar Dubey: The wife of a Lieutenant Colonel has accused her husband of assassinating her character by producing "morphed call recordings" of her in an Army Court of Inquiry (CoI). The Lt. Colonel, while carrying out a sting operation, had recorded her calls and alleged that she was having an extra marital affair with a fellow officer. The case has now reached the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which has stayed the proceedings of the CoI till further instructions. advertisement The Lt Colonel-a gallantry award winner, is posted in Rajasthan and belongs to the Mechanized Infantry regiment and cleared to be elevated to the rank of Colonel, while his estranged wife is now in a teaching job in Uttarakhand. Sources in the army said, the wife of the officer allegedly named a Lieutenant General officer while complaining to the senior functionaries of the Army Wives Welfare Association. The issue came up after the Lt Col filed a complaint with the army that another Lt Col from the Armoured Corps had been in the illicit relationship for more than two years. Stealing the affection of a fellow officer's wife is a punishable offence in the armed forces. After the complaint was filed, the army authorities decided to hold CoI on the basis of the complaint filed on February 18. The wife has alleged, in her plea, before the High Court, that her husband produced the recordings with all sorts of vulgar and abusive language being shown to have used while talking over phone with the other officer The lady also alleged that the CoI was not providing her any electronic evidences, written statements even as her reputation was being "tarnished and maligned". The lady also informed that her husband later withdrew his complaint in the interest of their family and their eight-year-old daughter. However, despite the officer withdrawing his complaint, the lady alleged that the army decided to continue with the proceedings saying that the offcier's allegations were still intact. "Two months after the Lt Col withdrew his complaint, a letter was received from the authorities that the CoI would reassemble and all the persons concerned should make themselves available," she alleged in her plea. The woman complained that her husband "hacked" her phone and recorded her conversations with her relatives. The woman has also said that since she was not made a party to the case, all the proceedinsg against her were should be vitiated and scrapped. Deputy commander of the Pathankot-based 90 Brigade Colonel Ram Singh Thapa is the presiding officer in the CoI. --- ENDS --- advertisement Public opinion signals a narrow path for President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans to press their tax cut agenda, according to the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll. The survey shows no groundswell of support for tax cuts. Fully 62 percent of Americans say taxes for the wealthy should be increased; 55 percent say taxes on corporations should go up. At the same time, 57 percent of Americans say taxes should be cut for small businesses. And a 54 percent majority agrees that a major tax cut for corporations would encourage them to expand and add jobs. Those conflicting indicators mean "there aren't people at the barricades (pushing) in either direction," said Republican pollster Bill McInturff, who helps conduct the NBC/WSJ poll. And that means both parties have the chance to gain the upper hand by mounting effective public arguments. For Republicans, that means emphasizing the benefits of tax cuts for small business and job creation. While college-educated voters remain skeptical of the jobs argument, it draws 60 percent support among the white, working-class Americans who propelled Trump to the presidency. "Talking to their base, the Republicans will have a case to make," said Peter Hart, the Democratic pollster who works with McInturff on the survey. For Democrats, it means emphasizing the benefits of GOP proposals for corporations and the wealthy. Independents and white voters want higher taxes on both by almost as much as Americans overall do. Considering all potential options, Americans remain split on their bottom-line prescriptions for Congress. Just 4 percent want a tax cut just for businesses, while 24 percent want a cut only for individuals. Another 28 percent want both business and individual tax cuts. But the largest single group, 42 percent, says Congress should not cut taxes at this time. Most striking of all is how muted opinion on taxes has become. A 55 percent majority calls their own tax burden "about the right amount," exceeding the 40 percent who say they pay "more than their fair share." In some ways, Republicans are fighting uphill as they look ahead to the 2018 midterm elections. By 48 percent to 42 percent, Americans say they want Democrats rather than Republicans to win control of Congress. The poll also underscores the internal turmoil the GOP faces. Just 36 percent of self-described Republicans expresses satisfaction with the performance of House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, while 59 percent of Republicans say they are dissatisfied. Just one-third of Americans say Trump has accomplished "a great deal" or "a fair amount," as president, while two-thirds say "only some" or "very little." By nearly 3-to-1 margins, the public disapproves of Trump's use of Twitter and his handling of the violent white nationalist protests in Charlottesville, Virginia. Yet one key GOP indicator improved. The telephone poll of 900 adults, which carries a margin for error of 3.27 percentage points, was conducted Sept. 14-18 after Trump's handling of recent hurricanes as well as his deal on the budget and debt limit with Democratic congressional leaders. The share of Americans who approve of Trump's job performance ticked up to 43 percent, from 40 percent in August. The share who disapprove edged down to 52 percent from 55 percent. Americans have more student debt than ever beforee. Currently, over 44 million Americans hold a total of $1.4 trillion in student loan debt, and it takes the average student debt borrower 20 years to pay off their loans. For-profit colleges and private loans can be particularly treacherous traps that can tie students to mountains of student loans. But some schools are demonstrating a commitment to accessibility and affordability. In fact, these eight schools charge absolutely nothing for tuition. Roommates study in their dorm room at Berea College. Chicago Tribune | Getty Images Berea College Berea, Kentucky Room and board (2017-2018): $6,534 Total enrollment: 1,665 Free tuition program: "Our Tuition Promise Scholarship guarantees no student pays tuition. Berea students pay an average of $1,000 toward housing, meals and fees, with financial assistance for books available." Curtis Institute of Music Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Room and board (2017-2018): $15,420 Total enrollment: 175 Free tuition program: "Since 1928 Curtis has maintained an all-scholarship policy. The Curtis Institute of Music provides merit-based, full-tuition scholarships to all undergraduate and graduate students, regardless of their financial situation." Deep Springs College Deep Springs, California Room and board (2017-2018): $0 Total enrollment: 24-30 Free tuition program: "Deep Springs is fully committed to ensuring that all selected applicants who wish to attend are not burdened by financial considerations. For this reason, all students receive a full scholarship valued at over $50,000, which includes tuition, room and board." United States Air Force Academy Colorado Springs, Colorado Room and board (2017-2018): $0 Total enrollment: 4,237 Free tuition program: "While a cadet at the Academy, you will be fully cared for and have no student loans to worry about. Your education, valued at more than $400,000, is an investment the Air Force is willing to make in you. You will receive: Fully paid tuition, cost-free room and board, cost-free Medical care, a monthly stipend, interest-free loans to cover emergency situations if necessary, access to a low-cost, government-sponsored life insurance program." United States Coast Guard Academy New London, Connecticut Room and board (2017-2018): $0 Total enrollment: 988 Free tuition program: "Tuition, room and board at the Coast Guard Academy are paid for by the government. All cadets receive pay totaling approximately $12,000 per year. Cadet pay is furnished by the government for uniforms, military equipment, academic supplies including textbooks and personal expenses." United States Military Academy West Point, New York Room and board (2017-2018): $0 Total enrollment: 4,389 Free tuition program: "Those who are selected to attend USMA receive a college education that is unparalleled in the world with tuition, room and board, and expenses fully paid." United States Naval Academy Annapolis, Maryland Room and board (2017-2018): $0 Total enrollment: 4,526 Free tuition program: "There is no tuition or financial aid at the Naval Academy. The Navy pays 100% of the tuition, room and board, medical and dental care costs of Naval Academy midshipmen." Webb Institute That potential defense sale is worth about $5 billion. Last week the U.S. State Department notified Congress of its intent to sell 18 F/A-18 Super Hornets to Canada , in a deal that's been cooking since last year. "This commercial trade dispute is very important to us. We're not going to back down from it," said Leanne Caret, CEO of Boeing's defense, space and security business, in an exclusive interview with CNBC. "I hope that it doesn't impact our defense sale, but we're willing to deal with whatever the outcome is." The trade dispute between Boeing and Canadian rival Bombardier is heating up and Boeing intends to stand its ground. A file photo of U.S. Navy crew members as they guide an F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter from the deck of USS Aircraft Carrier Ronald Reagan. But the trade rift between Boeing and Canada's own aerospace manufacturer may put that on hold. Earlier this week, Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau asserted his country "won't do business with a company that's busy trying to sue us and put our aerospace workers out of business." U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May also engaged in the dispute, siding with Bombardier, which is a top employer in Northern Ireland. In April, Boeing asked the U.S. Commerce Department to investigate whether Bombardier had taken advantage of alleged subsidies and unfair pricing to sell 75 of its new C-Series planes to Delta Air Lines. Boeing claims that its Canadian rival sold planes, at $19.6 million apiece, in the U.S. at "absurdly low prices, in violation of U.S. and global trade laws." Bombardier refutes the allegations as "pure hypocrisy" since, according to a statement, "Delta ordered the C Series because Boeing stopped making an aircraft of the size Delta needed years ago." Boeing still aims to get a deal done. "We have continued to reach out to the Canadian government. We believe national defense discussions are separate from commercial trade disputes," added Caret, who's led Boeing's defense, space and security unit for 18 months. "I think here is an opportunity for us to continue to offer the [Super Hornet] aircraft, but I also think they're going to need to make their decision." More will be revealed next week, when the U.S. Commerce Department issues its initial ruling on Sept. 26. Meantime, it highlights a big reversal for Boeing: that the fighter business is once again taking flight. Even if Canada does scrap its $5 billion deal, the company's legacy F-18 and F-15 production lines are welcoming renewed interest under the Trump administration. "We're honored and thrilled that not only the Navy but others have seen benefits of the F/A-18 and continue to see strong demand for it. We have continued international pull on our F-15s," said Caret. "But I have to share, when I was the CFO [of Boeing Defense, Space & Security] I was in middle of making disclosures that we may be looking at a line shutdown at some point in the future, so it was really nice to be involved in being able to strike that statement going forward." With nearly $30 billion in annual revenue, the defense and space business is big. But the commercial business is bigger, meaning the company would be willing to sacrifice a potential $5 billion defense deal because more is potentially riding on the lawsuit. Overall, it's been a busy week for Boeing. The aerospace giant hosted investors in Charleston, S.C. for two days. And amid renewed issues, the company's initial delivery of the already over-cost KC46 Pegasus military refueling tanker (a $44 billion program) is now highly likely to slide back into 2018. And just today, Caret specifically was named to the Fortune Magazine's Most Powerful Women list. In her first-ever broadcast interview as CEO, Caret also discussed with CNBC missile defense, M&A and space exploration. watch now British Prime Minister Theresa May is poised to travel to Florence, Italy on Friday with ambitions to underline Britain's hopes for a "special partnership" with the European Union (EU) post-Brexit. In a move likely to be viewed as an attempt to break the current deadlock, May is expected to give an "update on Brexit negotiations so far", the prime minister's deputy spokesperson said last Thursday. Why will May make a speech? May's much-anticipated speech in Florence marks the government's third major policy statement on Brexit, following the prime minister's Lancaster House speech in January and her letter triggering Article 50 in March. "It is also a tacit admission that her government needs to improve the atmosphere around the Article 50 negotiations," Mujtaba Rahman, Europe director of political risk consultancy Eurasia Group, said in a research note. EU officials including the bloc's chief negotiator Michel Barnier have criticized Westminster in recent weeks, claiming that progress on a divorce deal has been much too slow. The fourth round of Brexit talks are scheduled to begin on Monday after they were pushed back by a week. Downing Street has denied the delay in talks was caused by May's speech in Florence three days beforehand. What will she talk about? Carsten Nickel, deputy director of research at Teneo Intelligence, argued that May's position in government remained "too weak" to allow her to make any major announcements on Friday. Opposition to Brexit within the U.K. has been emboldened since May failed to win a clear mandate in June's snap general election. She ultimately lost her parliamentary majority but held on to power thanks to an agreement with a small Northern Irish party. Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May reacts as she speaks at an election campaign event at Pride Park Stadium on June 1, 2017 in Derby, United Kingdom. Getty Images "May might formally back the deal achieved over the summer between Chancellor Philip Hammond and Trade Secretary Liam Fox over the need for a transition period of around two to three years," Nickel said. "She might indicate her willingness to accept off-the-shelve rather than tailor-made institutional solutions for continued single market and customs union membership during that period; and she could signal the U.K.'s willingness to keep paying into the EU's budget during such a transition," he added. According to the BBC's political editor Laura Kuenssberg, May will say Britain is willing to pay 20 billion euros ($24 billion) to the EU during the transition period but only if the U.K. has access to the singles market and some form of customs union. Until now, May has frequently said she is hoping to secure a deal that is good for both the U.K. and the EU but, significantly, has not ruled out leaving the bloc without one. Downing Street has offered no further details as to the contents of Friday's speech other than to say "she will underline the government's wish for a deep and special partnership with the European Union once the U.K. leaves the EU." What about Boris Johnson? U.K. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson sparked political chaos on Tuesday, as reports surfaced that he could resign from his position in government shortly after May's eagerly anticipated speech in Florence. British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson speaks ahead of Prime Minister Theresa May during her last campaign visit at the National Conference Centre on June 7, 2017 in Solihull, United Kingdom. Carl Court | Getty Images While Johnson is an outspoken supporter of the U.K.'s departure from the EU, he has faced accusations of trying to undermine the prime minister with a 4,000-word article detailing his post-Brexit vision. On Tuesday, Britain's foreign secretary reportedly said he would have no option but to quit if May promoted continued payments to the EU in exchange for access to the single market on Friday. But Johnson later dismissed this claim. "I am mystified by all this stuff," Johnson told the Guardian in an interview on Tuesday. "Not me, guv. I don't know where it's coming from, honestly." On Tuesday evening after Johnson had dismissed reports indicating he could resign it was reported May would offer 20 billion euros ($24 billion) to fill a post-Brexit hole in the EU's budget, according to the Financial Times citing sources which could not be verified by CNBC. Johnson's Telegraph article, published last Friday, argued Britain should not have to pay for access to the EU's single market a tariff-free trading bloc for goods and services. watch now "(May's) speech actually illustrates a larger (and) more important point in that the priorities of the European negotiators are very much the financial contribution to the EU pot. Whereas, the U.K.'s priorities are protecting the trade agreements and the trade relationships that the U.K. can take advantage of," Nandini Ramakrishnan, global market strategist at JP Morgan, told CNBC on Wednesday. How will the EU respond? The National Security Agency (NSA) logo is shown on a computer screen inside the NSA in Fort Meade, Maryland. Brooks Kraft | Corbis | Getty Images An international group of cryptography experts has forced the U.S. National Security Agency to back down over two data encryption techniques it wanted set as global industry standards, reflecting deep mistrust among close U.S. allies. In interviews and emails seen by Reuters, academic and industry experts from countries including Germany, Japan and Israel worried that the U.S. electronic spy agency was pushing the new techniques not because they were good encryption tools, but because it knew how to break them. The NSA has now agreed to drop all but the most powerful versions of the techniques - those least likely to be vulnerable to hacks - to address the concerns. The dispute, which has played out in a series of closed-door meetings around the world over the past three years and has not been previously reported, turns on whether the International Organization of Standards should approve two NSA data encryption techniques, known as Simon and Speck. The U.S. delegation to the ISO on encryption issues includes a handful of NSA officials, though it is controlled by an American standards body, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). The presence of the NSA officials and former NSA contractor Edward Snowden's revelations about the agency's penetration of global electronic systems have made a number of delegates suspicious of the U.S. delegation's motives, according to interviews with a dozen current and former delegates. A number of them voiced their distrust in emails to one another, seen by Reuters, and in written comments that are part of the process. The suspicions stem largely from internal NSA documents disclosed by Snowden that showed the agency had previously plotted to manipulate standards and promote technology it could penetrate. Budget documents, for example, sought funding to "insert vulnerabilities into commercial encryption systems." More than a dozen of the experts involved in the approval process for Simon and Speck feared that if the NSA was able to crack the encryption techniques, it would gain a "back door" into coded transmissions, according to the interviews and emails and other documents seen by Reuters. watch now "I don't trust the designers," Israeli delegate Orr Dunkelman, a computer science professor at the University of Haifa, told Reuters, citing Snowden's papers. "There are quite a lot of people in NSA who think their job is to subvert standards. My job is to secure standards." The NSA, which does not confirm the authenticity of any Snowden documents, told Reuters it developed the new encryption tools to protect sensitive U.S. government computer and communications equipment without requiring a lot of computer processing power. NSA officials said via email they want commercial technology companies that sell to the government to use the techniques, and that is more likely to happen when they have been designated a global standard by the ISO. Asked if it could beat Simon and Speck encryption, the NSA officials said: "We firmly believe they are secure." The case of the dual elliptic curve ISO, an independent organization with delegations from 162 member countries, sets standards on everything from medical packaging to road signs. Its working groups can spend years picking best practices and technologies for an ISO seal of approval. As the fight over Simon and Speck played out, the ISO twice voted to delay the multi-stage process of approving them. In oral and written comments, opponents cited the lack of peer-reviewed publication by the creators, the absence of industry adoption or a clear need for the new ciphers, and the partial success of academics in showing their weaknesses. Some ISO delegates said much of their skepticism stemmed from the 2000s, when NSA experts invented a component for encryption called Dual Elliptic Curve and got it adopted as a global standard. ISO's approval of Dual EC was considered a success inside the agency, according to documents passed by Snowden to the founders of the online news site The Intercept, which made them available to Reuters. The documents said the agency guided the Dual EC proposal through four ISO meetings until it emerged as a standard. watch now In 2007, mathematicians in private industry showed that Dual EC could hide a back door, theoretically enabling the NSA to eavesdrop without detection. After the Snowden leaks, Reuters reported that the U.S. government had paid security company RSA $10 million to include Dual EC in a software development kit that was used by programmers around the world. The ISO and other standards groups subsequently retracted their endorsements of Dual EC. The NSA declined to discuss it. In the case of Simon and Speck, the NSA says the formulas are needed for defensive purposes. But the official who led the now-disbanded NSA division responsible for defense, known as the Information Assurance Directorate, said his unit did not develop Simon and Speck. "There are probably some legitimate questions around whether these ciphers are actually needed," said Curtis Dukes, who retired earlier this year. Similar encryption techniques already exist, and the need for new ones is theoretical, he said. ANSI, the body that leads the U.S. delegation to the ISO, said it had simply forwarded the NSA proposals to the organization and had not endorsed them. From Jaipur to Hamilton When the United States first introduced Simon and Speck as a proposed ISO standard in 2014, experts from several countries expressed reservations, said Shin'ichiro Matsuo, the head of the Japanese encryption delegation. Some delegates had no objection. Chris Mitchell, a member of the British delegation, said he supported Simon and Speck, noting that "no one has succeeded in breaking the algorithms." He acknowledged, though, that after the Dual EC revelations, "trust, particularly for U.S. government participants in standardization, is now non-existent." watch now Check out which companies are making headlines before the bell: Google : Alphabet subsidiary Google late Wednesday that it signed a $1.1 billion cooperation agreement with Taiwanese smartphone maker HTC to bolster its smartphone and emerging hardware business. Under the agreement, Google will acquire a team of HTC employees, many of whom have worked with the company on its Pixel smartphone. As part of the transaction, HTC will receive $1.1 billion in cash. Equifax : Consumers that some of them were misdirected to a phishing website by Equifax itself, according to various published reports. The company has said data on 143 million U.S. customers was obtained in a recent breach. Personal data, including birth dates, credit card numbers and more, were also exposed. Apple : The iPhone maker is for its upcoming launch of the Apple Watch Series 3, which reportedly has an issue that could prevent the device from placing and receiving phone calls and text messages. Apple has told media that a fix is coming. The watch is slated to begin shipping to customers on Friday. Amazon : The internet giant may be increasingly holding conversations with pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs), which play a critical role within the drug supply chain. They negotiate prices with drug manufacturers on one end, and manage pharmacy benefits for insurers on the other. that Amazon was looking to hire a general manager to lead its pharmacy business. Tesla : Tesla is with AMD to develop its own A.I. chip for self-driving cars. Sources have told CNBC that the carmaker has received back samples of the first implementation of its processor and is now running tests on it. AMD shares spiked Wednesday on the news. FedEx : FedEx is in the news for carrying tons of food, mainly barbecue, to Hurricane Irma victims across Florida. In a company blog post, FedEx called the mission Operation BBQ Relief. Blue Apron : Shares of the meal-kit company were trading slightly higher in premarket hours Thursday, after grocery chain it would acquire meal-kit company Plated. Amazon, which had experimented with meal kits prior to its Whole Foods acquisition, earlier this summer when it registered a U.S. trademark for a service described as: "We do the prep. You be the chef." General Mills : General Mills' earnings miss on Wednesday prompted a selloff that dragged down multiple food stocks to their lowest in more than a year. The moves offer further evidence that packaged food companies are struggling to keep up with changing consumer tastes and preferences. BlackBerry : Auto suppliers Delphi Automotive and BlackBerry will partner on a software operating system for self-driving cars. BlackBerry has said its operating system would help guard against cyber attacks, malware and system malfunctions; its shares traded higher Wednesday on the news. watch now More than sloppy cybersecurity measures, the massive data breach uncovered at Equifax revealed inherent flaws in the U.S.: the over-reliance on Social Security numbers credit reporting system in need of reform. The Social Security number is a "chief means" of identifying and gathering information about an individual, according to website of the Social Security Administration. Among others, it is used in the opening of a bank account, application for loans and filing of tax returns. The wide usage in both government and private sectors, and the ease of using it to access highly-sensitive accounts, has made hacking systems such as credit reporting agencies more appealing, experts told CNBC. Equifax, one of the three major credit reporting firms in the U.S., suffered one of the largest breaches in the country. The company said on Sept. 7 that it discovered a breach on July 29 that could potentially affect 143 million consumers nearly half of the U.S. population. watch now "I think people should focus on not just why the breach happened and Equifax's behavior, but why the consequences of a breach like this are so bad," said Joel Brenner, former inspector general of the National Security Agency. "Why is it that it's so easy to steal people's identity based on the kind of information that's been stolen? I think we should begin to look at that end of it, we might do more than simply focus on cyber insecurity," he added. Equifax said the exposed data include names, birth dates, Social Security numbers, addresses and some driver's license numbers. It also said that 209,000 credit card numbers were obtained, in addition to "certain dispute documents with personal identifying information for approximately 182,000 U.S. consumers." Less than two weeks after revealing the compromise it discovered in July, the company said it faced another security issue earlier in March. While the company's security lapses have made it a low-hanging fruit for hackers, those incidents and Equifax's subsequent handling of them showed that consumers are at the losing end given the way the U.S. credit reporting system is structured, noted Chi Chi Wu, a staff attorney at the National Consumer Law Center. watch now "It's an odd system that has developed in the USA for judging creditworthiness. We have three private companies that trade in, and profit from, vast amounts of highly sensitive information about American consumers. These companies are publicly traded, so their highest goal is to make money for their investors," she told CNBC in an email. "And American consumers have no choice. Our information is included whether we want it or not. Plus, consumers are not the customers (but) our information is the commodity of the credit bureaus," she added. Should the U.S. re-think how credit reporting is done? The three major credit reporting firms in the U.S., Equifax, Experian and Transunion , collect data from credit card companies, banks and other large lenders about whether or not borrowers pay their debt on time. The companies may also incorporate public information, such as bankruptcy, into credit reports that they sell. That is a system not vastly different from countries such as Canada, the U.K. and Australia. It's an odd system that has developed in the USA for judging creditworthiness. We have three private companies that trade in, and profit from, vast amounts of highly sensitive information about American consumers. Chi Chi Wu staff attorney at the National Consumer Law Center In fact, each of the three major credit reporting firms in the U.S. has a presence in more than 20 countries globally, according to the company profiles on their respective websites. In particular, Equifax also operates in Canada and the U.K. the two countries also affected in the data breach. Regulations in many of those countries do not require private credit reporting companies to get consent from individuals to use and process their personal data. However, laws that govern data protection and how those firms handle breaches differ from country to country. The European Union, for instance, will enforce from May 2018 a new General Data Protection Regulation that requires companies to notify the government within 72 hours of discovering a breach. In contrast, there is currently no such legislation on the U.S. federal level, although different states enact their own relevant statutes. Equifax trading information and the company logo are displayed on a screen where the stock is traded on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in New York. Brendan McDermid | Reuters In Singapore, a bill was passed in 2016 to allow its central bank and financial regulator greater oversight to license and supervise the Southeast Asian city state's credit bureaus. At the other end of the spectrum, China and Indonesia still largely rely on public credit registries. Increasingly, countries are looking to allow both public and private models to co-exist. China, for one, has allowed private firms to handle consumer credit information. The World Bank said in a 2013 report that both models have their merits but that "a well-functioning credit reporting infrastructure performs the role of a public good." That is what is lacking in the U.S. system and the set-up of public registries may help to tilt the balance in favor of better consumer protection, noted Wu from the National Consumer Law Center. watch now With still under fire after inadvertently selling ads to Russian operatives during the 2016 election, the mood in both Silicon Valley and Washington is shifting against the company. "This is a complete and utter disaster for Zuckerberg and Facebook," tech investor Jason Calacanis said Thursday on CNBC's "Squawk Alley." Calacanis called it a "lack of leadership" on the part of CEO to claim the election could not be affected when it's now become clear, he said, that "the Russians were buying ads and probably using stolen data to target it to swing states." Facebook first announced the company had sold more than $100,000 in ads to Russian operatives , spurring a media storm and Senate investigations. The ads were targeted to Facebook users who expressed extremist views and were political in nature. Facebook has so far declined to release the ads. "Why can't Zuckerberg release the ads that the Russians bought?" Calacanis asked. "Why can't we see them when they could cash the checks of Russians?" Calacanis criticized Zuckerberg's recent tour of all 50 states, saying the CEO isn't trying to understand people better, as he's claimed, but instead trying to quell anger for what could be revealed about Facebook's role in the election. "When the American people see these ads, they're going to realize that Zuckerberg going after these 50 states he's on an apology tour," Calacanis said. "It's disgusting." The early Uber investor and founder of Inside.com called for a conversation about regulations on the internet giant because, he said, "they have no ability to regulate themselves." Facebook did not respond to a request for comment. People in areas affected by hurricanes Harvey and Irma should be alert to the possibility of bacterial contamination of crops from flood waters, former Environmental Protection Agency official Stan Meiburg warned on Thursday. The storms caused widespread damage across Texas and Florida and wiped out hundreds of crops. "The risks involved differ somewhat from area to area," said Meiburg. In Texas, for example, there have been concerns about contamination of rice crops, as well as concerns about livestock, he told CNBC's "Power Lunch." In Florida, there was a significant amount of destruction of the winter vegetable crops, as well as citrus and sugar cane. By PTI: New Delhi, Sep 21 (PTI) Private lender Yes Bank has gone in for "rationalisation" of workforce to address certain "redundancies", the company has said. According to reports, the bank has reduced its workforce by nearly 2,500 on account of digitisation and automation. Although Yes Bank did not put a specific number, it said digital transformation has created certain redundancies requiring rationalisation of workforce. advertisement "With the banks digital transformation, greater degree of automation and digitisation gaining momentum, not only will the bank start witnessing better productivity, cost efficiency and customer service in the short to medium term, but will also generate some redundancies in job roles which will require rationalisation efforts," it said in a statement. As of June 2017, the staff strength of the bank stood at 20,851. Asked about the reports that Yes Bank has retrenched 2,500 employees, the banks spokesperson merely said the second quarter figures will have workforce details. Additionally, the bank has undertaken some performance- linked actions periodically, it said, adding that this process of identifying bottom performers every year is "part of our normal appraisal cycle". "There is also a natural attrition which largely includes frontline sales force and is in line with industry averages, but most importantly, the productivity/digitisation related impact has started to be seen and will further accelerate over time," it said. The lender continues to hire in a need-based manner and most of the new employees will have modern competencies and focus on fintech and innovation, the spokesman said. PTI DP CS ARD --- ENDS --- Silicon Valley does have a male-dominated culture that doesn't easily cater to diversity, said Dr. Astro Teller, head of Alphabet's research-and-development division X. However, that mentality exists in every industry and tech is held to a higher standard to promote equality, he said. "While Silicon Valley has a bro culture I'm not saying it does not Silicon Valley did not invent the machismo work culture," Teller told CNBC. "It's everywhere. I think what's interesting is that Silicon Valley and some companies like Alphabet are held to a higher standard. We're working incredibly hard to live up on a whole bunch of fronts. I think Alphabet is doing pretty well. I hope that Silicon Valley can end up being a good example of how to fix this problem." Google parent company Alphabet has been hit with gender inequality issues lately. The New York Times published a spreadsheet of Google salaries in September showing women are paid less than most men at the company. A Google engineer wrote a memo in August alleging biological differences are why women are not as prevalent as men in the tech industry. In addition, the Department of Labor ordered Google in July to provide 8,000 employee records in order to see if women are being compensated fairly compared with their male peers. However, it is in X's best interest to have a diverse workforce because solving world problems needs different perspectives, Teller said. That includes hiring both more women and different ethnicities, as well as veterans and people who didn't grow up in the United States, he said. "If you are building a moonshot factory, the first thing you would be obsessed with is getting diverse perspectives in the building," he said. "That's not code just for gender or color of skin, but I want you to think different from me. If you think the same as me, how are we going to find creative new solutions?" Read more of Teller's interview with CNBC here. The latest Republican attempt to repeal Obamacare is going to result in less funding for hospitals, many of which are already cash-strapped, Cleveland Clinic CEO Dr. Toby Cosgrove told CNBC on Thursday. The Senate's Graham-Cassidy bill sets up a block-grant system to allot money to the states. A majority of state governments would take a multibillion-dollar hit from the proposal, according to an analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation. The big problem is that right now 22 percent of hospitals in the U.S. are "running in the red" and 55 percent of the hospitals lose money on the administration of care, Cosgrove said in an interview with "Closing Bell." "This is going to threaten the financial viability of a lot of hospitals across the country." The Republican proposal shifts money from one group of states to another. Roughly two-thirds of the states would see a combined loss of more than $250 billion between 2020 and 2026, according to the Kaiser analysis. At the same time, a third of the states would pick up nearly $70 billion in new funding during that four-year period. Cosgrove said for Ohio, where the Cleveland Clinic is located, it means a reduction of somewhere between $4 billion and $9 billion in Medicaid support. Republican senators are rushing to pass the bill before a Sept. 30 deadline to use budget rules that would allow them to approve it with only Republican votes. On Wednesday, President Donald Trump for the first time explicitly endorsed the plan and urged his fellow party members to vote for it. "This has not gotten the chance to be widely vetted, nor do we know for sure exactly how the bill is continuing to change," Cosgrove said. Plus, the Congressional Budget Office will not have a chance to evaluate the costs and effects of the bill, he added. CNBC's Jacob Pramuk and John Schoen contributed to this report. Pro-referendum demonstrators gather in front of a building with a banner reading 'Welcome to the Catalan republic' during a protest near the Economy headquarters of Catalonia's regional government in Barcelona on September 20 A split between Spain and Catalonia would cause a major political shake-up in the country but would also have significant consequences for the economy of both sides, experts have told CNBC. Police fired rubber bullets, wrestled protesters, smashed doorways and carted off ballot boxes in several parts of Barcelona on Sunday, as long lines of people voted in an independence referendum that could radically reshape politics across a divided region. Pro-independence lawmakers hope the northeastern region will gain complete political and economic autonomy from Spain despite the referendum putting Catalonia in open defiance of central authorities in Madrid. Demonstrators clash with Spanish National Police officers as they leave the road outside the Catalan Pro-Independence Lefty party CUP headquarters on September 20, 2017 in Barcelona, Spain. David Ramos | Getty Images As the most prosperous of Spain's 17 regions, Catalonia houses roughly 19 percent of Spain's economy, benefiting from tourism, exports, manufacturing, and industry. Catalonia has talked of separation from Spain since the founding of Estat Catala a political movement which began in 1922 - and throughout the 36-year dictatorship of Franco, however, the resurgence of the pro-secession movement over the past few years is due primarily to Spain's economic woes, a 2010 constitutional court decision to lessen Catalonia's sovereignty, and a distrust of Madrid or the centralized Spanish government. Amid discussions of Scotland's own relationship to the European Union after Brexit, questions have arisen on the economic implications of a Catalonia-Spain split. Here, CNBC investigates the implications if the two areas divide. Immediate impacts of the separation The short-term outcomes of separation would be negative for both parties, according to Alain Cuenca, an economics professor at the University of Zaragoza in Spain. "The establishment of a border would result in a loss of jobs, income and wealth for everybody, whether they live in Catalonia or in the rest of Spain," Cuenca told CNBC via email. "Those losses would be provoked by the obstacles to trade, by financial problems, by the spending needs of the new state." While Catalans only account for about 16 percent of the Spanish population, Catalonia makes a hefty contribution to the overall Spanish economy, making 223.6 billion euros ($262.96 billion) a year, according to the regional government. This is around 20 percent of its total gross domestic product (GDP). Larger than the contribution that California makes to the whole United States. Using figures from official European and Catalonian organizations, Business Insider claimed earlier this year that the region would quickly gain about 16 billion euros yearly in the case of a split, as they would no longer have to pay taxes to Spain. This would then result in a loss of about 2 percent to the Spanish GDP (gross domestic product) yearly. At the same time, Catalonia could take a potential hit, as 35.5 percent of Catalan exports are to the Spanish market. Catalonia would also have pay to create new state structures (embassies, central banks, etc.) which carry a large price tag. Earlier this month, Spanish Economy Minister Luis de Guindos claimed that Catalonia could see its economy shrink by 25 to 30 percent and its unemployment double if it splits to form a separate state. Regardless, the fate of both nations would ultimately come down to the decisions made in post-separation negotiations on debt and the European Union. How many jobs, how many investments, how many commercial operations would be lost during transition? No one knows precisely. Alain Cuenca Professor at the University of Zaragoza The debt issue Spain's national public debt in 2016 was priced at roughly $1.18 trillion, according to central bank statistics. Meanwhile, Catalonia has amassed one of the largest public debts of Spain's regions, at roughly 72.2 billion euros ($86.9 billion) in 2016. Around 6 billion euros of this is for long-term securities that have been issued and the rest being various loans from different institutions. Therefore, Catalonia accounts for around 7 percent of Spain's debt, which is not a small price tag. This aspect, combined with the loss of Catalonia's tax revenues, would be a hit to the Spanish economy. While many believe that the public debt of the new nation "would inevitably be assumed by the Kingdom of Spain," Cuenca explains that the direct separation impact to the debt is impossible to predict. "The problem, again, is transition: For how many years would financial trouble last? How many jobs, how many investments, how many commercial operations would be lost during transition? No one knows precisely," Cuenca said. The success of Catalonia is determined heavily on whether or not they would assume a percentage of the Spanish debt and if they would be required to pay off their own debt. Either situation could prove to be detrimental to a new Catalan nation and would damage the potential for economic expansion. Deputees of Junts Pel Si and CUP applaud during the debate to prove the Independence Referendum Law in Barcelona of Catalonia's Parliament in Barcelona, Spain on September 6, 2017. Albert Llop | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images The European Union "In terms of trade, if Catalonia were to remain as part of the EU, nothing would change," Albert Banal-Estanol, an economics professor at Universitat Pompeu Fabra, said. This is because Catalonia would retain its current trading partners and continue to use the euro. Catalonia, however, does not have an automatic right to membership in the European Union. This issue echoes problems that arose during Scotland's own independence referendum in 2014. watch now In order to become a part of the union it must receive a unanimous "yes" from EU members and that includes Spain and its allies, which are unlikely to vote for Catalonia's addition to the union. If the new nation were to be denied entrance or have difficulty joining the union, the Catalan economy would face large transition costs, as the EU accounts for roughly 65.8 percent of Catalan exports. Furthermore, Catalonia may also face a trade boycott from the rest of Spain. For Banal-Estanol, this is not a deal-breaker as boycotts have been circumvented by Catalonia in the past. People hold Spanish flags and a banner reading 'Government of Spain, comply with and enforce the constitution: article 155 now' during a demonstration organised by the Spanish right-wing party Vox in front of the Spain Government Delegation in Barcelona, on September 6, 2017. PAU BARRENA | AFP | Getty Images Hewlett Packard Enterprise is planning to ax at least 5,000 workers, or about 10 percent of its staff, by the end of this year, according to a Bloomberg report. Hewlett Packard Enterprise was not immediately available to comment on the report. One of several businesses to be spun out of HP, Hewlett Packard Enterprise offers cybersecurity, enterprise Wi-Fi, cloud services, servers and other corporate technology. Under CEO Meg Whitman, the company has been streamlined, shedding much of its Chinese business and consulting division. But investors haven't warmed too dramatically to the changes, with shares up just over 2.5 percent in the past year. Whitman told CNBC in June that Hewlett Packard Enterprise was almost done with "one of the largest transformations in American business history," and that investors would see fatter profit margins toward the end of this year. For more on HPE's plans, see the report at Bloomberg.com. CNBC's Berkeley Lovelace Jr. and Jordan Novet contributed to this report. watch now Tillerson failed at the thing he was supposed to be good at When Trump announced Tillerson as his pick for secretary of state, back in December 2016, the foreign policy community was of two minds on the appointment. As CEO of Exxon Mobil, one of the world's largest corporations, Tillerson seemed to be more than qualified to effectively manage a sprawling bureaucracy like the State Department. Mainstream GOP foreign policy experts like former Defense Secretary Robert Gates, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and former National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley all praised the pick. "He would bring to the position vast knowledge, experience, and success in dealing with dozens of governments and leaders in every corner of the world," Gates said in a statement. "He is a person of great integrity whose only goal in office would be to protect and advance the interests of the United States." Critics, though, worried about Tillerson's close relationship with Vladimir Putin, and about Exxon's willingness to strike deals with corrupt foreign dictators and history of lobbying against action climate change (though the corporation now says it accepts climate science). During Tillerson's January confirmation hearings, senators grilled him about both Russia and climate, with Democrats clearly unsatisfied by his answers. "Do you lack the knowledge to answer my question or refuse to answer my question?" Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) puffed, after Tillerson repeatedly stonewalled his questions about Exxon funding climate change denial. "A little of both," Tillerson replied. Tillerson was confirmed in late January nonetheless, in a vote that basically fell along party lines. Quickly, he set about upending everyone's views about him. As soon as March, it had become clear that the conventional wisdom was 100 percent wrong. The fears about Tillerson's policy views had proven overblown, mostly because he had been completely overshadowed in internal White House deliberations over issues like Syria and Russia. "More than a month after he became America's top diplomat, Rex Tillerson is like no other modern secretary of State: he's largely invisible," the LA Times's Tracy Wilkinson reported at the time. "His influence at the White House is difficult to discern. He appears to be competing with Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, and Stephen Bannon, the president's chief strategist, both of whom have Trump's ear on foreign policy." The optimism about Tillerson's management acumen, by contrast, had clearly been badly misplaced. Tillerson failed to place political appointees in a number of vital leadership positions, failed to spend a lot of time with his own employees, and pushed out longtime employees without clear replacements in mind. Morale inside the organization collapsed. "I used to love my job," one staffer told the Atlantic's Julia Ioffe at the time. "Now, it feels like coming to the hospital to take care of a terminally ill family member. You come in every day, you bring flowers, you brush their hair, paint their nails, even though you know there's no point. But you do it out of love." What was true in March remained true for the rest of Tillerson's time in office to date. On issue after issue, Tillerson proved to be out of touch with the president's foreign policy positions. The US bombed Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad in early April just days after Tillerson suggested the administration would be fine with Assad staying in power. On June 9, Tillerson called on Saudi Arabia and its allies to end their isolation of Qatar; less than two hours later, Trump sided with the Saudis by labeling Qatar "a funder of terrorism at a very high level." The staffing problem at the State Department has gotten worse as time has gone on. By mid-September, only 24 of 148 political appointees had confirmed by the Senate, according to a count by the Washington Post and the Partnership for Public Service. Tillerson had not nominated anyone to be the assistant secretary supervising vital regions like Asia and the Middle East, nor had he nominated ambassadors for countries as important as Saudi Arabia and South Korea. This kind of vacancy is devastating. Political appointees are necessary to shape policy, as they serve as a conduit between the administration and foreign governments. Without people in these positions, career diplomats fill in as best they can, but they have a hard time making new decisions or formulating new policy. It's nigh unprecedented to go this long with this many vacancies because it cripples America's ability to develop diplomatic stances on vital issues. And it's not like this was a quiet time. During Tillerson's tenure, North Korea has tested both a ballistic missile that could theoretically hit Washington and its largest nuclear device ever. One US ally in the Gulf (Saudi Arabia) laid economic siege to another (Qatar). And the US bombed Bashar al-Assad in Syria for the first time. "When I was assistant secretary, I was sworn in in early April," says Hank Cohen, the assistant secretary of state for Africa under George H.W. Bush. "It's a big problem." And even the career staff has suffered under Tillerson. He eliminated entire segments of the department, like the department that tracked war crimes. He imposed limits on transfers inside the organization, typically a way the State Department deals with staffing shortages, in late June. He cut off the department from vital recruiting sources, like the Presidential Management Fellow program. He publicly defended a Trump administration proposal to cut his department's budget by 30 percent, and devised a plan to cut the permanent staff by 8 percent. He attempted to defend these ideas in a September meeting with members of Congress by use of a PowerPoint presentation outlining his vision for the department which he could theoretically use to say he finished his reorganization plan and can now hand it over to others to carry out. The slides are chock-full of management jargon. In one section, titled "Description of Redesign Workstreams," Tillerson promised to "identify ways to promote an agile and empowered workforce as part of an overarching talent map." This presentation did not persuade Congress, which has repeatedly rebuffed Tillerson's requests to cut State's budget. But it is emblematic of Tillerson's style, in a way that shows how he managed to alienate his own employees so thoroughly. "Secretary Tillerson's term has led to widespread demoralization in the foreign service, the dismissal or resignation of people with expertise that individually may not be irreplaceable but as a cohort certainly becomes so," Musgrave says. "That hinders the State Department's ability to enhance US interests through diplomacy." The consequences may not be visible immediately. But State's personnel shortages could prevent the United States from successfully reaching a diplomatic solution to issues in everything ranging from the South China Sea to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. You can't negotiate very well if you don't have people who know how to do it and the more people the State Department loses, the longer-term the consequences of these problems are, as there's no one to promote to senior roles. Saunders analogizes the US under Tillerson's emaciated State Department to a person who doesn't have health insurance. "Your life is probably fine up until the point you get sick," she says. The source of Tillerson's failures are both Trump and his own choices People walk accros a flooded street in Juana Matos, Puerto Rico, on September 21, 2017 as the country faced dangerous flooding and an island-wide power outage following Hurricane Maria. Puerto Rico took a direct hit from Hurricane Maria on Wednesday Sept 20th making it the strongest hurricane to hit Puerto Rico in over 80 years. The Category 4 storm pounded the island causing massive destruction to property and knocking out power across the entire island. There are flash flood warnings in effect while several areas are already underwater. With 100 percent of the islands power offline, authorities are estimating it may take at least 6 months to restore power. Residents and authorities continue to survey the damage and try to clear the streets from uprooted trees as they try to reach other parts of the island. Hurricane Maria hit the Dominican Republic yesterday and is now moving toward Turks and Caicos and the Bahamas. The following are some of scenes from Puerto Rico in the aftermath of yet another devastating hurricane to hit the Caribbean. President Donald Trump speaks during a session on reforming the United Nations at U.N. Headquarters in New York, September 18, 2017. Lucas Jackson | Reuters President Donald Trump won't say yet whether he is going to "decertify" the Iran nuclear deal but his decision could impact America's international standing as much as Iran's. Trump told reporters on Wednesday that he has already made up his mind on the international agreement next month, though he did not reveal what the decision is. He has taken a much harder line toward Iran than his predecessor President Barack Obama. Under a law passed by Congress, the president must certify every 90 days whether Iran remains in compliance with the landmark, 2015 pact, which lifted severe economic sanctions on Iran in exchange for the country freezing its nuclear activities. NBC reported Wednesday that Trump is leaning toward decertifying the agreement. A U.S. decertification would not necessarily end the deal the U.S. just wouldn't be part of it anymore. The Europeans won't return to sanctions so quickly. If this enables Airbus to beat out Boeing, they'd be delighted. Robert Litwak international security expert, the Wilson Center If the president does decide to decertify the deal and possibly reimpose sanctions, "we'd be in uncharted waters," says Robert Litwak, a member of the National Security Council under President Bill Clinton, now an expert on international security at the Wilson Center. "The U.S. would risk isolation, not Iran." Litwak said he believes there's a logical argument to be made that Iran isn't cooperating with the spirit of the deal by testing missiles, funding and arming terrorist groups including Hezbollah and fueling civil wars in Yemen and Syria. But those issues aren't actually included in the 2015 agreement known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which was signed by Iran, the United States, France, China, Russia, the United Kingdom, Germany and the European Union. Proponents of the agreement argue it's the best way to keep Iran from becoming a nuclear-armed nation, at least until the sunset provision on the deal expires in eight years. watch now If the U.S. decertifies the deal, "the ball immediately goes to Iran's court," said Michael O'Hanlon, a foreign policy expert at the Brookings Institution. Iran "could have their cake and eat it too." It would be possible, O'Hanlon explained, for Iran to keep the benefits it gets from the agreement namely, to continue to legally export oil . Then, a few years down the road it could argue that the agreement is null due to a lack of compliance from the United States. It could then resume nuclear activities. That's not an attractive prospect for U.S. decision-makers, because it would force them to make a choice: either attack Iran's nuclear facilities, or push for new sanctions from a group of countries that will almost certainly be reluctant to give up business ties with Iran. Is Trump Bluffing? "It would be totally irresponsible to decertify," according to Gary Sick, a professor at Columbia University who served on the National Security Council under Presidents Reagan, Ford and Carter. Sick added that "decertification is actually contrary to U.S. interests by all standards." Sick says it's unclear whether Trump will make the move or if he's just trying to make it clear "that he doesn't like the deal negotiated under President Obama." If President Trump separates from the agreement, the deal may simply live on without the United States. Iranian workers walk at a unit of South Pars Gas field in Asalouyeh Seaport, north of Persian Gulf, Iran November 19, 2015. Raheb Homavandi | TIMA "A U.S. decertification would not necessarily end the deal the U.S. just wouldn't be part of it anymore," said Litwak. "The Europeans won't return to sanctions so quickly. If this enables Airbus to beat out Boeing, they'd be delighted." Iran has increased trade with Asian and European countries since the agreement was signed, but not with the United States. However, the U.S. could impose new sanctions that make it risky or impossible for companies to do business with Iran, by declaring that they can't do business in both Iran and the United States. "Iran knows perfectly well it's a middle level power with a middle level economy and if companies and countries have to choose, it would be hard to go against the U.S.," said Sick at Columbia University. German Vice Chancellor and Economy and Energy Minister Sigmar Gabriel Sascha Schuermann | Getty Images Sigmar Gabriel came to talk about social justice, but the crowd in Halle, one of the most economically hard hit towns in eastern Germany, angrily confronted the country's foreign minister about 20 women who had allegedly been raped by immigrants. Caught off guard, Mr. Gabriel tried valiantly to defend immigrants, saying "in Germany a rapist is brought to justice and if necessary imprisoned, no matter whether he is a foreigner or a German." But the mood of the crowd was angry, despite the country's record low unemployment, just like many voters in France, Britain and the United States. In a nutshell, the incident illustrated why Germany's Social Democratic party is sinking in the polls five days before federal elections for a new parliament. Once the powerful party of the working class, the center-left SPD finds itself, much like the Democratic party in the United States last year, struggling to find a constituency in the midst of a populist revolt. Mr. Gabriel, at least, has shown a knack for fighting back. Like America's Democrats, who chose Hillary Clinton as their candidate because they thought she would be more electable than a socialist like Bernie Sanders, many in the SPD now wonder if they made the wrong choice in anointing Martin Schulz as their chancellor candidate over Mr. Gabriel. More from Handelsblatt Global: Enough Military, More Aid Gaining Strength on Germany's Hard Right Why the Social Democrats Have a Proud Past and Uncertain Future The far right and anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany has gained popularity at the SPD's expense and, if current opinon polls are to be believed, is on track to become Germany's third largest party. The fact is, as Josef Joffe, editor of the weekly Die Zeit pointed out, like the rest of Europe, the industrial workers who once formed the base for the SPD are no more than 20 percent of the population. The SPD's current standing in the polls is about the same 22 percent. "No socialist party has managed to harness a winning coalition among the new rising classes in the service and knowledge sectors," Mr. Joffe wrote in a recent editorial. "And they have no idea how to deal with the populist revolt." watch now Mr. Gabriel, who became chairman of the SPD after the party's defeat in the 2009 elections, in January decided against becoming the party's chancellor candidate in this year's vote. Instead he anointed Mr. Schulz, who had been president of the European Parliament but had no government experience in Germany, to take his place running against Chancellor Angela Merkel. There was a sense the party wanted an outsider, much like Donald Trump in the United States, without any political record. Mr. Schulz's supporters even invited the comparison by pushing the slogan "Make Europe Great Again" on social media. By contrast, Mr. Gabriel agreed to join Ms. Merkel as vice chancellor in a grand coalition following the party's defeat in 2013 and was seen as being part of the establishment. When asked why he stepped aside, Mr. Gabriel commented simply that Mr. Schulz "has a better chance." In some ways, Mr. Schulz was also seen in the same vein as Bernie Sanders a fiery populist who could make the case for social justice. But the last nine months of campaigning have shown this assessment to be wrong. Mr. Gabriel has proven more articulate and agile than Mr. Schulz on the campaign trail. He is witty while Mr. Schulz is stolid. Mr. Gabriel attacks his opponents while Mr. Schulz, though known for his fiery personality in the European Parliament, has chosen to debate politely. Mr. Gabriel says that Germany "must remain a peacemaker" in the world and fight against hunger and poverty. He calls for the doubling of the education budget instead of the defense budget, a reference to the fact that as foreign minister, Mr. Gabriel has crossed swords with the Trump Administration over NATO funding, even when Ms. Merkel has decided to increase defense outlays to the level Washington wants. watch now It's hard to imagine that even the most ardent bitcoin or digital currency enthusiast isn't doing a bit of reassessment in light of events in recent days. Prices have been on a roller coaster that doesn't appear to have an end at least a good one. There's still hope, however, that digital currency's future can be bright if bitcoin's big blind spot is addressed. As a financial regulator for years, I was tough on enforcement and always a consumer/investor advocate. There's no questionszerothat had digital currencies been regulated, I would have sought an investigation into the precipitous price changes we've witnessed. Just two years ago, bitcoin was trading in the low $200s. Since then, it has risen over 2,200 percent reaching a high of just over $5,000 earlier this month. Commentators questioned if there was a bitcoin bubble (ya think?). Two days later, Chinese regulatorsthe Securities Regulatory Commission and the Banking Regulatory Commission, among otherscurtailed initial coin offering (ICOs). That action, rightly, made many investors jittery and jumpy. Some chose to jump off the bitcoin bandwagon at the big prices. The result: prices plummeted for days to roughly $3,500 last week when JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon famously called bitcoin a "fraud" that would not end well. Prices went even lower. Then, on Friday, Chinese regulators banned digital currency exchange trading altogether. Prices dropped again to below $3,000. But then something happened that makes sense only from a manipulative mindset: Prices soared to over $3,800. There's no rational reason for such moves other than some are efforting (successfully, to date) to buoy prices and calm otherwise edgy and excitable bitcoin investors. In the past few days, bitcoin has been around $4,000. We've seen, time and again, where problems related to bitcoin have manifested. In 2013, the FBI shuttered the online digital currency exchange, Silk Road. This digital-currency trading platform provided an online black market for money laundering of illegal drugs, weapons and human trafficking and other nefarious offerings. In 2014, the then-largest digital currency exchange, Mt. Gox (in Japan) went bustinitially losing roughly $475 million of investors' money. Poof! It was gone. All of this has occurred, in large part, for two primary reasons. 1Digital currencies like bitcoin aren't like stocks. There's no value of a company building, employees, products or patents or intellectual ingenuity. And, digital currencies aren't (at least at this time) like a commodity which has underlying value of a physical asset. Unlike oil, gold or corn, with digital currencies, there's no "there" thereno physical stuff, or even made-up stuff backed by anyone or anything. The only thing that alters the prices of digital currencies is the extent to which others are willing to pay for such currencies. That's why the value can be gone in a heartbeat. 2Digital currencies are largely unregulated by governments. There are no anti-money laundering (AML) and know your customer (KYC) requirements like banks have worldwide. There are no segregated customer accounts or clearing which back up customers if there's an exchange failure. There's no sure-footed surveillance to ensure trading is taking place in an orderly and appropriate fashion. And, importantly, there's no investigative force to ferret out bad actors and no digital currency-specific fines or penalties. This all makes digital currencies exceedingly susceptible to fraud and manipulation. It's an open range for abuse. Buyer beware? You betcha. The Chinese actions should send a clarion call to digital enthusiast that they need to have some basic regulatory oversight. Rather than waiting for governments to take actions that thwart the development of digital currencies, they should lead efforts to put in place appropriate regulatory oversight for these new and innovative financial technologies. Recording and transfer of data to digital has been taking place for decadesfrom music to movies, cameras to computers. Money is no different. It will be digitized. The pace at which that occurs will be determined by how quickly those involved in digital currencies accept and adapt to a real regulation and adjust such currencies to better protect consumers and investors. Visionary leadership is needed. Without it, there's a mounting risk that more and more governments will simply banor over-regulatebitcoin and other digital currencies. Commentary by former US Trading Commissioner Bart Chilton. He is also the author of "Ponzimonium: How Scam Artists Are Ripping Off America." For more insight from CNBC contributors, follow @CNBCopinion on Twitter. Self-made billionaire Mark Cuban has a simple piece of money advice for those looking to build wealth: Don't use credit cards. "Cut up your credit cards. If you use a credit card, you don't want to be rich," the "Shark Tank" star wrote on his blog in 2008. "The first step to getting rich requires discipline." It's advice he wishes he had heard in his 20s, he told Business Insider: "That credit cards are the worst investment that you can make. That the money I save on interest by not having debt is better than any return I could possibly get by investing that money in the stock market. "I thought I would be a stock market genius. Until I wasn't. I should have paid off my cards every 30 days." North Korea's top diplomat issued a disparaging response to President Donald Trump on Thursday, likening his United Nations speech to "the sound of a barking dog." In his first speech to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, Trump said he would "totally destroy" North Korea if the isolated regime threatened the U.S. or its allies. "If he was thinking he could scare us with the sound of a dog barking, that's really a dog dream," Ri Yong Ho, North Korean Foreign minister, told reporters near the UN headquarters in New York. In Korean, a "dog dream" is one that typically refers to something absurd or unrealistic. decision to cancel around 2,000 flights due to staffing issues was the right operational decision but the issue was badly handled, the airline's chief executive admitted at its annual general meeting on Thursday. Since Saturday, the airline was forced to cancel thousands of flights between September 16 and the end of October as many of its pilots were taking annual leave, meaning there were not sufficient staff members to be on standby in case of unforeseen issues, according to CEO Michael O'Leary. To alleviate the problem, pilots have been offered a bonus of 12,000 euros ($14,282) to work an 10 additional days, according to Reuters. Ryanair has also recruited 125 pilots in the past two weeks. "There won't be more cancellations because of the rostering issues," O'Leary told the meeting, according to Reuters. However, there are reports that some of the pilots have rejected the bonus. This indicates that there are no quick fixes to solve this issue, warned Chris McCullough, CEO and co-founder at Rotageek. "Employees can be a company's biggest asset in a crisis but only if a good work culture has been fostered way before things go wrong. This problem isn't unique to Ryanair, and the airline industry needs to work together to tackle it. That starts with better scheduling and a change in how management work with staff," he told CNBC via email. "The right solution won't just help management, it will also benefit employees. Smart scheduling can help employees have real input into their own schedules, with the ability to mark their preferences and availability." The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission database that was hacked is decades old, former SEC attorney Scott Kimpel told CNBC on Thursday. The country's top regulator said on Wednesday it discovered last month that its corporate disclosure database was breached in 2016. It is currently investigating the matter, which may have resulted in hackers profiting by trading using insider information stolen from the system. Kimpel said there are various security systems that are put in place in the SEC's database. However, "you are dealing with a system that really was built in the 1980s and has been updated through patches over the last three decades," he said in an interview with "Power Lunch." "Certainly a sophisticated threat actor, be it a nation-state or organized crime or some other person with those sort of inclinations, could very easily find ways into the system." However, former SEC counsel Bradley Bondi told "Closing Bell" he was very surprised by the intrusion given the tight security in that part of the SEC's system. "What happened here was the equivalent of a hacker going into Fort Knox and stealing some gold bars," he said. Attorneys general from across the country have begun to file lawsuits that blame the opioid crisis on large drug manufacturers. Missouri AG Josh Hawley argued that his state's epidemic is the "direct result of a carefully crafted campaign of deception carried out by [the pharmaceutical companies]." Ohio AG Mike DeWine accused the industry of "unleashing a health-care crisis" and "fueling Ohio's opioid epidemic." Oklahoma AG Mike Hunter said that drug "companies are culpable for the tragic, heartbreaking number of Oklahomans who have become addicted or who have died as a result of the opioid epidemic in our state." As a doctor who is board-certified in addiction medicine and spent eight years treating the casualties of the opioid epidemic, I know firsthand that the causes of the crisis are much more complicated than Hawley, Dewine, Hunter, and their fellow attorneys general would have you believe. Mere corporate deceit didn't precipitate the epidemic. It was, rather, the result of a perfect storm of other factors: lax health-industry accreditation standards, the treatment of pain as a "fifth vital sign," the practices of insurance companies, and the transformation of our health-care system into what is essentially an assembly line. THE JOINT COMMISSION The Joint Commission is an independent board that accredits and certifies nearly 21,000 health-care organizations. When the commission says "Jump!" hospital administrators ask, "How high?" In 2001, the commission published its Pain Management Standards, which required providers to ask every patient about his pain. The consensus at the time was that doctors were doing too little to treat patient pain. Since that time, opioid prescriptions have surged, helping to create the current crisis. More from National Review: Eric Schneiderman needs to recuse himself from Trump investigations Another chance on health care A Donald Trump speech, a Barack Obama foreign policy Unfortunately, the Joint Commission has refused to acknowledge any responsibility for encouraging doctors to prescribe more opiates. The Physicians for Responsible Opioid Prescribing (PROP), an education and advocacy organization, requested that the Joint Commission change its pain standards. PROP argued that the "Pain Management Standards foster dangerous pain control practices, the endpoint of which is often the inappropriate provision of opioids with disastrous adverse consequences for individuals, families and communities." The commission instead disavowed any link between its Pain Management Standards and opioid overprescribing. UP NEXT See which countries clicked on ISIS propaganda the most This is unfortunate, because just as the Pain Management Standards have contributed to the opioid crisis, new commission policies could become part of the solution. Instead of requiring providers to treat their patients' pain more aggressively, they could require the aggressive provision of alternatives to pain pills, and hospitals would be forced to comply. THE FIFTH VITAL SIGN In 1996, the American Pain Society designated pain as the fifth "vital sign" that doctors should use to detect or monitor medical problems. Doctors don't test or measure anything without intent to treat, and so making patient pain the fifth vital sign obligated them to address it. Pain control thus effectively became a measure of patient satisfaction, which is sometimes tied to a physician's compensation. Yet aggressively treating pain does not invariably result in good medical care. The other four vital signs blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, and temperature can be measured in reproducible numbers. Pain cannot, which means that doctors have only their patients' often-unreliable perceptions to go on when determining its severity and how to treat it. Yet aggressively treating pain does not invariably result in good medical care. The other four vital signs blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, and temperature can be measured in reproducible numbers. Pain cannot, which means that doctors have only their patients' often-unreliable perceptions to go on when determining its severity and how to treat it. In recent years, the American Medical Association and others have started to recommend dropping pain as the fifth vital sign. That would be a helpful first step, but I'm afraid much of the damage is already done. Categorizing pain as the fifth vital sign conditioned patients to expect that providers would "normalize" it in the same way that they normalize the other four vital signs. They have, in other words, come to expect an opioid prescription. State licensing boards already require doctors to obtain a certain number of hours of continuing education each year. If medical licensing boards started mandating pain-management courses as part of those hours, doctors could better serve their patients by recommending non-opioid treatment options for pain. State licensing boards already require doctors to obtain a certain number of hours of continuing education each year. If medical licensing boards started mandating pain-management courses as part of those hours, doctors could better serve their patients by recommending non-opioid treatment options for pain. INSURANCE COMPANIES While pain specialists advocate using alternative treatments (steroid injections, spinal blocks, or physical therapy) to address chronic pain, primary-care doctors have been treating the problem with opioids. Insurance companies pay for primary-care office visits and for the patient's pain-pill prescription, but they may not cover specialist visits or alternative treatments. Faced with an out-of-pocket charge they can't afford, patients may have to chose between living in pain or taking the opioids their doctor offers. Understandably, many patients choose the latter, exposing them to a plethora of side effects and the risk of addiction. Assigning social workers to direct patients to addiction-medicine providers in their area, improving reimbursement for primary-care providers treating addictions, and including coverage for alternative treatments would all improve patient care and decrease costs. THE BUSINESS OF MEDICINE As larger medical centers gobbled up private practices, doctors lost control of their autonomy as well as their appointment books. Today, employed doctors are paid based on the number of patients they see in a day and the medical conditions they see those patients for. Stanford addiction specialist Anna Lembke, the author of Drug Dealer, MD, describes this process as "the Toyotazation of medicine." A patient's time spent with their doctor has become as much about meeting production quotas as about patient care. The incorporation of the electronic medical record has become a significant factor in this production process. Studies have shown that physicians now spend 37 percent of each patient's appointment time just documenting the visit. I once saw a patient in the E.R. who came to be treated for hiccups. It took 137 clicks of my computer mouse before I'd satisfied that patient's encounter-documentation requirements. Medicare should consider reducing such unreasonable and burdensome requirements. Doctors need more face-to-face time with their patients. OTHER CONTRIBUTING FACTORS There's plenty of blame to go around when it comes to America's opioid epidemic. More than 30 percent of Americans have some form of chronic or acute pain, and the incidence of chronic pain in older adults has been estimated at 40 percent. In the absence of an accepted consensus around how to best manage pain, opioids became the go-to treatment. The genetic and environmental factors that place certain populations at greater risk for prescription-drug dependency combined with the fact that half of the 20 million adults in the U.S. who experience a substance-abuse disorder have co-occurring mental illness have made the resulting spike in opioid addiction that much harder to address. Big Pharma may certainly have contributed to the crisis, too. But it is a calculated overreach to suggest that the industry's "campaign of deception" is solely to blame. We all bear collective responsibility for the problem, and we will all need to bear collective responsibility for solving it. Once you've sailed into a storm, you need all hands on deck to get through it. Commentary by Glenn W. Simon D.O., is a primary-care provider at the Kansas City Veterans Administration and a fellow of the American Board of Addiction Medicine. For more insight from CNBC contributors, follow @CNBCopinion on Twitter. 2017 National Review. Used with permission. The GOP proposal would represent a massive money shift from one group of states to another. Roughly two-thirds of the states would see a combined loss of more than a $250 billion between 2020 and 2026, according to the Kaiser analysis. At the same time, a third of the states would pick up nearly $70 billion in new funding during that four-year period. The biggest losers by far would be California and New York, which would lose a combined $114 billion over four years, roughly half the total cuts. Both are heavily Democratic states that opted to expand Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act. The biggest winner could be Texas, a Republican state that did not expand Medicaid coverage, which would pick up more than $28 billion in new funding under the Graham Cassidy bill. The remaining funding gainers, including Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, South Carolina, Missouri and Wisconsin, are largely red states. The realignment would be generated by several provisions in the proposal, including a shift in funding from the current Medicaid reimbursement formula to a set of fixed block grants. The bill also caps the amount of federal Medicaid funding for the states and eliminates funding provided under the Affordable Care Act. It remains to be seen whether the proposal can capture the 51 votes needed to win approval in the Senate. Democrats are uniformly opposed and a handful of GOP senators have expressed reservations about the bill. Hurricane Maria, a category 3, thrashed parts of the Dominican Republic with heavy rain and high winds as it passed off its east coast this morning after making a direct hit on Puerto Rico that caused severe flooding and cut power to almost all the island. (Reuters) The wiggling fingers of a young girl trapped in the quake rubble of her collapsed school in Mexico City raised hopes and prodded rescuers to work furiously hour after hour early this morning. At least 245 people have been killed after a powerful temblor struck the capital. (AP) Senate Republicans announced plans to vote next week on their latest bid to scuttle Obamacare even as a popular comedian who has become part of the U.S. healthcare debate denounced the bill. Former President Obama warned of "real human suffering." (Reuters & CNBC) *Sen. Graham overheard on phone call imploring colleague to vote for GOP health bill (AP) *Trump endorses GOP senators' last-ditch Obamacare repeal plan (CNBC) President Trump was met with silence when he congratulated the leaders of African countries on the continent's economic progress, telling them, "I've so many friends going to your countries, trying to get rich. I congratulate you. They're spending a lot of money." (CNBC) S&P Global Ratings downgraded China's long-term sovereign credit rating by one notch to A+ from AA-, citing increasing risks from the country's rapid build-up of credit. S&P's downgrade follows a similar demotion by Moody's Investors Service in May. (Reuters) Hackers roamed Equifax's computer network for more than four months before the company's security team uncovered the data breach, the Wall Street Journal has learned. Equifax sent the information in a note to some of its customers. *Equifax tweets sent breach victims to phishing site (CNBC) *Why the United States was wide open to a disaster like Equifax (CNBC) The Securities and Exchange Commission disclosed that hackers penetrated its electronic system for storing public-company filings in 2016 and could have traded on the information. In a statement, SEC Chair Jay Clayton didn't provide much detail about the intrusion. (WSJ) Twitter will meet with the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence staff next week in relation to inquiries into the 2016 U.S. election. The committee, along with other congressional committees and special counsel Robert Mueller, is investigating possible links between Trump's campaign and Russia. (Reuters) President Donald Trump's former campaign chair Paul Manafort, who appears to be in the sights of a Robert Mueller's Russia investigation, had quite a bit to tweet about last year. Manafort, who joined Twitter in March 2016 but didn't tweet for the first time until June of that year, didn't shy away from tweets about Russia during the year. But the nature of those tweetsand how some were aimed squarely at Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clintonmight surprise you. Fortune on Thursday analyzed Manafort's 160 tweets, published between June and December 2016, to identify any commentary he might have had about Russia. More from Fortune: SEC discloses breach that may have enabled insider trading Puerto Rico is powerless Melania Trump's anti-bullying speech at the UN prompts cries of irony Here's what we discovered. The first time Russia was ever mentioned in Manafort's timeline was in July 2016, when he complained of Democrats hurling an "attack" on Russia for allegedly hacking the national committee. He went on to use the tweet to target Clinton, who he said, "put national security at risk." @PaulManafort: Dems attack Russia for hacking them but want us to believe that server in HC home was safe from hacking.HC put national security at risk! Just days later on July 27, Manafort retweeted a comment from his boss, then-candidate Donald Trump, who called on "Russia or any other country" to share Hillary Clinton emails with the FBI. Manafort retweeted the post without comment. Critics say Brownback's tax experiment reflects why similar cuts proposed by the Trump administration may not stimulate the economy. 2017 the Kansas State Legislature reversed the experiment, reinstating taxes for pass-throughs. The reason: The tax cuts caused the state to have a budget shortfall in the billions. watch now Nearly five years ago the state of Kansas underwent what was dubbed a real live "experiment" in tax reform when Republican Gov. Sam Brownback enacted a tax package that brought down personal income-tax rates and also eliminated income tax for pass-through entities. These included LLCs, S-corps, partnerships, farms and sole proprietorships. The idea was to stimulate the local economy with spending, hiring and small-business growth. The majority of small businesses in America are structured as pass-throughs, passing through their business income to owners who are then taxed at the individual level. Entrepreneurs like Kelly McCracken, owner of Amazing Smiles of Kansas City, saw savings of thousands of dollars a year under Brownback's cuts, allowing her to invest in her business. For her company the experiment worked as planned. "We hired other small businesses to help with our website and SEO, we hired another employee and most recently made a durable equipment purchase," she said. For Kelly McCracken, owner of Amazing Smiles of Kansas City, Gov. Brownback's tax-reform plan provided big savings; others say his cuts drained the state's economy. Harriet Taylor | CNBC But in June of 2017, the Kansas State Legislature reversed the experiment, reinstating taxes for pass-throughs. The reason: The tax cuts caused the state to have a budget shortfall in the billions in less than five years, according to the Tax Foundation, a Washington, D.C.- based advocacy group. The Tax Foundation also claimed that the cumulative budget deficits in fiscal 2018 and 2019 alone were $850 million. The experiment also drained funding for the school system, state pensions and road maintenance. Under the reversal, individual rates range from 2.9 percent to 5.2 percent and will increase again in 2018. Businesses like McCracken's also have to pay retroactive taxes for 2017. For protection, she's taken out a line of credit while she plans what's next for her company. Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback addresses the media about the legislative session during a press conference on June 16, 2015, at the Kansas Statehouse in Topeka. Chris Neal | The Topeka Capital-Journal | AP "Just a few thousand dollars alters your usable income for the year. It greatly impacts these decisions we made just months ago, without the plan or knowledge this was going to be coming in the future," she said. What went wrong Critics of Brownback's plan say it reflects why similar cuts proposed by the Trump administration bringing the business tax rate to 15 percent from a top rate of 39.6 percent and including pass-through businesses in that bracket may not stimulate the economy. In May, prior to the tax cuts being reversed, Brownback told CNBC the state had seen "record small-business creation in the last five years" and claimed that the conversion rate of C-corps to LLCs in order to benefit from the tax breaks was no higher than usual. "So I think, as a strategy it's the right strategy, and that's how you grow the country, and that's how you grow the state," Brownback said. Trump's target of 15 percent "might really be the right point to be able to stimulate growth." The governor's office did not respond to repeated requests for comment. The Tax Foundation reported that new business filings grew 11 percent between 2012 and 2014 and another 10 percent through 2016, adding that new pass-through businesses were being set up at a fast rate under the new policy. The investment in the future of Kansas has been put off and kicked down the road so that a few extremely wealthy individuals have been able to save money on their Kansas taxes. John Gibson Kansas Democratic Party Chair State Democratic Party Chair John Gibson, who was against the experiment, said that while the cuts were supposed to "turbocharge" the state's economy, the opposite has happened and it's instead lagging behind neighboring states, like Nebraska and Missouri. "We have not seen those benefits, and what we have seen, unfortunately, are our schools getting shortchanged, our highway fund being raided," he said. "Really, the investment in the future of Kansas has been put off and kicked down the road so that a few extremely wealthy individuals have been able to save money on their Kansas taxes." President Donald Trump is proposing similar cuts bringing the business tax rate to 15 percent from a top rate of 39.6 percent and including pass-through businesses in that bracket . Shannon Stapleton | Reuters President Donald Trump addresses the 72nd Annual UN General Assembly in New York on September 19, 2017. Getty Images On September 19, President Donald Trump gave his first speech to the United Nations General Assembly. His harsh rhetoric toward North Korea stood out mostly because he threatened to obliterate the country of 25.4 million people. "No nation on Earth has an interest in seeing this band of criminals arm itself with nuclear weapons and missiles," Trump said, referring to the regime of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. "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 continued, using his new favorite nickname for Kim. More from Vox: Where you can donate to help with hurricane and earthquake relief and recovery The far right's "Free Speech Week" at UC Berkeley, explained While chairing Trump campaign, Manafort tried to set up private briefings for a Russian billionaire Trump clearly believes that using this kind of belligerent rhetoric to threaten North Korea is the best way to get Kim to back down. But is it? Or does this kind of saber rattling only serve to increase the tension and make war more likely? To find out, I reached out to eight North Korea experts and asked them for their reactions to the president's remarks. Several said that Trump's threat to "totally destroy" North Korea was counterproductive and might encourage Kim to continue his nuclear and missile programs. Melissa Hanham, senior research associate in the East Asia Nonproliferation Program at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterrey, merely responded with a photo of Edvard Munch's famous painting The Scream. A few noted that it was similar to what other presidents, including President Obama, have said before. Several also expressed concern over the ambiguity of the threat that it wasn't clear if what, exactly, Trump was willing to do. Only one expert I talked to felt Trump's comment was a net positive. Matthew Kroenig told me that the president's comments "reinforced the deterrence message." The experts' full responses, lightly edited for clarity and style, are below. Trump's comments were dangerous Jeffrey Lewis, director of the East Asia nonproliferation program, Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey I think it's important to understand why these remarks are so dangerous. I keep seeing people defending Trump, saying, "Who cares of we hurt Kim Jong Un's feelings?" That totally misses the point. Trump's remarks make two mistakes. First, they actively aid North Korea's propaganda because a lot of people in Japan and South Korea will conclude that Trump is as much the problem as Kim. Americans seldom pay attention to politics in allied countries, but they can be tremendously important. Second, Trump is basically creating audience costs for Kim to back down. If you dare Kim, it creates pressure for him to respond with his own provocation. The last time we saw the North Koreans let a Trump threat pass, it was the comment about the intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test not happening. In hindsight, it's clear North Korea didn't forget; it just took them time to be ready. Trump acting like a fool isn't the end of the world at least he didn't pull the nuclear codes out of his jacket and wave them around but it does make our North Korea policy incrementally more difficult. Kingston Reif, director for disarmament and threat reduction policy, Arms Control Association First, the statement that "Rocket Man is on a suicide mission" is another alarming data point suggesting that the president does not believe Kim is rational or can be deterred. This follows on McMaster claiming last month that "classical deterrence theory" doesn't apply to North Korea. Never mind that there is no good reason to believe that North Korea can't be deterred and contained, though of course this approach won't be easy or risk-free. If the administration truly believes that North Korea can't be deterred and that a nuclear-armed ICBM is unacceptable, then preventive military action becomes much more likely. Second, Trump's threatening and bombastic rhetoric will only serve to reinforce the view in Pyongyang that it must retain and augment its nuclear capabilities to prevent a US attack. It will also likely make it easier for North Korea to make this case to China. Trying to "out-Kim Jong Un" Kim Jong Un is not a winning strategy. Third, Trump missed an important opportunity to appeal to the international community to better implement existing sanctions and support efforts for a realistic, negotiated solution. Pressure and threats alone won't convince North Korea to change course. As President John F. Kennedy said following the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis: "Above all, while defending our own vital interests, nuclear powers must avert those confrontations which bring an adversary to the choice of either a humiliating defeat or a nuclear war." Fourth, in trashing the Iran deal and threatening to unravel it, not only is Trump courting a second major nonproliferation crisis but he is putting a negotiated solution to reduce the North Korean threat even further out of reach. If Trump unravels the deal, Kim will understandably conclude that the United States can't be counted on to live up any agreement he might strike with it. Vipin Narang, associate professor of political science, MIT A lot is being made [about] the "totally destroy" language, but it followed "if [the US] is forced to defend itself or its allies" so it was still a retaliatory threat. The concern is that the standard formulation "effective and overwhelming" is a bit more calibrated and allows for flexibility in response. To threaten to "totally destroy" North Korea in retaliation for behavior we find unacceptable seems to imply a devastating nuclear response. But we don't know, and that's the problem. North Korea, the US, and its allies understand what "effective and overwhelming" means. We are left to guess if there is daylight between that and "totally destroy." Maybe there is, maybe there isn't. But that ambiguity does not do much to enhance deterrence, which requires clarity and consistency. Melissa Hanham, senior research associate in the East Asia nonproliferation program, Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey 'The Scream' by Edvard Munch. Getty Images Mira Rapp-Hooper, senior fellow, Yale Law School I was disturbed by the president's remarks on North Korea. While the phrasing of his threat to destroy North Korea was unfortunate, Trump actually made that threat contingent: North Korea would be destroyed if it attacked the US or its allies. This is not inconsistent with threats made by past presidents. I was chilled by his contention that "Rocket Man is on a suicide mission," because if Trump believes Kim to be suicidal, that implies the North Korean leader is neither rational or deterrable and may constitute a case for preventive war. We don't know if the president believes this or is using it to put pressure on the Chinese, but either way, it's dangerous. I expect that National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster, Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, and the president have reminded us that there are military options because they are at least seriously considering some. Ultimately, I do believe the national security team will conclude that the risks of a military operations are catastrophic, the benefits quite limited, and that some combination of containment, deterrence, sanctions, and eventual diplomacy are strictly preferable. Trump's comments weren't that different from what previous US presidents have said Harry Kazianis, director of defense studies, Center for the National Interest While what Trump said has been said by President Obama, with the wording being different and in a different format, making remarks at the UN that America would "destroy" North Korea if we or our allies are attacked creates many questions. For example, if Kim Jong Un were to attack with conventional weapons, does that mean we would launch a nuclear strike the only way to really destroy a country? Or does that mean we would invade? What if North Korea launched a nuclear attack? Would we attack every military base and city with nuclear weapons in response? The wording, being vague on purpose, was also repeated on Sunday by [UN Ambassador] Nikki Haley, so that means this was a coordinated strategy in someway. My guess is that team Trump is trying to keep Kim off balance, to make him wonder what we will do if he escalates. I would argue it's time for policy specifics and time to stop using such blunt statements. Zachary Keck, Wohlstetter public affairs fellow, Nonproliferation Policy Education Center This was basic American foreign policy with Trumpian characteristics. Nothing he said was much different substantively from any of his predecessors. It was just said with more colorful language, although he did highlight North Korea's kidnapping of Japanese citizens, which is something Tokyo has long pushed the United States to do. He was right to do this. That said, I didn't think it was appropriate to talk about destroying another country at the UN General Assembly. Trump's comments were a net positive President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order expanding his authority to target people and institutions that do business with North Korea. Through the measure, the president aims to cut off the communist dictatorship's funding and deter its nuclear and missile ambitions amid a string of recent tests and provocations. "North Korea's nuclear weapons and missile development is a grave threat to peace and security in our world and it is unacceptable that others financially support this criminal, rogue regime," Trump said before a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean President Moon Jae-in. "Our new executive order will cut off sources of revenue that fund North Korea's efforts to develop the deadliest weapons known to humankind. The order enhances the Treasury Department's authorities to target any individual or entity that conducts significant trade in goods, services or technology with North Korea." The isolated nation has tested ballistic missiles and an apparent hydrogen bomb in recent weeks in the face of international economic sanctions and warnings. On Tuesday, Trump told the U.N. General Assembly that the U.S. "will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea" if it is forced to defend itself or its allies. Even by Mr Bannon's standards, Mr Moore is an incendiary figure. A judge who has twice been removed from the bench for injudicious behaviour, Mr Moore believes God is punishing America for its sins. He vows to end the "reign" of Mitch McConnell, the Republican Senate leader, if he wins. It is the kind of bomb throwing in which Mr Trump specialises. Polls show Mr Moore with a double-digit lead over Mr Strange. The president hopes to reverse those numbers on Friday when he will appear in Alabama with the relatively sedate Mr Strange. His gamble may well fail. Mr Trump's pride is at stake as is the direction of his presidency. It is a gamble Mr Trump did not have to take. On one side of the Alabama primary is Luther Strange, the sitting senator, whom the Republican establishment convinced Mr Trump to endorse. On the other is Roy Moore, the insurgent challenger, who is vowing to drain the Washington swamp, as Mr Trump earlier did. Mr Moore is backed by Steve Bannon , Mr Trump's former chief strategist and architect of his 2016 campaign. It has been barely a month since Mr Bannon was ejected from the White House. He is already on an opposing side to the president. Mr Bannon's team includes Sarah Palin , the former governor of Alaska, and Sebastian Gorka, another hardline former adviser to Mr Trump, who also was ejected last month. So far their horse is in the lead. At stake in Alabama's Republican primary election is the loyalty of the president's base. Are they set on humbling America's establishment come what may, as Mr Trump originally promised? Or is their allegiance to the president as a person, regardless of what he does? Next week will test the theory of Mr Trump's base. Alabama is the laboratory. It has been a while since America's Deep South held any sway over the country's future. Whatever Alabama's voters decide next week will have a strong impact on Donald Trump 's state of mind. It is almost like one of Mr Trump's reality shows. Which Mr Trump does Alabama want? The demagogue or the dealmaker? It is fair to say most Americans would prefer the latter. But Alabama Republicans, like the president's base, are untypical of most of America. Either outcome will be clarifying. Shortly after Mr Bannon was fired, Mr Trump sent mixed signals on whether he would stick to his original campaign promise. First he announced that within six months he would start deporting "Dreamers" those who came to the US illegally as children unless Congress said otherwise. The right applauded. Shortly after that he said he was open to a deal with Democrats that would legalise the Dreamers' status. Mr Trump hinted he might even drop his insistence on funding for the Mexican border wall. The right erupted in fury. Breitbart News, Mr Bannon's disruptive website, branded the president "Amnesty Don". Alabama's Republicans will now decide if their loyalty is to Mr Trump or to the cause on which he campaigned. It is almost like one of Mr Trump's reality shows. Which Mr Trump does Alabama want? The demagogue or the dealmaker? It is fair to say most Americans would prefer the latter. But Alabama Republicans, like the president's base, are untypical of most of America. Mr Bannon's goal is to force Mr Trump to stick to his campaign message. In his view, the president has no core ideology: he responds to market signals. Applause is the key index. In the past few weeks Mr Trump has won ovations from Washington centrists and cable shows, such as Morning Joe. Should this continue, he could acquire a taste for bipartisanship, which would damage Mr Bannon's cause. Mr Trump could start doing deals with Democrats. Worse, he could become an establishment Republican. Mr Bannon's aim is to save Mr Trump from himself. The backdrop is an America in which two-party politics is decomposing. The gulf between the Democratic moneyed elites and its grassroots is also widening. Do not expect Mr Trump to settle on any grand strategy. He is both a symptom and personification of America's political breakdown. If his candidate prevails in Alabama next week, the battle will shift to other races. There are bitter Republican primaries brewing in Mississippi, Nevada and Arizona. Mr Trump has yet to decide whether to endorse the incumbents or Mr Bannon's insurgents. Given his fickle nature, the president is unlikely to stick to any battle plan for long. By contrast, Mr Bannon is digging in for the strategic long haul. Even after being cast out, his influence remains. This week Mr Trump gave the most nationalist speech yet delivered by a US president to the UN general assembly. It could have been written by Mr Bannon. Every time Mr Trump wanders off script, Mr Bannon will give him a reason to think twice. Though Mr Trump was speaking to fellow leaders in New York, his audience was at home in sweet Alabama. More from the Financial Times: Poland pins hopes on electric-vehicle future Commercial property investors descend on booming Bucharest Russia to nationalise big private lender B&N Yellen's comments in Jackson Hole last month were about financial stability, and she detailed how the financial system was globally "a dangerous place 10 years ago." She emphasized that regulatory action and legislation returned the banking system to health, and the U.S. was a leader in that effort. "It makes sense [Warsh] has some ties to the Trump people," said Horizon Investment's chief global strategist Greg Valliere. "I would say that Yellen's chances have faded because of that speech at Jackson Hole. I think Trump wants somebody that's anti-regulation, and she's clearly not." Kevin Warsh, a former Fed governor, is increasingly seen as the replacement for Fed Chair Janet Yellen , who has not been shy about putting herself at odds with President Donald Trump's views on banking deregulation. Warsh, long seen as a candidate for Fed chair, has been gaining momentum in the betting markets, and in the minds of Fed watchers, after White House top economist Gary Cohn fell out of the top slot. Cohn, the director of the National Economic Council, had been seen as a front-runner until he was critical of the president's reaction to violence by white nationalists in Charlottesville, Virginia. Yellen and Warsh are now running neck and neck on the PredictIt betting website, with Cohn a distant third. Politico points out that Warsh's ties to the White House are strong. He is married to the granddaughter of Estee Lauder, and is son-in-law of Ronald Lauder, a longtime close business associate of Trump. The article also noted Warsh's ties to Wall Street. Warsh spent seven years at Morgan Stanley, where he was vice president in the mergers and acquisitions department, before joining the Bush White House in 2002 as an economic policy advisor. Four years later, he was appointed to the Federal Reserve at age 35, the youngest governor ever. Warsh was also a member of President Trump's now disbanded Strategic and Policy forum, a group of mainly CEOs who were working with the White House on economic and policy issues. According to one observer, Warsh had credibility with the group and "acted like a Fed chairman." "I think Kevin Warsh has a very good chance. He's a former Fed governor. He was there during the crisis. He knows why they did what they did. He didn't agree with the post-crisis continual unconventional policy. He's been very critical of the Fed forecasts. If anyone is going to come in as a non-economist and be able to challenge the Fed staff, it would be Warsh," said Diane Swonk, CEO of DS Economics. President Donald Trump has said Yellen was a possibility, but the Fed chair, during her press briefing Wednesday, declined to comment on whether she would be interested in staying on. "I have said that I intend to serve out my term as chair and that I'm really not going to comment on my intentions beyond that. I will say that I have not had a further meeting with President Trump. I met with him early in my term, and I've not had a further meeting with him," Yellen said. Last week, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Yellen was a potential candidate but there were lots of "great people" being interviewed. Trump said Yellen was doing a "good job" in July, when he also mentioned Cohn as a possible replacement. Also reported to have been considered are Stanford University economist John Taylor, former Fed governor Lawrence Lindsey, and former BB&T CEO John Allison. Also believed to be in the running is Randal Quarles, nominated by Trump as the first-ever Fed vice chair for supervision. He awaits confirmation by the Senate. "I suspect that perceptions are changing about the possibility of Yellen returning because she continues to stick her heels in on regulatory issues. Trump wants to deregulate, and Yellen's made it clear that's a line in the sand and she repeated that yesterday and made it clear her position was quite different than President Trump. That creates an awkward situation on both sides here," said Ward McCarthy, chief financial economist at Jefferies. "The president is going to want to appoint someone who is going to embrace his deregulatory aspirations and she may not want the job if she's going to be pushed in that direction." At a press briefing after the Fed released its post-meeting statement Wednesday, Yellen did comment about keeping tougher rules in force. "We put in place, since the financial crisis, a set of core reforms that have strengthened the financial system. And in my personal view, it's important they remain in place. And those core reforms are: more capital, higher quality capital, more liquidity, especially in systemically important banking institutions. Stress testing and resolution plans, and those four prongs of improvements in banking supervision have really strengthened the financial system," Yellen said at the briefing. Swonk said the Fed chair has a lot of latitude to regulate within the law, and the next chairman could have a more laissez-faire attitude about regulating banks even if Dodd-Frank legislation remains in place. "You can tweak things like the Volcker rule in your interpretation of the law, and that's where personnel-driven deregulation comes into play," she said. "It's the nuancehow much regulation. How far do we regulate? What do we consider bank capital? All of those things fall into a gray area." McCarthy said Warsh would be different on the regulatory front but also possibly on the latest steps the Fed announced to unwind its massive $4.5 trillion balance sheet. The Fed announced a process of winding it down by tapering the amount of purchases it makes on a monthly basis to cover maturing Treasury and mortgage securities. By next year, its goal is to reduce the amount of purchases by $50 billion a month, which would allow for a gradual shrinking of the balance sheet. "What Kevin Warsh, I think, primarily represents is a change in the regulatory environment, and Kevin Warsh has been one of the harshest critics of the Fed's expansion of the balance sheet. The primary questions were he to be appointed, you'd have to wonder if the current balance sheet normalization process happens fast enough to make him happy," said McCarthy. He said the program may be difficult to change if it proves to work once it's in place. "If I were in her shoes, I would be disinclined to come back, not just because of the regulatory issues but because she's accomplished so much. She finished tapering. She started rate normalization and now she started balance sheet normalization," said McCarthy. Strategists have said they have been surprised by how much guidance the Fed provided on the balance sheet reduction ahead of the announcement, and there's been little market reaction to it. "I think there are a lot of people like me who get frustrated with her periodic bouts of indecision. They did this [balance sheet reduction plan], McCarthy said. "Her record on rate normalization has been a little more spotty. I think it's the right thing to do and she deserves a lot of credit for pulling forward balance sheet normalization. They were talking about it for 2018. She pulled it forward, and she pulled it off." [The stream is slated to start at 4:30 p.m. ET. Please refresh the page if you do not see a player above at that time.] U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley will address , which target foreign banks that do business with North Korean companies, nationals or the regime of Kim Jong Un. Secretary of the Treasury Steve Mnuchin announced the sanctions earlier in the day, telling reporters that foreign banks "can choose to do business with the United States, or with North Korea, but not both." The new sanctions came just hours after reports emerged that the Bank of China will stop doing business with North Korea, the most serious sign to date that Beijing is unwilling to accept North Korea's recent increase in missile launches and bomb tests. As a kid, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos learned an important lesson from his grandfather: Kindness is just as important as intelligence in order to be successful. Bezos, who was briefly the richest person in the world, learned this lesson one summer when spending time with his grandparents on their Texas ranch when he was ten years old. The self-made billionaire, who Forbes estimates is worth $82.6 billion, recounted the story during baccalaureate remarks he made at Princeton University. As a child, he said he was obsessed with math and would find any reason to show off his prowess with numbers. He would calculate everything, including gas mileage, useless statistics and grocery spending. One day, while sitting in the back of his grandparents' car, he overheard an ad on the radio, which said that every puff of a cigarette takes minutes off your total lifespan. Bezos said his grandmother was a smoker, which he hated, so he decided to calculate the number of years she had taken off her life thus far. "I estimated the number of cigarettes per days, estimated the number of puffs per cigarette and so on," Bezos told the graduating class. "When I was satisfiedI poked my head into the front of the car, tapped my grandmother on the shoulder and proudly proclaimed, 'At two minutes per puff, you've taken nine years off your life!'" he explained. Bezos sat expectantly as he waited to be applauded for his wit and "arithmetic skills." Instead, he said, his grandmother burst into tears. His grandfather pulled over to the side of the road, got out of the car and waited for his grandson to exit the vehicle, Bezos recalls. He then told him, "Jeff, one day you'll understand that it's harder to be kind than clever." Bezos told the Princeton grads that there is a difference between using gifts, such as intelligence, and making choices in life. "Cleverness is a gift, kindness is a choice," said Bezos. Although being smart comes in handy, kindness is invaluable to achieving your career goals, he says. He left the graduates with these final thoughts: "Gifts are easy they're given after all. Choices can be hard. You can seduce yourself with your gifts if you're not careful, and if you do, it'll probably be to the detriment of your choices." Like this story? Like CNBC Make It on Facebook See also: A top Amazon recruiter reveals her No. 1 tip for more successful job interviews Billionaires Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates say they work best after a full night's rest An Amazon recruiter reveals how to get a job at the online retailer 197 Fortune Global 500 companies tap Huawei for success in new ICT era Huawei, and its Fortune Global 500 partners and customers showcased jointly-developed ICT solutions driving digital transformation at HUAWEI CONNECT 2017, which kicked off 5 Sep in Shanghai. Huawei also unveiled its "Platform + Connection + Ecosystem" strategy designed to promote development of an enterprise-level Internet of Things (IoT). Enterprises are increasingly focused on gaining competitive advantage through digital transformation and many Fortune Global 500 companies across a wide range of industries are at the forefront of this transition. Their challenge is to develop new business models that increase connection and engagement. What's needed is a digital transformation platform that connects intelligence, data, and devices, enabling them to increase engagement with partners and develop applications that foster innovation. "Huawei is working with customers and partners to develop innovative, differentiated and leading solutions, and create an open, secure and agile platform for enterprises to achieve digital transformation," said Diana Yuan, President of Marketing and Solution Sales for Huawei's Enterprise Business Group. "As an innovation-oriented company, Huawei is speeding up implementation of its own digitization strategy and will share its best practices with the industry. Huawei Enterprise Business Group's capabilities are steadily growing, helping customers gain a competitive advantage and achieve business success through digital transformation. To date, 197 companies on the Fortune Global 500 list and 45 of the top 100 enterprises have chosen Huawei as their partner for digital transformation, a testimony to the strength of our strategy and solutions." This site has only once given its comment slot, first thing in the morning, to a single writer for a whole working week. We did so during the summer for Charlie Elphickes Ready on Day One for Brexit series. Our reason was that the biggest electoral test for the Government as we leave the EU an event only 18 months away will not be the outcome of the talks, but whether life continues more or less as usual afterwards. Whether the UK trades tariff-free with the EU, say, will have little immediate impact on voters. Whether they can catch flights to Ibiza or Marbella, or goods and products can get into the country and onto shop shelves, or lorries can travel as usual on the M20 into Dover, is a very different matter. They wont notice whether there is a hard or soft Brexit. But they will and in spades if there isnt a frictionless one, to borrow the jargon. Think back to the fuel crisis of 2000, when lorries staged go-slows, oil refineries were blocked, bus companies cut back services, forecourt staff tried to ration petrol, panic buying broke out in supermarkets, and emergency distribution powers were sanctioned. Then ask yourself not whether worse will happen in 2019, but whether it could. And if so, what Ministers are doing to ensure that it doesnt? Part of the answer is that guaranteeing a smooth Brexit isnt altogether in their power. The legal arrangements that will govern aircraft landing slots, or importing parts for nuclear reactors, or the workings of the banking system, will flow from an agreement between the UK and the EU which cant be delivered from one side of the table only. But there is action that the Government must take whether there is such an agreement or not. And others are now exploring some of the questions that Elphicke raised. Over at Newsnight, Chris Cook asks whether there will be sufficient space in ports, enough customs officers and computer systems that work and on time. And at the Daily Telegraph, Allister Heath argues that DEXU isnt up to the job of overseeing the necessary preparations, and that Theresa May should move the whole operation to Downing Street, and take personal charge of it herself abandoning much of the rest of government. Parts of his piece mirror the case being put on Twitter by Dominic Cummings (of Vote Leave fame). So how is government planning for the practicalities? If one believes that Brexit is the greatest national task since the Second World War as it is one looks to find a small group of Ministers who are the equivalent of Churchills War Cabinet. The nearest equivalent is the Cabinet sub-committee on EU Exit and Trade (negotiations). This is one of a four-part structure of Cabinet committees and sub-committees dealing with Brexit, and has five members only: Theresa May, David Davis, Philip Hammond, Amber Rudd and Boris Johnson. Bits of its proceedings have leaked (for example, over how to handle immigration post-Brexit). DEXU is then tasked with ensuring that implementation happens. There is a twin problem with this structure. First, Whitehall tends only to act when Downing Street is on its back, straining every effort to drive measures through. No department has anything like the same status. Second, Davis must necessarily focus much of his energy on the negotiations. Add the stresses and strains of setting up a new department from scratch, and one sees why Elphicke and others are so concerned. Perhaps it would have been better for Number Ten to take full charge at the start. But here one rubs up against the instincts of Theresa May and her Number Ten teams, past and present. The received wisdom in Downing Street is that she and her government must not be defined by Brexit because, although there is still a majority for it, voters remain focused on the bread-and-butter issues that affect them and their families: living standards, public services, jobs and so on. It is useless to protest that Brexit will shape the future of all these, and that its effects are already being felt, for good and ill. Number Ten and Ministers will answer that it is no use telling people what they dont want to hear. They have a point. Less than six months ago, the Prime Minister went to the polls for a Brexit mandatebut those day-to-day issues had at least as decisive an effect on the result. May is determined to give those burning injustices much of her attention, and until or unless she decides otherwise DEXU is in the lead. There are signs of change. Ollie Robbins move from DEXU, where he was Permanent Secretary, to the Cabinet Office has been read as a sign of Downing Street taking back control. Less attention has been paid to some of the work going on below the radar, such as the joint efforts that HMRC and the Home Office are now putting in on future migration management. Furthermore, ConservativeHome understands that some announcements on Brexit readiness have been held over until after the Prime Ministers speech in Florence tomorrow. None the less, structural and political problems endure. Until or unless the Government can provide more evidence that it will be Ready on Day One, we should not assume that it will be rather the reverse. And unless or until this happens, our EU interlocuters will assume that May doesnt mean it when she says that no deal is better than a bad deal. The DEXU Select Committee should be all over these issues like the proverbial rash. So should other select committees who have a big interest, especially the Treasury and Home Office ones. The DEXU website avoids naming a Minister responsible under Davis for dealing with implementation (which will help to stave off those awkward written and oral Parliamentary questions). But Downing Street will not be able to postpone decisions and announcements for much longer. The logic of setting up DEXU, and of the Prime Ministers reluctance to abandon the rest of government in order to focus on Brexit, is to put another Minister from the department explicitly in charge of implementation. Here May runs up against a problem of her own making. DEXU has no Commons Minister of State, as a consequence of the foolish sacking of David Jones. The under-secretaries are Steve Baker and Robin Walker. Putting one of them in charge of implementation would make that person a political target. And he would not have sufficent seniority to cut through Whitehall. The best available compromise, given the self-imposed political constraints, would for one of Baker or Walker to be bigged up as a Minister of State, working jointly in the Cabinet Office with Damian Green, who heads it up. He and Davis are old political allies, so this would be manageable. Crossing ones fingers and hoping to be saved by a transition is not an alternative, or shouldnt be. The name Imran Awan may not mean anything to you. But when you hear he's connected to members of the U.S. House of Representatives, myriad preconceptions evolve. Digging deeper, looking at court records and reports, we learn about the IT services he, his wife and his brothers provided to House members and the crimes he's alleged to have committed. It appears Awan and his wife conducted white-collar fraud against the Wright Patman Federal Credit Union charges that came about during an investigation by the U.S. Capitol Police into Awan's alleged criminal activity associated with his IT services role. That investigation has not yet produced sufficient evidence to charge Awan with wrongdoing associated with his IT services role. But there is no denying Awan and his wife had unfettered access to the email correspondence and devices of several U.S. Representatives and staff. Whether Awan exploited this access on behalf of a foreign power has yet to be demonstrated. However, the fact that his wife absconded to Pakistan in March 2017 following the group's termination of employment by many members of the House leads to a logical degree of speculation. Who is Imran Awan? Imran Awan is a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Pakistan. He, his wife Hina Alvi and his siblings (Abid and Jamal) operated an IT services company that provided services to various members of the U.S. House of Representatives since 2004. These services were contracted with individual members of the House (20-25 members of Congress utilized these services). The Washington Post tells us how Awan and his team were among the highest paid members of the House support, garnering between $157,000 and $168,000 each. What is Awan's crime? Awan and his brothers were being investigated for procurement theft stealing IT equipment from more than 20 members. The investigation began in late 2016. Buzzfeed quoted U.S. Capitol Police describing the situation in February 2017: At the request of Members of Congress, the United States Capitol Police are investigating the actions of House IT support staff. No Members are being investigated. No arrests have been made. It should be noted that, administratively, House staff were asked to update their security settings as a best practice. We have no further comment on the ongoing investigation at this time." Awan was arrested in July 2017 not for the above alleged procurement crime, but for bank fraud. The remaining House member still working with Awan terminated his services upon learning of his arrest. Awan and his wife, according to Department of Justice allegations contained within a criminal complaint dated July 24, 2017, defrauded the Wright Patman Congressional Federal Credit Union to the tune of $165,000 in obtaining a Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC). In early January 2017, the couple received the $165,000 HELOC, added that to their credit union account and then transferred $283,000 to two individuals in Faisalabad, Pakistan, via two international wire transfers. In March 2017, Alvi and the couple's three children were stopped by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (USCBP) at Dulles International Airport as the four were departing for Pakistan. The USCBP inspected her belongings and found $12,400 in cash, as well as clothing and household items. The criminal complaint wryly notes, Your Affiant does not believe that ALVI has any intention to return to the United States." Ultimately, officials let Alvi and her children board the plane. In July 2017, Awan attempted to join his family in Pakistan, but he was stopped at the airport and arrested on bank fraud charges. Whats happening with Awan and his family now? Awans wife and children remain in Pakistan out of both reach and observation of U.S. law enforcement. While one may speculate that she is able and willing to share her knowledge of the U.S. House of Representatives IT infrastructure with Pakistani or another nation's intelligence officers, there is no evidence to suggest that is the case. Awan is in the U.S. with an ankle bracelet tracking his whereabouts. He has turned in his U.S. passport and is awaiting trial. According to the Washington Post, the procurement criminal investigation into Awan et al revealed that the IT workers had apparently manipulated the procurement system on 34 purchases, totaling $38,000. In addition, investigators found that the Democratic Caucus server, to which only Alvi was authorized access, had been accessed more than 5,700 times over a seven-month period, of which Alvi was signed in fewer than 300 times indicative of the individuals operating as a team, as opposed to discrete individual IT support personnel. The investigators were looking for signs of espionage, but instead found workers used "one congressional server as if it were their home computer, storing personal information such as childrens homework and family photos, the Washington Post reported. Conclusion The allegations remain concerning. Awan is a white-collar criminal who fooled a credit union into giving him and his wife a HELOC, a crime that may have come to light as a result of the separate criminal investigation into procurement fraud. Awan and his actions make it easy to jump to conclusions, but caution is the watchword in this case. Further investigation may turn up treasure troves of congressional correspondence and data from the many servers, but it may also come up with a big goose egg. Time will tell. Well keep an eye on this evolving story, as it is a unique instance of a trusted insider with access who was arrested for an unrelated crime, casting doubt on the trustworthiness of the individual. "We see it every day," says Steven Lentz, CSO at Samsung Research America. "Something coming through, some exploit type, unknown ransomware. We've stopped several things with our defenses, either network-wise or at the end point." The attacks that Lentz is worried about are fileless attacks, also known as zero-footprint attacks, macro, or non-malware attacks. These types of attacks don't install new software on a user's computer, so antivirus tools are more likely to miss them. [ Next-generation endpoint security tools are ready to replace antivirus. | Get the latest from CSO by signing up for our newsletters. ] Fileless attacks are effective. According to the Ponemon Institute's "The State of Endpoint Security Risk Report," 77 percent of compromised attacks in 2017 were fileless. The report estimates that fileless attacks are ten times more likely to succeed than file-based attacks. Terri Haas/IDG Fileless attacks also evade whitelisting. With whitelisting, only approved applications are allowed to be installed a machine. Fileless attacks take advantage of applications that are already installed and are on the approved list. However, the terms "fileless," "zero-footprint," and "non-malware" are technically misnomers since they often depend on users downloading malicious attachment files, and they do leave traces on the computer if you know what to look for. "Fully zero-footprint malware doesn't truly exist, as there are ways to detect malware even if it doesn't install itself on hard drives," says Cristiana Brafman Kittner, senior threat intelligence analyst at FireEye, Inc. In addition, they don't evade antivirus completely, since antivirus might still be able to spot the malicious attachment or malicious link, even if there's no executable installed. Attackers know that with a fileless attack, they stand a higher chance of getting in. "That's where the real threat is," says Lentz. To catch the ones that do slip through, Samsung Research relies on behavior-based systems, including endpoint protection from Carbon Black. For example, when visitors connect to the company's network, the defenses are able to spot malware that the users' antivirus tools had missed. "We found keyloggers and password-stealing programs on visitor laptops," says Lentz. Fileless malware a growing threat The rate of fileless malware attacks increased from three percent at the beginning of 2016 to 13 percent last November, according to Mike Viscuso, CTO at Carbon Black, Inc. "And we have continued to see it increase," he says. "We see as many as one in three infections have a fileless component." Since not all Carbon Black customers choose to block attacks, but opt for alerts instead, Viscuso can see that fileless attacks actually have an even bigger impact. "More than half of all attacks that are successful are fileless," he says. Some customers also use honeypots, or even leave parts of their network without advanced behavior-based protections, he says, so they can watch for attacks and then track what the attackers are after, and how they're spreading. "They can make sure the rest of their environment is ready for the attacks," he says. In a recent Carbon Black analysis of more than a thousand customers, which included more than 2.5 million endpoints, virtually every organization has been targeted by a fileless attack in 2016. Viscuso says that fileless attacks make a lot of sense for the attackers. "I spent ten years as an offensive hacker for the US government, with the NSA and CIA," he says. "So, I approach most conversations from the attacker mindset." From the attacker's perspective, installing new software on a victim's computer is something that's likely to draw attention. "If I don't put a file on this victim's computer, how much scrutiny do you undergo?" Viscuso asked. "That's why it's so much more damning when an attacker chooses to use a fileless or in-memory attack. They undergo far less scrutiny and are far more successful in their attack." There's no loss of capability, Viscuso adds. "The payloads are exactly the same." For example, if the attacker wants to launch a ransomware attack, they can install a binary file, or they can use PowerShell. "PowerShell can do everything that a new application can do," he says. "There are no limitations in the attacks I can conduct in memory or with PowerShell." McAfee is also reporting an increase in fileless attacks. Macro malware, which accounts for a significant chunk of fileless malware, increased from 400,000 at the end of 2015 to over 1.1 million during the second quarter of this year. One of the reasons for the growth is the emergence of easy-to-use toolkits that include these types of exploits, says Christiaan Beek, lead scientist and principal engineer on strategic research at McAfee LLC. As a result, the use of fileless attacks, which was previously mostly limited to nation states and other advanced adversaries, has been democratized, and is now common in commercial attacks as well. "The cybercriminals have taken this over to spread ransomware," Beek says. To combat these attacks, McAfee and other major antivirus vendors have been adding behavior-based analytics on top of the traditional signature-based defenses. "For example, if Word is executed at the same time as we see a PowerShell connection, that's highly suspicious," he says. "We can quarantine that process, or decide to kill it." How fileless attacks work Fileless malware leverages the applications already installed on a user's computer, applications that are known to be safe. For example, exploit kits can target browser vulnerabilities to make the browser run malicious code, or take advantage of Microsoft Word macros, or use Microsoft's Powershell utility. "Software vulnerabilities in the software already installed are necessary to carry out a fileless attack, so the most important step in prevention is patch and update not only the operating system, but software applications," says Jon Heimerl, manager of the threat intelligence communications team at NTT Security. "Browser plugins are the most overlooked applications in the patch management process and the most targeted in fileless infections." Attacks using Microsoft Office macros can be thwarted by turning off the macro functionality. In fact, it's off by default, says Tod Beardsley, research director at Rapid7 LLC. Users have to specifically agree to enable the macros in order to open these infected documents. "Some percentage of people will still open it, especially if you're spoofing someone already known to the victim," he says. Attackers will also target vulnerabilities in the Adobe PDF Reader and in Javascript, says Fleming Shi, SVP Advanced Technology Engineering at Barracuda Networks, Inc. "Some folks who are more paranoid will turn off JavaScript execution in their browsers to prevent from getting infected, but it usually breaks the site," he says. The recent Equifax breach is also an example of a fileless attack, according to Satya Gupta, founder and CTO at Virsec Systems, Inc. It used a command injection vulnerability in Apache Struts, he says. "In this type of attack, a vulnerable application does not adequately validate users input, which may contain operating system commands," he says. "As a result, these commands can get executed on the victim machine with the same privileges as those of the vulnerable application." "This mechanism totally blindsides any anti-malware solution that is not looking at the applications execution path to determine if the application is not executing its natural code," he adds. Patching would have prevented the breach, since a patch was released in March. Earlier this year, a fileless attack infected more than 140 enterprises, including banks, telecoms, and government organizations in 40 countries. Kaspersky Labs found malicious PowerShell scripts in the registry on their enterprise networks. According to Kaspersky, detection of this attack was only possible in RAM, network and registry. Another high-profile fileless attack, according to Carbon Black, was the hack of the Democratic National Committee. For attackers looking to stay undetected as long as possible, fileless attacks help them stay under the radar. "We have observed a number of cyber espionage actors leveraging this technique in attempts to evade detection," says FireEye's Kittner. Recent attacks include those by Chinese and North Korean teams, she says. A new commercial application of fileless attacks is to use infected machines to mine Bitcoin. "Crypto miners are trying to run miners loaded directly into memory, using Eternal Blue to spread hundreds of thousands of miners throughout a company," says Eldon Sprickerhoff, founder and chief security strategist at eSentire Inc. The difficulty of mining Bitcoins has been increasing over time, much faster than the increase in the value of the virtual currency. Bitcoin miners have to buy specialized hardware and cover the electric bills, so it's getting very difficult to make a profit. By hijacking corporate PCs and servers, they can eliminate both of those costs. "If you can max out a huge multi-way CPU, it's so much better than someone's laptop," he says. Sprickerhoff recommends that companies look for unusual CPU usage as a possible indicator that Bitcoin mining is going on. Even behavioral analytics systems won't be able to detect all fileless attacks, says Rapid7's Beardsley. "You depend on noticing when unusual events start happening, like my user account gets compromised and I start connecting to a bunch of machines I haven't been communicating with before," he says. It's hard to catch these attacks before they trigger the alerts, or if they do something that the behavioral algorithms don't watch out for. "If the adversary is putting in a lot of effort in being low and slow, it's much harder to detect [the attack]," he says. "With the things we see, that could be selection bias we only see the clumsy ones because that's the ones that are easiest to see. If you're super-stealthy, I'm not going to see it." Happy Wednesday, Credit Union Compliance World. As you know, on July 10th, the CFPB finalized its rule on arbitration agreements. We blogged about the basics of the rule and the epic heros journey that is trying to identify its scope. On Monday, thankfully, the CFPB released its Small Entity Compliance Guide regarding the final arbitration rule. While the amount of footnotes involved in discussing the scope should be a clue to the Bureau that the rule is painfully technical, it is nice to have a version written in Standard American English. Thanks to the Equifax breach and the breathtaking cascade of bungled responses in its aftermath, arbitration provisions are back in the limelight. If your credit union is seeking to help assist members affected by the breach, visit NAFCUs Equifax Data Breach Resources webpage. If youre angry, know that your feelings are valid and shared. Weve written to Congress, the CFPB, the FTC and NCUA to ask them to take action to protect credit unions and their members. In the meantime, perhaps this is a good time to take a deeper look at the arbitration rules language requirements. From Agreements to Delegates, In Order Categorical NAFCU has gotten a few questions about when it is appropriate to use the nine different model clauses included in the rule. Below is a breakdown of the various clauses in the rule and when and how they can be used. Pa. Dems could flip the House of Reps. Here's what that might mean Talking Points: Crude oil prices hit 4-month high on OPEC output cuts, EIA data Gold prices plunge as FOMC stands by 2017-18 rate hike outlook A lull in top-tier event risk may translate into near-term digestion Crude oil prices pushed upward after a brief consolidative pause, hitting a four-month high. The technical committee monitoring OPEC-led production cuts said joint compliance registered at an impressive 116 percent in August and Iraq hinted a further 1 percent reduction in production is being discussed (though Russia pushed back a bit, saying no formal proposal has been made). EIA inventory statistics also helped. The report showed a bigger crude oil storage build than markets were looking for but gasoline and distillate stockpiles fell significantly more than expected. This hinted that hurricane-related refining capacity disruption was fading faster than many feared, meaning that the unwinding of a glut in raw product can commence with gusto relatively sooner. Gold prices plunged after the Federal Reserve opted to keep forecasts for the rate hike path through 2018 unchanged from Junes assessment, as expected. A slight downgrade of the 2019 projection appeared to be too distant to be bothersome. The US Dollar rose alongside Treasury bond yields, undermining the appeal of anti-fiat and non-interest-bearing assets epitomized by the yellow metal. Looking ahead, a lull in top-tier scheduled event risk might make for a period of digestion. That need not mean that follow-on moves from yesterdays price action are unlikely, but momentum might slow to some extent. The absence of an unambiguous focal point might also make markets particularly headline-sensitive, elevating knee-jerk volatility risk. What is the #1 mistake that traders make, and how can you fix it? Find out here ! GOLD TECHNICAL ANALYSIS Gold prices accelerated lower, pressuring support in the 1295.46-99.25 area (38.2% Fibonacci retracement, double top). A daily close below that exposes the 50% level at 1281.26. Alternatively, a move back above the 23.6% Fib at 1321.51 targets the 14.6% retracement at 1335.24. Chart created using TradingView CRUDE OIL TECHNICAL ANALYSIS Crude oil prices pushed past resistance marked by the August 1 highat 50.40 to expose the May 25 top at 51.97. A further push beyond that targets the 53.74-54.48 area. Alternatively, a turn back below 50.40 opens the door for a retest of the September 6 high at 49.49. Trend line resistance-turned-support follows at 48.96. Chart created using TradingView --- Written by Ilya Spivak, Currency Strategist for DailyFX.com To receive Ilya's analysis directly via email, please SIGN UP HERE Contact and follow Ilya on Twitter: @IlyaSpivak TO BE HOPEFUL in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness. What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our livesIf we remember those times and placeswhere people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction. And if we do act, in however small a way, we dont have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory. --Howard Zinn I refuse to accept despair as the final response to the ambiguities of history. I refuse to accept the idea that the "isness" of man's present nature makes him morally incapable of reaching up for the eternal "oughtness" that forever confronts him. --Martin Luther King Jr. True religion consisted in an inward life, wherein the heart does love and reverence God the Creator, and learns to exercise true justice and goodness...I found no narrowness respecting sects and opinions, but believed that sincere, upright-hearted people, in every society, who truly love God, were accepted of him. --John Woolman Love each other as I have loved you.. I call you friends because I have made known to you everything I heard from my Father. --Jesus in John 15: 12-15 ...Love God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind and your neighbor as yourself. You have answered right, said Jesus, do this and life is yours... Who is my neighbor? Jesus replied with the Parable of the Good Samaritan [heretic, outsider, enemy]. --from Luke 10:27-37 Religion has been emphatically embodied, not in speculative theories, but in practical righteousness, in active virtues, in reverence to God, in benevolence to man- the latter being the only sure test of the former. --Thomas M'Clintock ...It is safer to approach God through the Holy Spirit than through the door of theology. We can identify the Holy Spirit whenever it makes its presence felt. Whenever we see someone who is loving, compassionate, mindful, caring, and understanding, we know that the Holy Spirit is there. --Thich Nhat Hanh Talking Points The New Zealand Dollar has been at the mercy of opinion polls in the past month But thats about to end as the country heads to the voting booths on Saturday Bulls would quite like the status quo to endure What does the retail trading world make of the currencies you like, and those youre not so sure about? Find out at the DailyFX Sentiment Page The New Zealand Dollar has been among the weaker developed-market performers in the past month, thanks at least in some part to neck-and-neck polling for the countys general election. That investors dont care for uncertainty may be the markets hoariest old cliche but its no less true for that. However, theyll be put out of their misery on Sunday so far as New Zealand is concerned. The country heads for the voting booths on Saturday. At present, it looks as though neither the ruling National Party nor principle opposition Labour will secure an outright majority. Under NZs proportional representation rules, some sort of coalition is all-but certain. The National Party currently governs in minority with legislative support from the smaller ACT, Maori and United Future parties. One key source of uncertainty for markets in a coalition-building situation is the level of influence which might be gained by the nationalist New Zealand First party. Kiwi-dollar bulls would it seems prefer a result which looks something like the status quo, as can be inferred by NZD/USDs rise to six-week highs Thursday following a poll which put the National Party ahead. Still, despite election uncertainties the kiwi remains quite close to its 2017 peak against the US Dollar- July 27s 0.7558. Indeed, it may just be in the process of breaking out from a downward channel in place since then. Given such clear underlying demand its far from clear that the currency has far to fall whoever emerges victorious. However, the Labour party stands as the unknown quantity for markets so expect some rise in risk aversion should the election go its way, even if its only short term. The Reserve Bank of New Zealand has arguably been even more forthright than that of Australia in worrying about the effects of currency strength. That said both seem to have toned down the rhetoric in recent weeks. This may be in recognition of the fact that much of their dollars fate is governed by events in the US version and therefore beyond their control. In the New Zealand Dollars case, the looming election may have induced the central bank to keep commentary to a minimum. The central banks views in the aftermath of the vote will be much sought after --- Written by David Cottle, DailyFX Research Contact and follow David on Twitter: @DavidCottleFX The following companies are subsidiares of Abbott Laboratories: 3A Nutrition (Vietnam) Company Limited, ABON Biopharm (Hangzhou) Co. Ltd., AGA Medical Belgium, AGA Medical Corporation, AGA Medical Holdings Inc., ALR Holdings, AML Medical LLC, APK Advanced Medical Technologies LLC, ATS Bermuda Holdings Limited, ATS Laboratories Inc., Abbott, Abbott (Jiaxing) Nutrition Co. Ltd., Abbott (UK) Finance Limited, Abbott (UK) Holdings Limited, Abbott AG, Abbott Asia Holdings Limited, Abbott Asia Investments Limited, Abbott Australasia Holdings Limited, Abbott Australasia Pty Ltd, Abbott B.V., Abbott Bahamas Overseas Businesses Corporation, Abbott Belgian Investments, Abbott Bermuda Holding Ltd., Abbott Biologicals B.V., Abbott Biologicals LLC, Abbott Bulgaria Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Capital India Limited, Abbott Cardiovascular Inc., Abbott Cardiovascular Systems Inc., Abbott Delaware LLC, Abbott Diabetes Care Inc., Abbott Diabetes Care Limited, Abbott Diabetes Care Sales Corporation, Abbott Diagnostics GmbH, Abbott Diagnostics International Ltd., Abbott Diagnostics Technologies AS, Abbott Doral Investments S.L., Abbott Equity Holdings Unlimited, Abbott Equity Investments LLC, Abbott Established Products Holdings (Gibraltar) Limited, Abbott Finance Company SA, Abbott Financial Holdings SRL, Abbott France S.A.S., Abbott Fund Tanzania Limited, Abbott Gesellschaft m.b.H., Abbott GmbH & Co. KG, Abbott Health Products LLC, Abbott Healthcare (Puerto Rico) Ltd., Abbott Healthcare B.V., Abbott Healthcare Costa Rica S.A., Abbott Healthcare LLC, Abbott Healthcare Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Healthcare Private Limited, Abbott Healthcare Products B.V., Abbott Healthcare Products Ltd, Abbott Holding (Gibraltar) Limited, Abbott Holding GmbH, Abbott Holding Subsidiary (Gibraltar) Limited, Abbott Holding Subsidiary (Gibraltar) Limited Luxembourg S.C.S., Abbott Holdings B.V., Abbott Holdings LLC, Abbott Holdings Limited, Abbott Holdings Poland Spoka z ograniczona odpowiedzialnoscia, Abbott Hungary Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, Abbott Iberian Investments (2) Limited, Abbott Iberian Investments Limited, Abbott India Limited, Abbott Informatics Asia Pacific Limited, Abbott Informatics Canada Inc, Abbott Informatics Corporation, Abbott Informatics Europe Limited, Abbott Informatics France, Abbott Informatics Germany GmbH, Abbott Informatics Netherlands B.V., Abbott Informatics Singapore Pte. Limited, Abbott Informatics Spain S.A., Abbott Informatics Technologies Ltd, Abbott International Corporation, Abbott International Enterprises Ltd., Abbott International Holdings Limited, Abbott International LLC, Abbott International Luxembourg S.ar.l., Abbott Investments Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Ireland, Abbott Ireland Financing Designated Activity Company, Abbott Ireland Limited, Abbott Japan Co. Ltd., Abbott Kazakhstan Limited Liability Partnership, Abbott Knoll Investments B.V., Abbott Korea Limited, Abbott Laboratories (Bangladesh) Limited, Abbott Laboratories (Chile) Holdco (Dos) SpA, Abbott Laboratories (Chile) Holdco SpA, Abbott Laboratories (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Abbott Laboratories (Mozambique) Limitada, Abbott Laboratories (Pakistan) Limited, Abbott Laboratories (Philippines), Abbott Laboratories (Puerto Rico) Incorporated, Abbott Laboratories (Singapore) Private Limited, Abbott Laboratories A/S, Abbott Laboratories Argentina Sociedad Anonima, Abbott Laboratories B.V., Abbott Laboratories C.A., Abbott Laboratories Finance B.V., Abbott Laboratories GmbH, Abbott Laboratories Inc., Abbott Laboratories International LLC, Abbott Laboratories Ireland Limited, Abbott Laboratories Limited, Abbott Laboratories Limited - Laboratoires Abbott Limitee, Abbott Laboratories NZ Limited, Abbott Laboratories Pacific Ltd., Abbott Laboratories Poland Spoka z ograniczona odpowiedzialnoscia, Abbott Laboratories Products B.V., Abbott Laboratories Residential Development Fund Inc., Abbott Laboratories S.A., Abbott Laboratories SA, Abbott Laboratories Services Corp., Abbott Laboratories Slovakia s.r.o., Abbott Laboratories South Africa (Pty) Ltd., Abbott Laboratories Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Abbott Laboratories Trustee Company Limited, Abbott Laboratories Uruguay S.A., Abbott Laboratories Vascular Enterprises, Abbott Laboratories d.o.o., Abbott Laboratories de Chile Limitada, Abbott Laboratories de Colombia S.A., Abbott Laboratories de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Abbott Laboratories druzba za farmacijo in diagnostiko d.o.o., Abbott Laboratories s.r.o., Abbott Laboratories(Hellas) Societe Anonyme, Abbott Laboratorios S.A., Abbott Laboratorios S.A., Abbott Laboratorios del Ecuador Cia. Ltda., Abbott Laboratuarlari Ithalat Ihracat ve Ticaret Ltd.Sti, Abbott Laboratorios Lda, Abbott Laboratorios do Brasil Ltda., Abbott Limited Egypt LLC, Abbott Logistics B.V., Abbott Management GmbH, Abbott Management LLC, Abbott Manufacturing Singapore Private Limited, Abbott Mature Products International Unlimited Company, Abbott Mature Products Management Limited, Abbott Medical (Hong Kong) Limited, Abbott Medical (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Abbott Medical (Portugal) Distribuicao de Produtos Medicos Lda, Abbott Medical (Schweiz) AG, Abbott Medical (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Abbott Medical (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Abbott Medical (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Abbott Medical Australia Pty. Ltd., Abbott Medical Austria Ges.m.b.H., Abbott Medical Balkan d.o.o. Beograd (Novi Beograd), Abbott Medical Belgium, Abbott Medical Canada Inc./ Medicale Abbott Canada Inc., Abbott Medical Danmark A/S, Abbott Medical Devices Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Abbott Medical Espana S.A., Abbott Medical Estonia OU, Abbott Medical Finland Oy, Abbott Medical France SAS, Abbott Medical GmbH, Abbott Medical Hellas Limited Liability Trading Company, Abbott Medical Ireland Limited, Abbott Medical Italia S.p.A., Abbott Medical Japan Co. Ltd., Abbott Medical Korea Limited, Abbott Medical Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, Abbott Medical Laboratories LTD, Abbott Medical Nederland B.V., Abbott Medical New Zealand Limited, Abbott Medical Norway AS, Abbott Medical Overseas Cyprus Limited, Abbott Medical Sweden AB, Abbott Medical Taiwan Co., Abbott Medical U.K. Limited, Abbott Medical spoka z ograniczona odpowiedzialnoscia, Abbott Middle East S.A.R.L., Abbott Molecular Inc., Abbott Morocco SARL, Abbott Nederland C.V., Abbott Nederland Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Netherlands Investments B.V., Abbott Norge AS, Abbott Nutrition Limited, Abbott Nutrition Manufacturing Inc., Abbott Operations Singapore Pte. Ltd., Abbott Operations Uruguay S.R.L., Abbott Overseas Cyprus Limited, Abbott Overseas Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Overseas S.A., Abbott Oy, Abbott Point of Care Canada Limited, Abbott Point of Care Inc., Abbott Poland Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Procurement LLC, Abbott Products (Philippines) Inc., Abbott Products (Spain) S.L., Abbott Products Algerie EURL, Abbott Products B.V., Abbott Products Distribution SAS, Abbott Products Egypt LLC, Abbott Products Limited, Abbott Products Limited Liability Company, Abbott Products Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Products Operations AG, Abbott Products Operations LLC, Abbott Products Romania S.R.L., Abbott Products Tunisie S.A.R.L., Abbott Products Unlimited Company, Abbott Resources Inc., Abbott Resources International Inc., Abbott S.r.l., Abbott Saudi Arabia Trading Company, Abbott Scandinavia Aktiebolag, Abbott Sociedad Anonima de Capital Variable, Abbott South Africa Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Strategic Opportunities Limited, Abbott Trading Company Inc., Abbott Universal LLC, Abbott Vascular Devices (2) Limited, Abbott Vascular Devices Limited, Abbott Vascular Inc., Abbott Vascular Instruments Deutschland GmbH, Abbott Vascular International, Abbott Vascular Japan Co. Ltd, Abbott Vascular Limitada, Abbott Vascular Netherlands B.V., Abbott Vascular Solutions Inc., Abbott Ventures Inc., Abbott West Indies Limited, Abbott drustvo sa ogranicenom odgovornoscu za trgovinu i usluge, Advanced Neuromodulation Systems Inc., Alere, Alere (Shanghai) Diagnostics Co. Ltd., Alere (Shanghai) Healthcare Management Co. Ltd., Alere (Shanghai) Medical Sales Co. Ltd., Alere (Shanghai) Technology Co. Ltd., Alere A/S, Alere AB, Alere AS, Alere AS Holdings Limited, Alere BBI Holdings Limited, Alere Bangladesh Limited, Alere China Co. Ltd., Alere Colombia S.A., Alere Connect LLC, Alere Connected Health Limited, Alere Connected Health Ltd., Alere Diagnostics GmbH, Alere DoA Holding GmbH, Alere GmbH, Alere GmbH (Austria), Alere GmbH (Germany), Alere HK Holdings Ltd., Alere Health B.V., Alere Health BVBA, Alere Health Corp., Alere Health Sdn Bhd, Alere Health Services B.V., Alere Healthcare (Pty) Limited, Alere Healthcare Connections Limited, Alere Healthcare Inc., Alere Healthcare Nigeria Limited, Alere Healthcare S.L., Alere Holdco Inc., Alere Holding GmbH, Alere Holdings Bermuda Limited, Alere Holdings Pty Limited, Alere Home Monitoring Inc., Alere Inc., Alere Informatics Inc., Alere International Holding Corp., Alere International Limited, Alere Lda, Alere Limited, Alere Limited (New Zealand), Alere Medical BVBA, Alere Medical Co. Ltd., Alere Medical Pakistan (Private) Limited, Alere Medical Private Limited, Alere North America LLC, Alere Oy Ab, Alere Philippines Inc., Alere Phoenix ACQ Inc., Alere Pte Ltd, Alere S.A., Alere S.r.l., Alere S/A, Alere SAS, Alere San Diego Inc., Alere Scarborough Inc., Alere Spain S.L., Alere Switzerland GmbH, Alere Technologies GmbH, Alere Technologies Holdings Limited, Alere Technologies Limited, Alere Toxicology AB, Alere Toxicology Inc., Alere Toxicology S.r.l., Alere Toxicology Services Inc., Alere Toxicology plc, Alere UK Holdings Limited, Alere UK Subco Limited, Alere ULC, Alere US Holdings LLC, Alere s.r.o., Alisoc Investment & Co, Amedica Biotech Inc., Ameditech Inc., American Generics S.A.S., American Medical Supplies Inc., American Pharmacist Inc., Antares S.A., Apica Cardiovascular Limited, Aquagestion Capacitacion S.A., Aquagestion S.A., Arriva Medical LLC, Arriva Medical Philippines Inc., Arvis Investments Limited, Atlas Farmaceutica S.A., Avee Laboratories Inc., Axis-Shield AD III AS, Axis-Shield AD IV AS, Axis-Shield AS, Axis-Shield Diagnostics Limited, Axis-Shield Ltd., BBI Animal Health Limited, BBI Diagnostics Group 2 Public Limited Company, Banco de Vida S.A., Bioabsorbable Vascular Solutions Inc., Bioalgae S.A., Biohealth LLC, Biosite Incorporated, Bosque Bonito S.A., Branan Medical Corporation, Brandex Europe C.V., British Colloids Limited, CFR Chile S.A., CFR Interamericas EL Salvador Sociedad Anonima de Capital Variable, CFR Interamericas Nicaragua Sociedad Anonima, CFR Interamericas Panama S.A., CFR Pharmaceuticals, California Property Holdings III LLC, CardioMEMS LLC, Caripharm Inc., Cephea Valve Technologies, Cephea Valve Technologies Inc., Colibri Medical Aktiebolag, Comercializadora y Distribuidora CFR Interamericas Honduras S.A., Concateno South Limited, Concateno UK Limited, Consorcio Tecnologico en Biomedicina Clinico-Molecular S.A., Continuum Services LLC, Cozart Limited, Dextech S.A., Diagnostik Nord GmbH, Distribuciones Uquifa S.A.S., Domesco Medical Import-Export Joint-Stock Corporation, Duphar International Research B.V., Endocardial Solutions, Epocal (US) Inc, Esprit de Vie S.A., European Chemicals & Co, European Drug Testing Service EDTS AB, European Services S.A., Evalve Inc., Evalve International Inc., FARMINDUSTRIA S.A., Fada Pharma Paraguay Sociedad Anonima, Fadapharma del Ecuador S.A., Farmaceutica Mont Blanc S.L., Farmacologia Em Aquicultura Veterinaria Ltda., Farmacologia en Aquacultura Veterinaria FAV Ecuador S.A., Farmacologia en Aquacultura Veterinaria FAV S.A., Fernwood Investment S.A., First Check Diagnostics LLC, Focus Pharmaceutical S.A.S., Forensics Limited, Forestcreek Overseas S.A., Fournier Pharma Corp., Fournier Pharma GmbH, Fournier Pharmaceuticals Limited, Framed B.V., Gabmed GmbH, Garden Hills LLC, Global Analytical Development LLC, Globapharm & CO LP, Glomed Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Golnorth Investments S.A., Gynocare Limited, Gynopharm Sociedad Anonima, Gynopharm de Centroamerica S.A., Gynopharm de Venezuela C.A., Hi-Tronics Designs Inc., IDEV Technologies Inc., IG Innovations Limited, IMTC Finance B.V., IMTC Holdings B.V., IMTC Technologies Inc., Ibis Biosciences LLC, Igloo Zone Chile S.A., Igloo Zone S.L., Inmobiliaria Naknek S.A.C., Innovacon Inc., Instant Tech Subsidiary Acquisition Inc., Instant Technologies Inc., Instituto de Criopreservacion de Chile S.A., Integrated Vascular Systems Inc., Inverness Canadian Acquisition Corporation, Inverness Medical (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Inverness Medical Innovations Australia Pty Ltd., Inverness Medical Innovations Hong Kong Limited, Inverness Medical Innovations SK LLC, Inverness Medical Investments LLC, Inverness Medical LLC, Inverness Medical Shimla Private Limited, Inversiones K2 SpA, Inversiones Komodo S.R.L., Ionian Technologies LLC, Irvine Biomedical Inc., Kalila Medical, Kangshenyunga S.A., Knoll UK Investments Unlimited, LLC VeroInPharm, Laboratoires Fournier S.A.S., Laboratorio Franco Colombiano Lafrancol S.A.S., Laboratorio Franco Colombiano del Ecuador S.A., Laboratorio Internacional Argentino S.A., Laboratorio Synthesis S.A.S., Laboratorios Lafi Limitada, Laboratorios Naturmedik S.A.S., Laboratorios Pauly Pharmaceutical S.A.S., Laboratorios Recalcine S.A., Laboratorios Transpharm S.A., Laboratory Specialists of America Inc., Lafrancol Dominicana S.A.S., Lafrancol Guatemala S.A. Sociedad Anonima, Lafrancol Internacional S.A.S, Lafrancol Peru S.R.L, Lake Forest Investments LLC, Lightlab Imaging Inc., Limited Liability Company Abbott Laboratories, Limited Liability Company Abbott Ukraine, Limited Liability Company VEROPHARM, Lung Fung Hong (China) Limited, Mansbridge Pharmaceuticals Limited, MediGuide LLC, MediGuide Ltd., Medscreen Holdings Limited, Metropolitana Farmaceutica S.A., Midwest Properties LLC, Murex Argentina S.A., Murex Biotech Limited, Murex Biotech South Africa, Murex Diagnostics Inc., Murex Diagnostics International Inc., Natural Supplement Association LLC, Negocios Denia Sociedad Anonima, Neosalud S.A.C., Nether Pharma N.P. C.V., NeuroTherm LLC, Normann Pharma-Handels GmbH, North Shore Properties Inc., Novamedi S.A., Novasalud.com S.A., Nutravida S.A., OJSC Voronezhkhimpharm, Omnilab Iberia Sociedad Limitada, OptiMedica, Orgenics France SAS, Orgenics International Holdings B.V., Orgenics Ltd., PBM-Selfcare LLC, PDD II LLC, PDD LLC, PT Alere Health, PT. Abbott Indonesia, PT. Abbott Products Indonesia, Pacesetter Inc., Pantech (RF) (PTY) LTD, Pembrooke Occupational Health Inc., Penagos S.A., Pharma International Sociedad Anonima, Pharmaceutical Technologies (Pharmatech) S.A., Pharmatech Boliviana S.A., Polygon Labs S.A., Quality Assured Services Inc., RF Medical Holdings LLC, RTL Holdings Inc., Ramses Business Corp., Recben Xenerics Farmaceutica Limitada, Redwood Toxicology Laboratory Inc., Rich Horizons International Limited, SC VEROPHARM, SJ Medical Mexico S de R.L. de C.V., SJM International Inc., SJM Thunder Holding Company, SPDH Inc., Saboya Enterprises Corporation, Salviac Limited, Scanax AS, Sealing Solutions Inc., Selfcare Technology Inc., Shandong Abbott Dairy Product Co. Ltd., Shanghai Abbott Medical Devices Science and Technology Co. Ltd., Shanghai Abbott Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Shanghai Si Fa Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Sinensix & Co., Spinal Modulation LLC, St. Jude Medical, St. Jude Medical AB, St. Jude Medical ATG Inc., St. Jude Medical Argentina S.A., St. Jude Medical Asia Pacific Holdings GK, St. Jude Medical Atrial Fibrillation Division Inc., St. Jude Medical Brasil Ltda., St. Jude Medical Business Services Inc., St. Jude Medical Cardiology Division Inc., St. Jude Medical Colombia Ltda., St. Jude Medical Coordination Center, St. Jude Medical Costa Rica Limitada, St. Jude Medical Europe Inc., St. Jude Medical Export Ges.m.b.H., St. Jude Medical GVA Sarl, St. Jude Medical Holdings B.V., St. Jude Medical India Private Limited, St. Jude Medical International Holding, St. Jude Medical LLC, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings II, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings NT, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings SMI S.a r.l., St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings TC S.a r.l., St. Jude Medical Mexico Business Services S. de R.L. de C.V., St. Jude Medical Middle East DMCC, St. Jude Medical Operations (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., St. Jude Medical Puerto Rico LLC, St. Jude Medical S.C. Inc., St. Jude Medical Systems AB, St. Jude Medical Turkey Medikal Urunler Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Standard Diagnostics Inc., Standing Stone LLC, Swan-Myers Incorporated, TC1 LLC, Tendyne Holdings Inc., Tendyne Medical Inc., Thoratec Delaware LLC, Thoratec Europe Limited, Thoratec LLC, Thoratec Switzerland GmbH, Tobal Products Incorporated, Topera GmbH in Liquidation, Topera Inc., Tremora S.A., Tuenir S.A., TwistDx, UAB Abbott Laboratories, UAB Abbott Medical Lithuania, Union-Madison Realty Company Inc., Unipath Limited (dba Alere International/aka Cranfield), Unipath Management Limited, Unipath Pension Trustee Limited, Veropharm, Veropharm Limited Liability Partnership, Vida Cell Inversiones S.A., Vida Cell S.A., Vivalsol, W&R Pharma Handels GmbH, Western Pharmaceuticals S.A., X Technologies Inc., Yissum Holding Limited, ZonePerfect Nutrition Company, eScreen Canada ULC, eScreen Inc., ( ), and Abbott Laboratories Baltics. Read More Aviva plc provides various insurance, retirement, investment, and savings products in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, and internationally. The company offers life insurance, long-term health and accident insurance, savings, pension, and annuity products, as well as pension fund business and lifetime mortgage products. It also provides insurance cover to individuals, small and medium-sized businesses for risks associated with motor vehicles and medical expenses, as well as property and liability, such as employers' and professional indemnity liabilities. In addition, the company provides investment management services for institutional pension fund mandates; and manages various retail investment products, including investment funds, unit trusts, open-ended investment companies, and individual savings accounts for third-party financial institutions, pension funds, public sector organizations, investment professionals, and private investors. It markets its products through a network of insurance brokers, as well as MyAviva platform. The company was formerly known as CGNU plc and changed its name to Aviva plc in July 2002. Aviva plc was founded in 1696 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom. Deutsche Telekom AG, together with its subsidiaries, provides integrated telecommunication services. The company operates through five segments: Germany, United States, Europe, Systems Solutions, and Group Development. It offers fixed-network services, including voice and data communication services based on fixed-network and broadband technology; and sells terminal equipment and other hardware products, as well as services to resellers. The company also provides mobile voice and data services to consumers and business customers; sells mobile devices and other hardware products; and sells mobile services to resellers and to companies that purchases and markets network services to third parties, such as mobile virtual network operators. In addition, it offers internet services; internet-based TV products and services; and information and communication technology systems for multinational corporations and public sector institutions with an infrastructure of data centers and networks under the T-Systems brand, as well as call center services. The company has 242 million mobile customers and 22 million broadband customers, as well as 27 million fixed-network lines. Deutsche Telekom AG has a collaboration with VMware, Inc. on cloud-based open and intelligent virtual RAN platform to bring agility to radio access networks for existing LTE and future 5G networks; and partnership with Microsoft to deliver high-performance cloud computing experiences. The company was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Bonn, Germany. Guess?, Inc. designs, markets, distributes, and licenses lifestyle collections of apparel and accessories for men, women, and children. It operates through five segments: Americas Retail, Americas Wholesale, Europe, Asia, and Licensing. The company's clothing collection includes jeans, pants, skirts, dresses, shorts, blouses, shirts, jackets, activewear, knitwear, and intimate apparel. It also grants licenses to design, manufacture, and distribute various products that complement its apparel lines, such as eyewear, watches, handbags, footwear, kids' and infants' apparel, outerwear, fragrance, jewelry, and other fashion accessories, as well as to wholesale partners to operate and sell products through licensed retail stores. The company markets its products under the GUESS, GUESS?, GUESS U.S.A., GUESS Jeans, GUESS? and Triangle Design, MARCIANO, Question Mark and Triangle Design, a stylized G and a stylized M, GUESS Kids, Baby GUESS, YES, G by GUESS, GUESS by MARCIANO, and Gc brand names. It sells its products through direct-to-consumer, wholesale, and licensing distribution channels. As of January 29, 2022, the company directly operated 1,068 retail stores in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. Its partner's distributors operated an additional 563 retail stores worldwide. The company also offers its products through its retail websites. Guess?, Inc. was founded in 1981 and is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. Navios Maritime Holdings Inc. operates as a seaborne shipping and logistics company in North America, Australia, Europe, Asia, South America, and internationally. It focuses on the transportation and transshipment of dry bulk commodities, including iron ores, coal, and grains. The company operates in two segments, Dry Bulk Vessel Operations and Logistics Business. The Dry Bulk Vessel Operations segment engages in the transportation and handling of bulk cargoes through the ownership, operation, and trading of vessels and freight. This segment charters its vessels to trading houses, producers, and government-owned entities. The Logistics Business segment operates ports and transfer station terminals, as well as upriver transport facilities in the Hidrovia region; and handles vessels, barges, push boats, and cabotage business. This segment provides its integrated transportation, storage, and related services through its port facilities, cargo barges, and product tankers to mineral and grain commodity providers, as well as to users of refined petroleum products. As of December 31, 2021, the company's fleet consisted of 36 vessels totaling 3.9 million deadweight tons. Navios Maritime Holdings Inc. was incorporated in 1954 and is headquartered in Grand Cayman, the Cayman Islands. Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. provides early education and child care, back-up care, educational advisory, and other workplace solutions services for employers and families. The company operates through three segments: Full Service Center-Based Child Care, Back-Up Care, and Educational Advisory and Other Services. The Full Service Center-Based Child Care segment offers traditional center-based child care and early education, preschool, and elementary education services. The Back-Up Care segment provides center-based back-up child care, in-home child and adult/elder dependent care, school-age camps, virtual tutoring, and self-sourced reimbursed care services through child care centers, school-age campuses, and in-home caregivers, as well as the back-up care network. The Educational Advisory and Other Services segment offers tuition assistance and student loan repayment program administration, workforce education, and related educational consulting services, as well as college admissions advisory services. As of December 31, 2021, it operated 1,014 child care and early education centers in the United States, Puerto Rico, the United Kingdom, Canada, the Netherlands, and India. The company was formerly known as Bright Horizons Solutions Corp. and changed its name to Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. in July 2012. Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in Newton, Massachusetts. Insurance Back XL Group chooses Dublin as preferred location for its EU insurance carrier XL Group Ltd, plans to move its principal European Union insurance company, XL Insurance Company SE, from the UK to Ireland in 2018 in response to Brexit, subject to certain regulatory approvals. The announcement comes following a meeting between An Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar and XL Group's Chief Executive Officer, Mike McGavick, in Dublin. XL Group has had insurance operations in Dublin since 1990, when it opened its first European insurance company in the then brand new International Financial Services Centre. Later in 2006, it established XL Re Europe Limited, today XL Re Europe SE, which remains an Irish domiciled reinsurer. Dublin was also the domicile for XL Group's parent company between 2010 and 2016 before its new holding company, XL Group Ltd, was formed in Bermuda following XL Group's acquisition of Bermuda based Catlin Group Limited. Today XL Group has insurance and reinsurance operations as well as corporate functions based in its office at No. 8 St. Stephen's Green, Dublin. XL Insurance Company SE is a wholly owned subsidiary within XL Group and provides the main insurance company platform for XL Group within Europe and Asia, operating through an international network of branches, subsidiaries and third party fronting partners. It currently has branches across Europe in France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Ireland and the Netherlands writing insurance business. It is important to note that as a Societas Europaea, XL Insurance Company SE can continue as the same legal entity and move to Ireland with relative ease (subject to regulatory approvals) to the benefit of its business, clients and to brokers. Redomesticating XL Insurance Company SE to Ireland will allow XL Group's clients and brokers to benefit from continuity of service through its branch network in Europe, which enables it to write business in domestic markets as well as providing the infrastructure for its Global Programs business. In the UK, XL Group will retain Catlin Insurance Company Ltd ("CICL UK"), a UK regulated insurance company, and its Lloyd's operations (Syndicate 2003 and 3002). The combination of being able to issue Lloyd's and CICL UK paper in the UK as well as XLICSE paper in the EU will ensure that XL Group is well positioned to work with clients and brokers to offer solutions for business that could otherwise potentially be disrupted by any loss of passporting rights as a result of the UK leaving the European Union. Commenting, Mike McGavick said: "Since the referendum announcement we have been clear that our top priority is to provide certainty and consistency of service to our clients and brokers. Moving XL Insurance Company SE to Ireland means we deliver on that commitment." Continuing, Mike McGavick said: "My meeting today with An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has only served to further enhance our relationship and our commitment to Ireland. Dublin is a natural home for us in Europe. We have a long and established presence in Ireland and we understand and respect the high quality business environment, the regulatory environment and the talent of the people here." About XL Catlin's Insurance Operations XL Catlin insurance companies offer property, casualty, professional, financial lines and specialty insurance products globally. Businesses that are moving the world forward choose XL Catlin as their partner. To learn more, visit xlcatlin.com. About XL Group Ltd XL Group Ltd (NYSE:XL), through its subsidiaries and under the XL Catlin brand, is a global insurance and reinsurance company providing property, casualty and specialty products to industrial, commercial and professional firms, insurance companies and other enterprises throughout the world. Clients look to XL Catlin for answers to their most complex risks and to help move their world forward. To learn more, visit www.xlgroup.com. Author: Daniela GHETU on 21.09.2017 Archive Comment this article 0 comments Atention! "Comment" and "E-mail" are mandatory Name: If you are logged on and you do not fill in your name, will be used the name that you used when you registered If you are not logged on, your name will appear preceded by '(Anonymous)'. For authentication, click here If you are logged on and you do not fill in your name, will be used the name that you used when you registered E-mail: Comment: < 10.000 car. Fill in the code from the image: AutoZone, Inc. retails and distributes automotive replacement parts and accessories. The company offers various products for cars, sport utility vehicles, vans, and light trucks, including new and remanufactured automotive hard parts, maintenance items, accessories, and non-automotive products. Its products include A/C compressors, batteries and accessories, bearings, belts and hoses, calipers, chassis, clutches, CV axles, engines, fuel pumps, fuses, ignition and lighting products, mufflers, radiators, starters and alternators, thermostats, and water pumps, as well as tire repairs. In addition, the company offers maintenance products, such as antifreeze and windshield washer fluids; brake drums, rotors, shoes, and pads; brake and power steering fluids, and oil and fuel additives; oil and transmission fluids; oil, cabin, air, fuel, and transmission filters; oxygen sensors; paints and accessories; refrigerants and accessories; shock absorbers and struts; spark plugs and wires; and windshield wipers. Further, it provides air fresheners, cell phone accessories, drinks and snacks, floor mats and seat covers, interior and exterior accessories, mirrors, performance products, protectants and cleaners, sealants and adhesives, steering wheel covers, stereos and radios, tools, and wash and wax products, as well as towing services. Additionally, the company provides a sales program that offers commercial credit and delivery of parts and other products; sells automotive diagnostic and repair software under the ALLDATA brand through alldata.com; and automotive hard parts, maintenance items, accessories, and non-automotive products through autozone.com. As of August 27, 2022, it operated 6,168 stores in the United States; 703 stores in Mexico; and 72 stores in Brazil. The company was founded in 1979 and is based in Memphis, Tennessee. Best Buy Co., Inc. retails technology products in the United States and Canada. The company operates in two segments, Domestic and International. Its stores provide computing products, such as desktops, notebooks, and peripherals; mobile phones comprising related mobile network carrier commissions; networking products; tablets covering e-readers; smartwatches; and consumer electronics consisting of digital imaging, health and fitness, home theater, portable audio comprising headphones and portable speakers, and smart home products. The company's stores also offer appliances, such as dishwashers, laundry, ovens, refrigerators, blenders, coffee makers, and vacuums; entertainment products consisting of drones, peripherals, movies, music, and toys, as well as gaming hardware and software, and virtual reality and other software products; and other products, such as baby, food and beverage, luggage, outdoor living, and sporting goods. In addition, it provides consultation, delivery, design, health-related, installation, memberships, repair, set-up, technical support, and warranty-related services. The company offers its products through stores and websites under the Best Buy, Best Buy Ads, Best Buy Business, Best Buy Health, CST, Current Health, Geek Squad, Lively, Magnolia, Best Buy Mobile, Pacific Kitchen, Home, and Yardbird, as well as domain names bestbuy.com, currenthealth.com, lively.com, yardbird.com, and bestbuy.ca. As of January 30, 2022, it had 1,144 stores. The company was formerly known as Sound of Music, Inc. The company was incorporated in 1966 and is headquartered in Richfield, Minnesota. MSCI Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides investment decision support tools for the clients to manage their investment processes worldwide. It operates through four segments: Index, Analytics, ESG and Climate, and All Other - Private Assets. The Index segment provides indexes for use in various areas of the investment process, including indexed product creation, such as ETFs, mutual funds, annuities, futures, options, structured products, over-the-counter derivatives; performance benchmarking; portfolio construction and rebalancing; and asset allocation, as well as licenses GICS and GICS Direct. The Analytics segment offers risk management, performance attribution and portfolio management content, application, and service that provides an integrated view of risk and return, and an analysis of market, credit, liquidity, and counterparty risk across asset classes; managed services, including consolidation of client portfolio data from various sources, review and reconciliation of input data and results, and customized reporting; and HedgePlatform to measure, evaluate, and monitor the risk of hedge fund investments. The ESG and Climate segment provides products and services that help institutional investors understand how ESG factors impact the long-term risk and return of their portfolio and individual security-level investments; and data, ratings, research, and tools to help investors navigate increasing regulation. The All Other - Private Assets segment includes real estate market and transaction data, benchmarks, return-analytics, climate assessments and market insights for funds, investors, and managers; business intelligence to real estate owners, managers, developers, and brokers; and offers investment decision support tools for private capital. It serves asset owners and managers, financial intermediaries, wealth managers, real estate professionals, and corporates. MSCI Inc. was incorporated in 1998 and is headquartered in New York, New York. The following companies are subsidiares of Prudential Financial: 210-220 E. 22nd Street SSGA Owner LLC, AIG Edison, AIG Star, AREF Cayman Co Ltd., AREF GP II Pte. Ltd., AREF GP Ltd., ASPF II - Feeder Fund GmbH, ASPF II - Verwaltungs - GmbH & Co. KG, ASPF II Management GmbH, ASPF III Scots L.P., ASSURANCE, AST Investment Services Inc., Adlerwerke CB Investment LLC, Administradora de Fondos de Pensiones Habitat S.A., Administradora de Inversiones Previsionales SpA, Aoba Life Insurance Company, Aoba Life Insurance Company Ltd., Asia Property Fund III GP S.a.r.l., Assurance IQ LLC, Assurance Intelligence LLC, BSC CP LP, Braeloch Holdings Inc., Braeloch Successor Corporation, Brazilian Capital Fund GP Limited, Broad Street Global Advisors LLC, Broome Street Holdings LLC, CB German Retail LLC, CLIS Co. Ltd., COLICO INC., Capital Agricultural Property Services Inc., Chadwick Boulevard Investment Holdings Co. LLC, Cibecue LLC, Coconino LLC, Colico II Inc., Columbus Drive Partners L.P., Commerce Street Holdings LLC, Commerce Street Investments LLC, Coolidge LLC, Coral Reef GP, Coral Reef L.P., Coral Reef Unit Trust, Cottage Street Investments LLC, Cottage Street Orbit Acquisition LLC, DICKENS AVENUE HOLDINGS VI LLC, DICKENS AVENUE PARTNERS VI Ireland L.P., DICKENS AVENUE PARTNERS VI US L.P., Dale/P Minerals Limited Partnership, Don Cesar Investor LLC, Dryden Arizona Reinsurance Term Company, Dryden Finance II LLC, EVP II GP S.a r.l., EVP II Horizon GP S.a r.l., EVP II Sprint GP S.a r.l., Edison Place Senior Note LLC, Essex LLC, EuroCore GP S.a r.l., European Value Partners GP S.a.r.l., Everbright PGIM Fund Management Co. Ltd., Flagstaff LLC, GA 1600 Commons LLC, GA 333 Hennepin Investor LLC, GA BV LLC, GA Bay Area GP LLC, GA Bay Area Investor LLC, GA Belden LLC, GA CLARENDON LLC, GA Cal Crossings LLC, GA Collins LLC, GA E. 22nd Street Apartments Holdings LLC, GA East 86 Street LLC, GA JHCII LLC, GA MENLO PARK INVESTOR LLC, GA Manor at Harbour Island LLC, GA Metro LLC, GA TRITON INVESTOR LLC, GA W Paces LLC, GA/MDI 333 Hennepin Associates LLC, GIBRALTAR BSN HOLDINGS SDN BHD, GIBRALTAR INDIA SOLUTIONS LLP, Gateway Holdings II LLC, Gateway Holdings LLC, German Retail Income CP LP, Gibraltar BSN Life Berhad, Gibraltar International Insurance Services Company Inc., Gibraltar International Service LLC, Gibraltar Reinsurance Company Ltd., Gibraltar Universal Life Reinsurance Company, Glenealy International Limited, Global Portfolio Strategies Inc., Gold GP Limited, Gold II L.P., Gold L.P., Graham Resources Inc., Graham Royalty Ltd., Green Harvest Asset Management LLC, Green Tree GP, Green Tree L.P., Greenlee LLC, Halsey Street Investments LLC, Hirakata LLC, IVP Fund GP LLC, Impact Investments Bridges UK S.a.r.l, Inter-Atlantic G Fund L.P., Inversiones Previsionales Chile SpA, Inversiones Previsionales Dos SpA, Ironbound Fund LLC, Jennison Associates LLC, Kyarra S.a r.l., Kyoei Annuity Home Co. Ltd. Kabushiki Kaisha Kyouei Nenkin Home, LINEUP LLC, Lake Street Partners IV L.P., Lotus Reinsurance Company Ltd., MC GA COLLINS HOLDINGS LLC, MC GA COLLINS REALTY LLC, MC Insurance Agency Services LLC, Manor at Harbour Island LLC, Marble Canyon LLC, Maricopa LLC, Market Street Holdings IV LLC, Montana Capital Partners, Morenci LLC, Mulberry Street Holdings LLC, Mulberry Street Investment L.P., Mulberry Street Partners LLC, Mullin TBG Insurance Agency Services LLC, MullinTBG Insurance Agency Services, National Family Assurance Group LLC, New Savanna, Northbound Emerging Manager Fund A LP, Northbound Emerging Manager Fund II - A LP, Orchard Street Acres Inc., PAI Bay Farm LLC, PAI Bayrock Groves LLC, PAI Belvidere Farms LLC, PAI Big Cypress Farm LLC, PAI Corcoran 640 Ranch LLC, PAI DeKalb Farm LLC, PAI Delano 1500 Ranches LLC, PAI Desert Falcon Farms Manager LLC, PAI Flicker Orchard LLC, PAI Good Hope Farm LLC, PAI Hawk Creek Ranch LLC, PAI Hills Valley Ranches LLC, PAI Holly Hill Groves LLC, PAI Hunt Farm LLC, PAI Jackson Bayou Farm LLC, PAI Lake Placid Groves LLC, PAI River Bend Ranches LLC, PAI Wallula Gap Vineyard LLC, PCP V Cayman AIV GP L.P., PEREF II Co-Invest 1 GP S.a r.l., PEREF II GP S.a r.l., PFI EM-Tech Fund I LLC, PG Business Service Co. Ltd, PG Collection Service Co. Ltd., PG Friendly Partners Co. Ltd., PGA Asian Retail Limited, PGA European Limited, PGI Co. Ltd, PGIM AC Co-Invest GP Pte. Ltd., PGIM AVP IV GP S.a r.l., PGIM Advisory Shanghai Co. Ltd., PGIM Agricultural Investments GP LLC, PGIM Australia Pty Ltd, PGIM Broad Market High Yield Bond Fund L.P., PGIM Broad Market High Yield Bond Partners LLC, PGIM Capital Partners Management Feeder VI LLC, PGIM Capital Partners Management Fund VI L.P., PGIM Custom Harvest LLC, PGIM DC Co-Invest GP Pte. Ltd., PGIM DC JV GP Pte. Ltd., PGIM DC Solutions LLC, PGIM European Financing Limited, PGIM European Services Limited, PGIM Financial Limited, PGIM Fixed Income Alternatives Fund II L.P., PGIM Fixed Income Alternatives Fund L.P., PGIM Fixed Income Alternatives GP LLC, PGIM Fixed Income Alternatives II GP LLC, PGIM Foreign Investments Inc., PGIM Holding Company LLC, PGIM Holdings Limited, PGIM Hong Kong Ltd., PGIM INDIA ASSET MANAGEMENT PRIVATE LIMITED, PGIM INDIA TRUSTEES PRIVATE LIMITED, PGIM IRELAND LIMITED, PGIM Inc., PGIM International Financing Inc., PGIM Investments Ireland Limited, PGIM Investments LLC, PGIM Japan Co. Ltd., PGIM Korea Inc., PGIM LTIF Berlin GP S.a r.l., PGIM LTIF Berlin MLP S.ar.l., PGIM LTIF GP S.a.r.l., PGIM Limited, PGIM Loan Originator Manager Limited, PGIM M Campus GP S.a r.l., PGIM Management Partner Limited, PGIM MetaProp Investor LP LLC, PGIM Netherlands B.V., PGIM Overseas Investment Fund Management Shanghai Company Ltd, PGIM Private Capital Ireland Limited, PGIM Private Capital Limited, PGIM Private Placement Investors Inc., PGIM Private Placement Investors L.P., PGIM QUANTITATIVE SOLUTIONS LLC, PGIM REF EUROPE SCSp, PGIM REF Europe GP S.a r.l., PGIM REF Europe Member LLC, PGIM REF Intermediary Services Inc., PGIM Real Estate CD S.a.r.l., PGIM Real Estate Capital VII GP S.a r.l., PGIM Real Estate Carry & Co-Invest GP LLC, PGIM Real Estate Carry & Co-Invest GP S.a r.l., PGIM Real Estate Carry & Co-Invest L.P., PGIM Real Estate Carry & Co-Invest SCSp, PGIM Real Estate Co-Invest Holdings LLC, PGIM Real Estate Debt GmbH, PGIM Real Estate Finance Holding Company, PGIM Real Estate Finance LLC, PGIM Real Estate France SAS, PGIM Real Estate Germany AG, PGIM Real Estate Global Debt GP LLC, PGIM Real Estate Global Master Fund GP S.a r.l., PGIM Real Estate Inmuebles II S de R.L. de C.V., PGIM Real Estate Inmuebles S. de R.L. de C.V, PGIM Real Estate Italy S.r.l., PGIM Real Estate Japan Ltd., PGIM Real Estate Loan Services Inc., PGIM Real Estate Luxembourg S.A., PGIM Real Estate MVP Administradora IV S. de R.L. de C.V., PGIM Real Estate MVP Administradora V S. de R.L. de C.V., PGIM Real Estate MVP Inmuebles IV S. de R.L. de C.V., PGIM Real Estate MVP Inmuebles V S. de R.L. de C.V., PGIM Real Estate Management Luxembourg S.a.r.l., PGIM Real Estate Mexico S.C., PGIM Real Estate S. de R.L. de C.V., PGIM Real Estate U.S. CORE Debt Fund GP LLC, PGIM Real Estate U.S. Debt Fund GP LLC, PGIM Real Estate UK Limited, PGIM Scots Limited, PGIM Securities Investment Trust Enterprise, PGIM Senior Loan Opportunities Management (Feeder) I LLC, PGIM Senior Loan Opportunities Management Fund I L.P., PGIM Shanghai Company Ltd., PGIM Singapore Pte. Ltd., PGIM Strategic Financing LLC, PGIM Strategic Investments Inc., PGIM Taronga Investor GP LLC, PGIM U.S. Agriculture Fund LP, PGIM USPF VI Manager LLC, PGIM Wadhwani LLP, PGIM Warehouse Inc., PGLH of Delaware Inc., PIFM Holdco LLC, PIIC Limited, PIISC Holdings UK Limited, PIM KF Blocker V Holdings LLC, PIM USPF V Manager LLC, PLA Administradora Industrial SRL, PLA Administradora LLC, PLA Administradora S. de R.L. de C.V., PLA Asesoria Profesional II S. de R.L. de C.V., PLA Asesoria Profesional S.de R.L. de C.V., PLA Co-Investor LLC, PLA Mexico Industrial Manager I LLC, PLA Mexico Industrial Manager II LLC, PLA Retail Fund I Blue LP, PLA Retail Fund I Manager LLC, PLA Retail Fund II Aggregating Manager LLC, PLA Retail Fund II LLC, PLA Retail Fund II LP, PLA Retail Fund II Manager LLC, PLA Retail Fund II U.S. Carry/Co-Invest LP, PLA Services Manager Mexico LLC, PLAI Limited, PMCF Holdings LLC, PMCF Properties LLC, PPPF General Partner LLP, PR GA SCP Apartments LLC, PRAMERICA LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED, PRAMERICA PRECAP VI GP LLP, PRAMERICA PRECAP VI GP SCOTS FEEDER LLP, PRECO Account IV LLC, PRECO Account Partnership IV LP, PRECO III GP LLP, PREFG Hanwha Manager LLC, PREI Acquisition I Inc., PREI Acquisition II Inc., PREI Acquisition LLC, PREI HYDG LLC, PREI International Inc., PRIAC Property Acquisitions LLC, PRICOA Management Partner Limited, PRISA Fund Manager LLC, PRISA II Fund Manager LLC, PRISA II Pooled Manager LLC, PRISA III Fund GP LLC, PRISA III Fund PIM LLC, PRREF Debt Fund Manager LLC, PRREF II Fund Manager LLC, PRU 3XSquare LLC, PRUCO LLC, PRUDENTIAL CAPITAL ENERGY PARTNERS MANAGEMENT (FEEDER) LLC, PRUDENTIAL MORTGAGE SKP MEMBER LLC, PRUDENTIAL MORTGAGE SKP REIT LLC, PRUDENTIAL MORTGAGE SKP VENTURE 2 LLC, PRUDENTIAL MORTGAGE SKP VENTURE LLC, PT PFI Mega Life Insurance, Passaic Fund LLC, Pine Tree GP, Pine Tree L.P., Platinum GP Limited, Platinum II L.P., Platinum L.P., Pramerica Business Consulting Shanghai Company Limited, Pramerica EVP CP LP, Pramerica Financial Asia Headquarters Pte. Ltd., Pramerica Financial Asia Limited, Pramerica Fixed Income Funds Management Limited, Pramerica Fosun Life Insurance Co. Ltd., Pramerica Holdings Ltd, Pramerica Hong Kong Holdings Limited, Pramerica Insurance Agency China Company Ltd., Pramerica Luxembourg CP GP S.a.r.l., Pramerica PRECAP I GP LLP, Pramerica PRECAP II GP LLP, Pramerica PRECAP III GP LLP, Pramerica PRECAP IV GP LLP, Pramerica Pan European Real Estate Scots LP, Pramerica Real Estate Capital I GP Scots Feeder LLP, Pramerica Real Estate Capital I Scotland Limited Partnership, Pramerica Real Estate Capital II Scots Limited Partnership, Pramerica Real Estate Capital III Scots Limited Partnership, Pramerica Real Estate Capital IV GP Limited, Pramerica Real Estate Capital IV GP Scots Feeder LLP, Pramerica Real Estate Capital IV Scots Limited Partnership, Pramerica Real Estate Capital V Netherlands GP LLP, Pramerica Real Estate Capital V Scots Limited Partnership, Pramerica Real Estate Capital VI Scots Limited Partnership, Pramerica Scots CP GP LLP, Preco III Scotland Limited Partnership, Pru 101 Wood LLC, Pru Alpha Partners I LLC, Pru Fixed Income Emerging Markets Partners I LLC, PruVen Capital Partners Fund I L.P., Pruco Assignment Corporation, Pruco Life Insurance Company, Pruco Life Insurance Company of New Jersey, Pruco Securities LLC, Prudential 900 Aviation Boulevard LLC, Prudential Affordable Mortgage Company LLC, Prudential Agricultural Property Holding Company LLC, Prudential Annuities Distributors Inc., Prudential Annuities Holding Company Inc., Prudential Annuities Inc., Prudential Annuities Information Services & Technology Corporation, Prudential Annuities Life Assurance Corporation, Prudential Arizona Reinsurance Captive Company, Prudential Arizona Reinsurance Term Company, Prudential Arizona Reinsurance Universal Company, Prudential Bank & Trust FSB, Prudential Capital Energy Opportunity Fund L.P., Prudential Capital Energy Partners L.P., Prudential Capital Energy Partners Management Fund L.P., Prudential Capital Partners Management Fund IV L.P., Prudential Capital and Investment Services LLC, Prudential Chile II SpA, Prudential Chile SpA, Prudential Commercial Property Holding Company LLC, Prudential Equity Group LLC, Prudential Financial Inc., Prudential Fixed Income Global Liquidity Relative Value Partners LLC, Prudential Fixed Income U.S. Relative Value Partners LLC, Prudential Funding LLC, Prudential General Services of Japan Y.K., Prudential Gibraltar Agency Co. Ltd. Prudential Gibraltar Agency Kabushiki Kaisha, Prudential Global Funding LLC, Prudential Holdings of Japan Inc., Prudential Huntoon Paige Associates LLC, Prudential IBH Holdco Inc., Prudential Impact Investments Mortgage Loans LLC, Prudential Impact Investments Private Debt LLC, Prudential Impact Investments Private Equity LLC, Prudential Insurance Agency LLC, Prudential International Insurance Holdings Ltd., Prudential International Insurance Service Company L.L.C., Prudential International Investments Advisers LLC, Prudential International Investments Company LLC, Prudential International Investments LLC, Prudential Investment Management Services LLC, Prudential Japan Holdings LLC, Prudential Legacy Insurance Company of New Jersey, Prudential Mortgage Asset Holdings 1 Japan Investment Business Limited Partnership, Prudential Mortgage Asset Holdings 2 Japan Investment Business Limited Partnership, Prudential Mortgage Capital Asset Holding Company LLC, Prudential Mortgage Capital Funding LLC, Prudential Mortgage Capital Holdings LLC, Prudential Multifamily Mortgage LLC, Prudential Mutual Fund Services LLC, Prudential Newark Realty LLC, Prudential QOZ Investment Fund 1 LLC, Prudential Realty Securities Inc., Prudential Retirement Financial Services Holding LLC, Prudential Retirement Holdings LLC, Prudential Retirement Insurance and Annuity Company, Prudential Securities Secured Financing Corporation, Prudential Seguros Mexico S.A. de C.V., Prudential Seguros S.A., Prudential Select Strategies LLC, Prudential Servicios S. de R.L. de C.V., Prudential Structured Settlement Company, Prudential Systems Japan Limited, Prudential Tax Services LLC, Prudential Term Reinsurance Company, Prudential Trust Co. Ltd., Prudential Trust Company, Prudential Universal Reinsurance Company, Prudential Workplace Solutions Group Services LLC, Prudential do Brasil Seguros de Vida S.A., Prudential do Brasil Vida em Grupo S.A., Prudential/TMW Real Estate Group LLC, Pruservicos Participacoes Ltda., QMA JP EM All Cap Equity Partners LLC, Quartzsite LLC, Residential Services Corporation of America LLC, Rio CP LP, Rock European Real Estate Holdings S.ar.l., Rock Global Real Estate LLC, Rock Kensington Limited, Rock Marty GP S.a r.l., Rock Oxford S.a r.l., Rock UK Real Estate II S.a.r.l., Rockstone Co. Ltd., Rosado Grande LLC, Ross Avenue Energy Fund Holdings LLC, Ross Avenue Minerals 2012 LLC, SCP Apartments LLC, SENIOR HOUSING PARTNERS VI GP LLC, SENIOR HOUSING PARTNERSHIP FUND VI GP LLC, SHP IV Carried Interest LP, SHP V Carried Interest L.P., SMP Holdings Inc., SVIIT Holdings Inc., Sanei Collection Service Co. Ltd. Kabushiki Kaisha Sanei Shuuno Service, Senior Housing Partners V LLC, Senior Housing Partnership Fund V LLC, Sterling Private Placement Management LLP, Stetson Street Partners L.P., Strand Investments Limited, TBG Insurance Services Corporation, TENSATOR HOLDINGS LTD, TF Proveedora S.C., TMW ASPF I Verwaltungs GmbH & Co. KG, TMW ASPF Management GmbH, TMW Management LLC, TMW Real Estate Group LLC, TMW Realty Advisors LLC, TMW USPF Verwaltungs GmbH, TRGOAG Company Inc., The Gibraltar Life Insurance Co. Ltd., The Keynes Dynamic Beta Strategy US Fund GP LLC, The Prudential Assigned Settlement Services Corp., The Prudential Brazilian Capital Fund LP, The Prudential Gibraltar Financial Life Insurance Co. Ltd., The Prudential Home Mortgage Company Inc., The Prudential Insurance Company of America, The Prudential Life Insurance Company Ltd., The Prudential Real Estate Financial Services of America Inc., The WMF Group, Thurloe Commercial Guernsey Limited, USPF V - Verwaltungs - GmbH & Co. KG, USPF V Carry LLC, USPF V Co-Invest LLC, USPF V Investment LP, United States Property Fund VI GP S.a r.l., VIP Australia Holding Company LLC, VIP Australia Trustee Pty Ltd, Vailsburg Fund LLC, Vantage Casualty Insurance Company, Wabash Avenue Holdings V LLC, Wabash Avenue Partners V L.P., Wadhwani Capital Limited, Waveland Avenue Holdings I LLC, Waveland Avenue Partners I Ireland L.P., Waveland Avenue Partners I US L.P., Wellness Services Ecossistema De Bem Estar Ltda., Wellness Services SRL, Yamato Life, and Yavapai LLC. Read More Sasol Limited, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an integrated chemical and energy company in South Africa. The company operates through six segments: Mining, Gas, Fuels, Chemicals Africa, Chemicals America, and Chemicals Eurasia. It offers acetate, acrylate monomer, ammonia, carbon, chlor alkali, explosive, fertilizer, glycol ether, hydrocarbon blend, inorganic, ketone, mining, polymer, and wax chemicals, as well as lacquer thinners, light alcohols, and phenolics or cresylic acids. The company also markets and sells brick, electrical, engine, hand, non-ferrous, and window cleaners, as well as parts wash products and super soaps; degreasers; bitumen, fuel oils, lubricants, motor fuels, and gas-to-liquid fuels; and other fuels, such as illuminating paraffin, light cycle and distillate oils, light straight run fuels, and synthetic paraffinic kerosene. In addition, it wholesales diesel and petrol; operates coal mines; offers engineering services; and develops lower carbon solutions. Further, the company explores, develops, produces, markets, and distributes natural gas and related products through pipelines. It serves adhesive, agriculture and forestry, automotive and transportation, aviation, burner fuel, chemical, construction and material, corrosion protection, electrical and electronic, flavor and fragrance, furniture, health and medical, household and consumer goods, industrial product, lubricant, manufacturing, mining, packaging, paint and coating, personal care, pharmaceutical, plastic and polymer, publishing and ink, pulp and paper, rubber and tyre, specialty graphite, steel and foundry, textile and leather, water treatment, and other industries. Sasol Limited was founded in 1950 and is headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa. 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. Trecora Resources manufactures and sells various specialty petrochemical products and synthetic waxes in the United States. The company operates in two segments, Petrochemical and Specialty Waxes. The Petrochemical segment offers hydrocarbons and other petroleum based products, including isopentane, normal pentane, isohexane, and hexane for use in the production of polyethylene, packaging, polypropylene, expandable polystyrene, poly-iso/urethane foams, and crude oil from the Canadian tar sands, as well as in the catalyst support industry. It also owns and operates pipelines. The Specialty Waxes segment provides specialty polyethylene for use in the paints and inks, adhesives, coatings, and PVC lubricants markets; and specialized synthetic poly alpha olefin waxes for use as toner in printers, as well as additives for candles. The company also provides custom processing services; and produces copper and zinc concentrates, and silver and gold dore. Trecora Resources was formerly known as Arabian American Development Company and changed its name to Trecora Resources in June 2014. Trecora Resources was founded in 1967 and is based in Sugar Land, Texas. 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. Jenoptik AG engages in the optics and photonics business in Germany and internationally. The company operates through Light & Optics, Light & Production, and Light & Safety divisions. It offers imaging solutions and cameras, including microscope and thermographic camera, imaging modules, polymer-based camera modules, and digital microscope subsystem; laser and laser technology, such as laser ablation, scoring, cutting, welding, and distance meters and sensors, as well as laser OEM solutions comprising diode laser and disk laser technology, diode pumped disk lasers, laser systems, and LK heat sink; and optical modules and components for light detection and ranging sensors. The company also provides optics and optical systems, including objective lenses for laser material processing, system partner for optics, customized and standardized objective lenses, optical measuring systems, and precision optical components; optical shaft measuring systems, optical 3D measurement technology, optical in-line inspection, vision-systems, and ultra-fast opto-electronic probe card; and optoelectronics and optoelectronic systems comprising system partner for optoelectronic systems, customized-specific optoelectronic systems, optoelectronics assemblies and subsystems, light modulation, and photodiodes and LEDs. In addition, it offers road safety solutions, such as speed enforcement, average speed cameras, red light cameras, evaluation software, and traffic services; and civil security solutions, including automatic number plate recognition and data analysis software, border security, combating organized crime, protecting public places, and monitoring suspect vehicles. The company serves automotive, defense and security, electronics and information technology, healthcare and life science, industry and mechanical engineering, semiconductor equipment, and public safety sectors. Jenoptik AG was founded in 1846 and is headquartered in Jena, Germany. KBR, Inc. provides scientific, technology, and engineering solutions to governments and commercial customers worldwide. The company operates through Government Solutions and Sustainable Technology Solutions segments. The Government Solutions segment offers life-cycle support solutions to defense, intelligence, space, aviation, and other programs and missions for military and other government agencies in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Its services cover research and development, advanced prototyping, acquisition support, systems engineering, cyber analytics, space domain awareness, test and evaluation, systems integration and program management, global supply chain management, and operations readiness and support, as well as command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance services. This segment also provides various professional advisory services to deliver high-end systems engineering, systems assurance, and technology to customers across the defense, energy, and critical infrastructure sectors. The Sustainable Technology Solutions segment holds a portfolio of approximately 70 proprietary process technologies for ammonia/syngas/fertilizers, chemical/petrochemicals, clean refining, and circular process/circular economy solutions. This segment also includes advisory and consulting practices that focuses on energy transition and net-zero carbon emission consulting; and provides engineering, design, and professional services, as well as industrial solutions through KBR INSITE, a proprietary, digital, and cloud-based operations and maintenance platform that identifies opportunities for clients to achieve sustainable improvements in production, reliability, environment impact, energy efficiency, and profitability. KBR, Inc. was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas. Meritor, Inc. designs, develops, manufactures, markets, distributes, sells, services, and supports integrated systems, modules, and components in North America, South America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific. It operates through two segments, Commercial Truck, and Aftermarket and Industrial. The company offers axles, including front steer and rear drive axles for medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicles; heavy-duty trailer axles; suspension modules and brake products comprising drum and disc brakes; universal joints and driveline components; trailer air suspension systems and products; transfer cases and drivelines; and advanced suspension modules for use in light-, medium- and heavy-duty military tactical wheeled vehicles. It also provides air brakes, such as cam drum, wedge drum, and air disc brakes, as well as wheel-end components, including hubs, drums, and rotors to medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicle manufacturers; and electric drive systems comprising electric motors and inverters, power electronics, battery pack, electrified accessories, and related software and controls for terminal tractors and medium and heavy-duty trucks and buses. In addition, the company sells other complementary products, including third-party and private label items, which include brake shoes and friction materials; automatic slack adjusters; yokes and shafts; wheel-end hubs and drums; ABS and stability control systems; shock absorbers and air springs; and air brakes. Meritor, Inc. sells its products under the Meritor, Euclid, Trucktechnic, US Gear, AxleTech, and Mach brands primarily to original equipment manufacturers, their parts marketing operations, and their dealers, as well as other independent distributors and service garages in the aftermarket industry. The company was formerly known as ArvinMeritor, Inc. and changed its name to Meritor, Inc. in March 2011. Meritor, Inc. was founded in 1909 and is headquartered in Troy, Michigan. NOW Inc. distributes downstream energy and industrial products for petroleum refining, chemical processing, LNG terminals, power generation utilities, and industrial manufacturing operations in the United States, Canada, and internationally. The company offers its products under the DistributionNOW and DNOW brand names. It provides consumable maintenance, repair, and operating supplies; pipes, valves, fittings, flanges, gaskets, fasteners, electrical products, instrumentations, artificial lift, pumping solutions, valve actuation and modular process, and measurement and control equipment; and mill supplies, tools, safety supplies, and personal protective equipment, as well as applied products and applications, such as artificial lift systems, coatings, and miscellaneous expendable items. The company also offers original equipment manufacturer equipment, including pumps, generator sets, air and gas compressors, dryers, blowers, mixers, and valves; modular oil and gas tank battery solutions; and application systems, work processes, parts integration, optimization solutions, and after-sales support services. In addition, it provides supply chain and materials management solutions that include procurement, inventory planning and management, and warehouse management, as well as solutions for logistics, point-of-issue technology, project management, business process, and performance metrics reporting services. The company serves customers through a network of approximately 180 locations in the upstream, midstream, and downstream sectors of the energy industry, including drilling contractors, well-servicing companies, independent and national oil and gas companies, midstream operators, and refineries, as well as petrochemical, chemical, utilities, and other downstream energy processors; and industrial and manufacturing companies. NOW Inc. was founded in 1862 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas. 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. Red Hat, Inc. provides open source software solutions to develop and offer operating system, virtualization, management, middleware, cloud, mobile, and storage technologies to various enterprises worldwide. It offers infrastructure-related solutions, such as Red Hat Enterprise Linux, an operating system platform that runs on hardware for use in hybrid cloud environments; Red Hat Satellite, a system management offering that helps to deploy, scale, and manage in hybrid cloud environments; and Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization, a software solution that allows customers to utilize and manage a common hardware infrastructure to run multiple operating systems and applications. The company offers application development-related and other technology solutions, such as Red Hat JBoss Middleware, a solution for developing, deploying, and managing applications; integrating applications, data, and devices; and automating business processes in hybrid cloud environments; The company's application development-related and other technology solutions also includes Red Hat cloud offerings, a software solution that enables customers to build and manage various cloud computing environments; Red Hat Mobile, a software development platform that enables customers to develop, integrate, deploy, and manage mobile applications for enterprises; and Red Hat Storage, a software solution that enables customers to manage large, unstructured, or semi-structured data in hybrid cloud environments. It also provides consulting, support, and training services; and realtime operating system, distributed computing, directory services, and user authentication. Red Hat, Inc. has collaboration with Juniper Networks Expand to provide a unified solution for enterprises designed to manage and run applications and services. The company was formerly known as Red Hat Software, Inc. and changed its name to Red Hat, Inc. in June 1999. Red Hat, Inc. was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. designs, manufactures, and sells products, solution, and systems that manage and conserve the flow of fluids and energy into, through and out of buildings in the commercial and residential markets in the Americas, Europe, the Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa. The company offers residential and commercial flow control products, including backflow preventers, water pressure regulators, temperature and pressure relief valves, and thermostatic mixing valves. It also provides heating, ventilation, and air conditioning and gas products, such as boilers, water heaters, custom heat, and hot water solutions; hydronic and electric heating systems for under-floor radiant applications; custom heat and hot water solutions; hydronic pump groups for boiler manufacturers and alternative energy control packages; and flexible stainless steel connectors for natural and liquid propane gas in commercial food service and residential applications. In addition, the company offers drainage and water re-use products comprising drainage products and engineered rain water harvesting solutions for commercial, industrial, marine, and residential applications; and water quality products that include point-of-use and point-of-entry water filtration, conditioning, and scale prevention systems for commercial and residential applications. Further, it provides smart mixing system under the IntelliStation name. The company sells its products to plumbing, heating, and mechanical wholesale distributors and dealers, as well as original equipment manufacturers, specialty product distributors, do-it-yourself chains, and retail chains; and directly to wholesalers and private label accounts. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. was founded in 1874 and is headquartered in North Andover, Massachusetts. * PermaKat Eleonora Rosati received the 2022 Adepi Award * PermaKat Eleonora Rosati listed as one of the World Intellectual Property Review's "Influential Women in IP" of 2020. * PermaKat Eleonora Rosati listed as one of the Managing Intellectual Property magazine's "Fifty Most Influential People" of 2018. * IPKat founder and Blogmeister Emeritus Jeremy Phillips listed as one of the Managing Intellectual Property magazine's "Fifty Most Influential People" of 2005, 2011, 2013, and 2014. * Recommended by the European Patent Office as reading material for candidates for the European Qualifying Examinations, 2013. * Listed as "Top Legal Blog" in The Times Online, March 2011. 2010 ABA Journal 100. * One of the only two non-US blogs listed in the Blawg100. * Court Reporter Top Copyright Blog award winner, November 2010. * Number 1 in the 2010 Top Copyright Blog list compiled by the Copyright Litigation Blog, July 2010. * Selected by the United States Library of Congress for inclusion in its historic collections of Internet materials related to Legal Blawgs as of 2010. * Top Patent Blog poll 2009: 3rd out of 50 in the "Favourite Patent Blog" poll and 2nd out of 50 in the "Most-read" poll. Blog of the Year, 20 August 2008. * ComputerWeekly IT Law and Governance, 20 August 2008. WABCO Holdings Inc., together with its subsidiaries, supplies electronic, mechanical, electro-mechanical, and aerodynamic products worldwide. The company engineers, develops, manufactures, and sells braking, stability, suspension, steering, transmission automation, and air management systems primarily for commercial vehicles. The company's products include pneumatic anti-lock braking systems, electronic braking systems, electronic stability control systems, brake controls, automated manual transmission systems, and air disc brakes; and various conventional mechanical products, such as actuators, air compressors, and air control valves for medium and heavy-duty trucks, buses, and trailers. It also offers pneumatic and hydraulic braking and control systems for off-highway vehicles; conventional braking systems; electronic and conventional air suspension systems; steering technologies; and vehicle electronic stability control and roll stability support products, and advanced driver assistance systems. In addition, the company supplies electronic suspension controls and vacuum pumps to the passenger car and SUV markets, as well as provides remanufacturing services. Further, it offers replacement parts, fleet management solutions, diagnostic tools, training, and other expert services for commercial vehicle aftermarket distributors and service partners, and fleet operators. The company sells its products primarily to truck and bus original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), trailer OEMs, and car manufacturers; and manufacturers of heavy duty and off-highway vehicles in agriculture, construction, mining, and other industries. WABCO Holdings Inc. was founded in 1869 and is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium. [September 20, 2017] Level 3 Selected as the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Network Provider BROOMFIELD, Colo., Sept. 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Level 3 Communications (NYSE: LVLT) has been awarded a $79 million-dollar, five-year contract, with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, to provide backbone network, high-speed Internet and managed network security services. Under the terms of the agreement Level 3 will provide: A full suite of data and internet services to include: Managed Dedicated Fiber Ethernet Virtual Private LANs Private Line MPLS/VPN Wavelengths High-Speed Internet Access Managed Network Services High-Speed Direct Connections to Cloud and SaaS Providers including: Amazon Web Services Microsoft Azure Managed Network Security to include: Security Threat and Vulnerability Assessment Security Operations Center Web Application Vulnerability Assessment DDoS Protection Enterprise Network Visibility and Discovery Service Rogue Device Analysis Network Security Monitoring and Analysis Controlled Penetration Testing High Availability Disaster Recovery Service Adaptive Threat Intelligence Facts: Level 3 has been serving customers in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for more than 20 years for more than 20 years Level 3 operates more than 7,700 fiber miles in Pennsylvania , reaching more than 2,200 on-net buildings , reaching more than 2,200 on-net buildings In 2015, Level 3 was awarded a contract with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , to expand its current Master IT Services Invitation to Qualify (ITQ) program contract to include security, network and telecommunications services Key Quotes: Ken Hess, Deputy Secretary, Procurement, Pennsylvania Department of General Services "Level 3 is an established services provider to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. This contract represents an upgrade regarding services we will receive. Also, they have committed 20 percent of the contract to the use of small, diverse businesses. We look forward to using Level 3's capabilities and advanced network solutions to provide us with the reliability and scalability we need today and throughout the term of the contract." Michael Zody, Level 3 Communications, General Account Manager, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania "Level 3 has worked in collaboration with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to define not only what it needs today, but the right infrastructure that will sustain the Commonwealth's growth into the future. The demand for bandwidth and the security around the network and applications that deliver services to Pennsylvania continues to grow. Level 3 looks forward to continuing our work with the Commonwealth to deliver on those needs." About Level 3 Communications Level 3 Communications, Inc. (NYSE: LVLT) is a Fortune 500 company that provides local, national and global communications services to enterprise, government and carrier customers. Level 3's comprehensive portfolio of secure, managed solutions includes fiber and infrastructure solutions; IP-based voice and data communications; wide-area Ethernet services; video and content distribution; data center and cloud-based solutions. Level 3 serves customers in more than 500 markets in over 60 countries across a global services platform anchored by owned fiber networks on three continents and connected by extensive undersea facilities. For more information, please visit www.level3.com or get to know us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. Level 3 Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Level 3, Level 3 Communications, Level (3) and the Level 3 Logo are either registered service marks or service marks of Level 3 Communications, LLC and/or one of its Affiliates in the United States and elsewhere. Any other service names, product names, company names or logos included herein are the trademarks or service marks of their respective owners. Level 3 services are provided by subsidiaries of Level 3 Communications, Inc. Forward-Looking Statements Some statements made in this press release are forward-looking in nature and are based on management's current expectations or beliefs. These forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of performance and are subject to a number of uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside Level 3's control, which could cause actual events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the statements. Important factors that could prevent Level 3 from achieving its stated goals include, but are not limited to, the company's ability to: increase revenue from its services to realize its targets for financial and operating performance; develop and maintain effective business support systems; manage system and network failures or disruptions; avert the breach of its network and computer system security measures; develop new services that meet customer demands and generate acceptable margins; manage the future expansion or adaptation of its network to remain competitive; defend intellectual property and proprietary rights; manage risks associated with continued uncertainty in the global economy; manage continued or accelerated decreases in market pricing for communications services; obtain capacity for its network from other providers and interconnect its network with other networks on favorable terms; successfully integrate future acquisitions; effectively manage political, legal, regulatory, foreign currency and other risks it is exposed to due to its substantial international operations; mitigate its exposure to contingent liabilities; and meet all of the terms and conditions of its debt obligations. Additional information concerning these and other important factors can be found within Level 3's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Statements in this press release should be evaluated in light of these important factors. Level 3 is under no obligation to, and expressly disclaims any such obligation to, update or alter its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Except for the historical and factual information contained herein, the matters set forth in this communication, including statements regarding the expected timing and benefits of the proposed transaction, such as efficiencies, cost savings, enhanced revenues, growth potential, market profile and financial strength, and the competitive ability and position of the combined company, and other statements identified by words such as "will," "estimates," "anticipates," "believes," "expects," "projects," "plans," "intends," "may," "should," "could," "seeks" and similar expressions, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions, many of which are beyond our control. These forward-looking statements, and the assumptions upon which they are based, (i) are not guarantees of future results, (ii) are inherently speculative and (iii) are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual events and results may differ materially from those anticipated, estimated, projected or implied in those statements if one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or if underlying assumptions prove incorrect. Factors that could affect actual results include but are not limited to: the ability of the parties to timely and successfully receive the required approvals for the combination from regulatory agencies free of conditions materially adverse to the parties and from their respective shareholders; the possibility that the anticipated benefits from the proposed transaction cannot be fully realized or may take longer to realize than expected; the possibility that costs, difficulties or disruptions related to the integration of Level 3's operations with those of CenturyLink will be greater than expected; the ability of the combined company to retain and hire key personnel; the effects of competition from a wide variety of competitive providers, including lower demand for CenturyLink's legacy offerings; the effects of new, emerging or competing technologies, including those that could make the combined company's products less desirable or obsolete; the effects of ongoing changes in the regulation of the communications industry, including the outcome of regulatory or judicial proceedings relating to intercarrier compensation, interconnection obligations, access charges, universal service, broadband deployment, data protection and net neutrality; adverse changes in CenturyLink's or the combined company's access to credit markets on favorable terms, whether caused by changes in its financial position, lower debt credit ratings, unstable markets or otherwise; the combined company's ability to effectively adjust to changes in the communications industry, and changes in the composition of its markets and product mix; possible changes in the demand for, or pricing of, the combined company's products and services, including the combined company's ability to effectively respond to increased demand for high-speed broadband service; changes in the operating plans, capital allocation plans or corporate strategies of the combined company, whether based on changes in market conditions, changes in the cash flows or financial position of the combined company, or otherwise; the combined company's ability to successfully maintain the quality and profitability of its existing product and service offerings and to introduce new offerings on a timely and cost-effective basis; the adverse impact on the combined company's business and network from possible equipment failures, service outages, security breaches or similar events impacting its network; the combined company's ability to maintain favorable relations with key business partners, suppliers, vendors, landlords and financial institutions; the ability of the combined company to utilize net operating losses in amounts projected; changes in the future cash requirements of the combined company; and other risk factors and cautionary statements as detailed from time to time in each of CenturyLink's and Level 3's reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). Due to these risks and uncertainties, there can be no assurance that the proposed combination or any other transaction described above will in fact be completed in the manner described or at all. You should be aware that new factors may emerge from time to time and it is not possible for us to identify all such factors nor can we predict the impact of each such factor on the proposed combination or the combined company. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this communication. Unless legally required, CenturyLink and Level 3 undertake no obligation and each expressly disclaim any such obligation, to update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, changed events or otherwise. Additional Information In connection with the proposed combination, CenturyLink filed a registration statement on Form S-4 with the SEC (Registration Statement No. 333-215121), which was declared effective by the SEC on February 13, 2017. CenturyLink and Level 3 have filed a joint proxy statement/prospectus and will file other relevant documents concerning the proposed transaction with the SEC. CenturyLink and Level 3 began mailing the definitive joint proxy statement/prospectus to their respective security holders on or about February 13, 2017. The definitive joint proxy statement/prospectus, dated as of February 13, 2017, contains important information about CenturyLink, Level 3, the proposed combination and related matters. INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ THE DEFINITIVE JOINT PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS AND ANY OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS FILED WITH THE SEC IN CONNECTION WITH THE PROPOSED COMBINATION OR INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE IN THE DEFINITIVE JOINT PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS CAREFULLY BECAUSE THEY CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. Investors and security holders may obtain the definitive joint proxy statement/prospectus and the filings that are incorporated by reference in the definitive joint proxy statement/prospectus, as well as other filings containing information about CenturyLink and Level 3, free of charge, at the website maintained by the SEC at www.sec.gov. Investors and security holders may also obtain these documents free of charge by directing a request to CenturyLink, 100 CenturyLink Drive, Monroe, Louisiana 71203, Attention: Corporate Secretary, or to Level 3, 1025 Eldorado Boulevard, Broomfield, Colorado 80021, Attention: Investor Relations. Contact Information Media: Investors: D. Nikki Wheeler Mark Stoutenberg +1 720-888-0560 +1 720-888-2518 [email protected] [email protected] View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/level-3-selected-as-the-commonwealth-of-pennsylvanias-network-provider-300522065.html SOURCE Level 3 Communications [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Sunset Crater National Monument A Journey through Time by Emese Fromm As I walked through the lava flow at Sunset Crater National Monument, I remembered the first time we had come here. Surrounded by sharp black rocks, I had felt like I left Earth and found myself on another planet. It was over twenty years ago, on my first vacation with my present-day husband (then just a new boyfriend). I grew up in Romania, and he grew up in New Jersey; and together we decided to go for a vacation to Arizona, to the Wild West. It was an old-time fantasy of mine I had learned English watching old Western movies. They were the only things on television that were in another language, and I wanted to watch anything other than communist propaganda back then. Getting ready for our trip, we had both bought beautiful, real leather cowboy boots. We thought that's what Arizonans wore on a regular basis. Did we feel foolish when we landed in Phoenix! The cowboy boots did come in handy when we decided to walk on the lava flow though, the one just off the parking lot across from the Visitor Center. We wanted to put them on for a photo on top of this surreal landscape. We were lucky we did. I had no idea how sharp lava thousands of years old could be. It cut right through the leather. The boots protected my feet. It was the one and only good use of them. The trail from Sunset Crater to Lenox Crater on the lava bed. We fell in love with the place right then and there. Sunset Crater was one the reasons we moved here a few months after that original vacation, along with many other wonderful natural features of the Desert Southwest. It's one of the first places we bring all of our out-of-state visitors, and it's our favorite camping spot, where we take our kids every summer. We never miss stopping here when we take a trip into Northern Arizona. I've always admired how nature can rebuild itself, even after the most devastating catastrophe. Maybe that's the real draw in visiting this area: you walk in this black lava and see the most fragile flowers grow from it, and pine trees that offer shade as they mature. Walking through the lava flow year after year, I've become a witness to a forest reborn, and to nature's enduring survival. Hiking to the summit of Sunset Crater isn't permitted, so we headed to the guided Lava Flow Trail. Sometimes we've stopped at the Visitor Center, but we didn't feel the need to do it this time. It was fun to take the kids in there when they were younger; they learned about geology, earthquakes, and volcanoes there. This time, we were with only our girls, and they didnt ask us to stop. We just wanted to experience nature. The hike started out easy; it remains that way for those who choose to take just the smaller, paved loop. However, we headed right to the bridge and the metal stairs that took us through the longer loop into the lava flow. We walked on lava sand, pebbles crunching under our feet. We looked at the beautiful crater and talked about its history. A young pine tree growing in the lava bed. It erupted about 900 years ago, changing the surrounding landscape and the lives of people in the area. I could only imagine the hot lava scorching, burning to ashes everything in its path. It took less than a millennium for life to return. Some of the most beautiful flowers, pine trees, small bushes, and numerous animals are at home here. We reached the most shaded area of the trail, and stopped to take in our surroundings. Mature ponderosa pines cast shadows here, making this the most enjoyable part of the route. The path follows a wooden fence on this side, but as we left the area, we lost the shade just when it started to ascend. We tried to wait for a cloud before heading back into the sun. Fortunately, a small one came by and we continued our walk. On the other side of the small hill, we walked by sharp rock formations, and finally got to the entrance to the lava tube that we were waiting for. It gave us an opportunity to stop and cool down. The cold air rushing out of it was a welcome change from the heat of the desert. The entrance to the ice cave beneath has collapsed over the years, so it's closed, but the girls were able to stand by it and cool down before continuing on the trail. In the open field of lava sand, we stopped to admire the Sunset Crater penstemon, a beautiful, delicate flower that doesn't grow anywhere else on the planet. This lovely, fire-adapted flower grows in openings between Ponderosa pines in and around Sunset Crater. About eighteen inches tall, it normally flowers between April and August, though weve seen it later in the year, up to October at times. Before leaving the trail, we sat on a shaded bench to admire the cinder cone volcano. Then, we headed over to hike into another cinder cone volcano, Lenox Crater. The trail that connects this area with Lenox Crater was new, so we decided to try it. As I walked on this wide, well-maintained trail in the lava sand, I remembered the first time I hiked up this crater. No trail was leading up to it back then, though the area wasnt closed to climbing, so my twenty-five-year old self agreed to climb it. My then-boyfriend-now-husband and I were camping at the Bonito campground, soon after we had become residents of Arizona. It was a Fourth of July weekend and we took the opportunity to enjoy the area. Looking at Lenox Crater across the street from the campground, we had thought it would be fun to climb it. It was allowed, after all, if you wanted to try it. Storm clouds might bring rain to the Sunset Crater area. It was bright and sunny when we started, with no clouds in the sky. We decided to just walk straight up to it on the lava sand. It wasnt enough that we were climbing, the black sand mixed with pebbles made it even more difficult. But we were young and happy to be in this surreal environment, so we enjoyed it. When we were about halfway up, suddenly, without warning, the sky grew very dark. Within minutes, it started to rain huge raindrops, that shortly turned into hail. We were only wearing shorts and t-shirts, and we were freezing. However, I remember laughing through it, enjoying the absolute wildness of it. This storm really came out of nowhere. To make things more interesting, the area was deserted, and very open, with tall ponderosa pines scattered around, far and few between. Since a lot of lightning accompanied the rain initially, we hadn't wanted to stand under these tall trees. So, we got soaked, frozen, but laughed through it the whole time. As suddenly as it had started, the hail stopped, and soon the sun was shining again, as if nothing had happened. The sand became a darker shade of black, and it was easier to walk on. Since we were half-frozen, we decided to go back to camp and change clothes, warm up by the fire. Climbing Lenox Crater had to wait for another day. We've climbed it often over the following years, and have enjoyed it every time, though no hail storm has caught us by surprise since. This last time, the hike was very easy and pleasant. The trail is well marked and well-traveled now, the sand and pebbles forming an easy-to-walk path. I looked at the scattered clouds in the sky, and hoped for some rain. We could use another adventure, I felt. The trail was too easy to walk now, it had lost some of that wilderness feeling. On the other hand, it's accessible for anyone now, and we could walk in a leisurely way as we enjoyed views of Sunset Crater on one side and Katchina Peaks on the other. On the trail towards Sunset Crater during sunset. Once on top, we did have an opportunity for a more adventurous hike. The girls took off before we even noticed, running down into the center of the cinder cone. There was no trail, we just followed them through the lava sand. Coming up was a little harder, but we managed it both ways. Then we sat on top and enjoyed the view of the surrounding volcanic fields and mountains at sunset. Getting There BY AUTO From Flagstaff, take US 89 north for 12 miles; turn right at the sign for Sunset Crater Volcano - Wupatki National Monuments. The Visitor Center is 2 miles from this junction. TRANSPORTATION Air Commercial air carriers provide daily service to Flagstaff. Bus Continental bus service is provided to Flagstaff. Train Daily Amtrak service is provided to Flagstaff. More on Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument ... Related DesertUSA Pages Share this page on Facebook: DesertUSA Newsletter -- We send articles on hiking, camping and places to explore, as well as animals, wildflower reports, plant information and much more. Sign up below or read more about the DesertUSA newsletter here. (It's Free.) FREE DESERTUSA NEWSLETTER Enter E-Mail address: The Desert Environment The North American Deserts Desert Geological Terms One-day event will help developers deepen their understanding of MIPI specifications for mobile, automotive, camera/vision and IoT applications PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- September 20, 2017 - The MIPI Alliance, an international organization that develops interface specifications for mobile and mobile-influenced industries, today announced highlights of its forthcoming developers conference, MIPI DevCon Hsinchu City. The one-day event, hosted in Hsinchu City for the convenience of developers in Taiwan's vibrant technology sector, will provide education, technical training and a networking forum for implementers of MIPI specifications. WHAT: MIPI DevCon Hsinchu City WHEN & WHERE: 31 October 2017 at the Sheraton Hsinchu Hotel in Hsinchu City, Taiwan WHO SHOULD ATTEND: The conference is tailored to developers who are interfacing sensors in mobile, IoT or automotive designs, or integrating imaging, displays and touch components in connected cameras, tablets, laptops and other devices. Program content will provide great value for system architects, engineers, engineering managers, and business and marketing executives. Members of the media and industry analysts are invited to attend with complimentary registration. WHO IS SPEAKING AT THE EVENT: MIPI Alliance working group chairs and other experts will lead keynote and technical sessions to share their implementation experiences, demonstrate use cases and provide application examples. Several MIPI Alliance member companies will conduct product demonstrations. WHY MIPI ALLIANCE IS HOSTING THE EVENT: Mobile technologies are rapidly expanding into new markets such as wearables, IoT, automotive and augmented/virtual reality. Many firms in the regions manufacturing and software industries are actively pursuing these new opportunities. Conference sessions will address how MIPI Alliance specifications can help companies lower their component costs and get products to market faster to meet the growing demand for innovative mobile-connected products and devices. In addition to the educational sessions, the exhibit area will offer opportunities to interact with MIPI member companies and view product demonstrations. The event schedule provides several networking opportunities as well. "Hsinchu City is a vital hub for manufacturing and innovation in industries where MIPIs specifications are very relevant, from mobile to IoT," said Joel Huloux, chairman of the board of MIPI Alliance. "The conference will deepen attendees' understanding of the MIPI specification ecosystem and provide excellent opportunities to learn, share use cases and best practices, and network with industry leaders." TO REGISTER: Find more details and register at http://bit.ly/2fmxR4J. An early bird $49 registration fee is available until 6 October 2017. PROGRAM DETAILS: The MIPI DevCon Hsinchu City agenda features expert commentary and presentations from MIPI members representing the industrys top companies working in mobile, IoT, automotive and other fast-growth markets. Three comprehensive tracks will cover: MIPI Interfaces Interfaces for Sensors and Automotive Applications MIPI Verification and Test Challenges, Solutions and Practical Experiences MIPI Interfaces for Imaging Solutions and Use Cases for Cameras, Imaging, Displays and Touch Exhibiting companies include Arasan Chip Systems, Inc.; Avery Design Systems, Inc.; BitfiEye Digital Test Solutions GmbH; Hardent Inc.; Introspect Test Technology, Inc.; Keysight Technologies, Inc.; Lattice Semiconductor Corp.; L&T Technology Services; Mentor Graphics; Mixel, Inc.; Phison Electronics Corporation; Protocol Insight, LLC; Synopsys; Teledyne LeCroy; and Truechip Solutions Pvt. Ltd. Event sponsors include Introspect Test Technology, Inc.; Mixel, Inc.; and Teledyne LeCroy. Industry sponsors include the IEEE Standards Association (IEEE-SA), the IEEE Industry Standards and Technology Organization (ISTO), the Taiwan Display Union Association (TDUA), and the Taiwan Semiconductor Industry Association (TSIA). Media sponsors include Design & Reuse, Display+, EDACafe.com, EECatalog, EE Times, IoT Today, MEMS Journal, Semiconductor Engineering and Sensors Online. To inquire about sponsorship opportunities, please visit the MIPI DevCon Hsinchu City sponsor information page at https://mipi.org/devcon/hsinchu-city/sponsor. About MIPI Alliance MIPI Alliance (MIPI) develops interface specifications for mobile and mobile-influenced industries. There is at least one MIPI specification in every smartphone manufactured today. Founded in 2003, the organization has 300 member companies worldwide and 13 active working groups delivering specifications within the mobile ecosystem. Members of the organization include handset manufacturers, device OEMs, software providers, semiconductor companies, application processor developers, IP tool providers, test and test equipment companies, as well as camera, tablet and laptop manufacturers. For more information, please visit www.mipi.org. September 21 2017 -- Sondrel, a UK headquartered IC Design Consultancy, today announced the establishment of an entity in India, having opened its first engineering design centre in Hyderabad. The company provide concept to silicon design services to an international client base. The continued rapid growth of Sondrel has seen new design centres opening in the UK, Europe, China and Morocco. Establishing an office in India expands the companys reach into an important region within the semiconductor sector, and brings its international network of design centres to nine in total. The twenty-five strong engineering team in Hyderabad formerly worked for Imagination Technologies, and specialise in graphics and image processing technologies. The Sondrel office is in the Madhapur district, in Hitech City, a hub for many global semiconductor and technology companies. Sondrel is immediately looking to hire more engineering consultants, and to grow the team. India is a major player within the global semiconductor sector. According to the India Electronics & Semiconductor Association, the Indian Electronic System Design and Manufacturing (ESDM) market will grow from US$ 76 billion in 2013 to US$ 400 billion by 2020. According to the Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY), nearly 2,000 chips are being designed every year in India and more than 20,000 engineers are working on various aspects of chip design and verification. VP Engineering, Kevin Steptoe (middle) shakes hands with Sondrel engineers Hari Vattikota (left) and Ravikumar Dasari (right) Sondrel CEO, Graham Curren explained, This is another milestone for us, opening our first design centre in India, and we look forward to being part of its technology community. We are proud to be a UK headquartered company, with an international outlook. Our engineering teams collaborate and share their expertise across the company, giving us great strength and depth to tackle todays complex design challenges. The engineering team based in Hyderabad comprise of senior managers and talented design, verification and implementation engineers. They join us with an impressive track record of project experience for complex SoC designs and are a valuable addition to our global engineering team. He continued, Sondrel has a reputation within the industry for our expertise in large complex digital designs. Our application focus in India is in Artificial Intelligence (AI) products that require high computational performance that support solutions for ADAS systems, virtual and augmented reality products, and machine vision and learning devices. The project work that we do is challenging, and I know that the team can meet these challenges. Employees of Sondrel can expect to gain valuable experience working on multiple project engagements, many of which will be on cutting edge process technologies. Are you a talented Electronics Engineer? Send your cv to careers@sondrel.com and express an interest in joining our engineering team in India ABOUT SONDREL Success through Partnership is the philosophy of Sondrel, one of the worlds leading concept-to-silicon design consultancies. For Sondrel, partnership means sharing the responsibility to get a project done for the mutual benefit of all parties customer, design house, foundries and tools & IP providers. Established in 2002, Sondrel has the largest and most experienced consulting team in Europe, with wide ranging expertise across all aspects of the design flow and all industry-standard EDA tool suits. The companys capabilities cover the entire IC design spectrum from concept through to validated silicon. Sondrel is experienced in highly-complex digital, mixed signal, low power and wireless designs having completed over 300 designs at a range of process geometries down to 7nm, all of which were delivered right first time. With offices in EMEA and China Sondrel provides flexible services and methodology consulting to many of the worlds leading semiconductor companies, enabling them to improve chip performance and reduce timescales and costs. Clear Leisure issued a further update to its settlement negotiations with creditors of its Mediapolis subsidiary on Thursday, announcing it has now exchanged letters with an unnamed creditor to a settlement of a 4.3m (3.8m) debt. The AIM-traded firm said that was at a discount of 88.3% to the face value of the amount owed. Its board said that equated, on a consolidated basis, to a significant improvement in the groups balance sheet of approximately 3.8m, equal to 3.36m or 1.07p per share. Completion was expected in the next few days. The company said it was financing the acquisition of the debt with a 0.5m secured loan from an unnamed UK private company. This agreement, following 10 months of complex negotiation, represents an important result in the companys strategy of restructuring the groups debt and ring-fencing of assets, said Clear Leisure chairman and CEO Francesco Gardin. During the past 18 months the company has negotiated discounts of 7.5m on debt, equivalent to an average discount of 80%. The board is of the opinion that this debt purchase significantly strengthens Mediapoliss case to have the winding-up petition dismissed, when the Ivrea Court reconvenes on 29 September. Taiwanese smartphone maker HTC has agreed a $1.1bn deal with Google in order to expand its operations. While Google will not take a stake in the tech firm, it will take on a number of staff from HTC and a licence for HTCs intellectual property as it aims to boost its own hardware operations. Despite promising beginnings, HTC was unable to sustain its competition of smartphones from the likes of Apple and Samsung. Google senior vice president of hardware Rick Osterloh said in a blog post on Thursday that it was still "early days" for the tech giant in terms of its hardware, but after launching the Google Pixel phone last year he hopes to delve further into the market. Thats why weve signed an agreement with HTC, a leader in consumer electronics, that will fuel even more product innovation in the years ahead, said Osterloh. With this agreement, a team of HTC talent will join Google as part of the hardware organization. These future fellow Googlers are amazing folks weve already been working with closely on the Pixel smartphone line, and we're excited to see what we can do together as one team. Shares in the Taiwanese company were suspended on Wednesday following reports of the deal with the Alphabet-owned firm. [September 20, 2017] Institute of Human Virology Marks National Gay Men's HIV/AIDS Awareness Day on Wednesday, September 27 as HIV/AIDS Increases in Baltimore's Youth The Institute of Human Virology (IHV) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine will host an event Wednesday, September 27 to raise awareness about the rise in HIV/AIDS among Maryland's youth ages 13-24, particularly among young black men. Of the 252 youth HIV diagnoses in 2015, 82.5 percent were male and 17.5 percent were female in Maryland while 82.1 percent of these new diagnoses were African American. The statistics are astounding considering the availability of prevention therapy. "During our Care and Support Access study, we found that HIV infection is not only disproportionately affecting young black gay men, but we found that these young men face significant personal challenges as they attempt to remain on treatment for HIV. Being on treatment reduces the risk of new infections and poor health," said Carla Alexander, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland School of Medicine. "We co-founded the non-profit Baltimore Project to Save Lives to create a positive, safe place for Baltimore's young men to congregate to learn about prevention and treatment options in addition to providing resources for homelessness and other socio-economic conditions that impact self-care." "These data inspire us to do more to ensure that all those we serve at risk for HIV infection get engaged in our provider services, including PREP," said Robert Redfield, MD, The Robert C. Gallo, MD Endowed Professorship in Translational Medicine, Co-founder, Associate Director, Director, Division of Clinical Care and Research, Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland School of Medicine. "Today's event, and Dr. Alexander's non-profit, Baltimore Project to Save Lives, are terrific initiatives needed to effectively reach the hardest hit minorities in our community." The event will honor public servants, elected officials, and community physicians who are fighting this illness. The following events are hosted at G.A.Y. Lounge; 518 N Charles St; Baltimore 21201. 4-6 pm Paint Party for young Same-Gender-Loving Men: "Be Authentically YOU!!" 6-7 pm Awards Ceremony for HIV doctors, care providers and advocates Honorees include: Lynda Dee: Director, AIDS Action Baltimore Ronald Johnson: Vice President of Policy and Advocacy, AIDS United Michael Levin, MD: Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine, Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland School of Medicine Patrick Mutch, MPH: President and Chief Executive Officer, Chase Brexton Health Care Frank Oldham Jr.: An openly gay, African American HIV-positive activist, who helped found National Gay Men's HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, along with successfully living with HIV since the early epidemic Robert Redfield, MD: The Robert C. Gallo, MD Endowed Professorship in Translational Medicine; Co-Founder, Associate Director, Director of the Division of Clinical Care and Research, Institute of Human Virology; Associate Chair, Chairman's Office; Division Head, Infectious Diseases; Chief of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine; Vice Chair of Medicine for Clinical Affairs, Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine 7-8 pm Reception About the Institute of Human Virology Formed in 1996 as a partnership between the State of Maryland, the City of Baltimore, the University System of Maryland, and the University of Maryland Medical System, the IHV is an institute of the University of Maryland School of Medicine and is home to some of the most globally-recognized and world-renowned experts in all of virology. The IHV combines the disciplines of basic research, epidemiology, and clinical research in a concerted effort to speed the discovery of diagnostics and therapeutics for a wide variety of chronic and deadly viral and immune disorders - most notably, HIV the virus that causes AIDS. For more information, visit www.ihv.org and follow us on Twitter (News - Alert) @IHVmaryland. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170920006237/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [September 21, 2017] Thales Joins the Microsoft Enterprise Cloud Alliance SAN JOSE, Calif., Sept. 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Thales, a leader in critical information systems, cybersecurity and data security, is now a member of the Microsoft Enterprise Cloud Alliance (ECA). Designed to foster innovation and promote awareness of partner solutions, the ECA membership will also help support Thales's ongoing software deployment in the Microsoft Azure Marketplace. Thales solutions currently available in the Azure Marketplace are the Vormetric Data Security Manager (DSM), which offers centralized, FIPS 140-2 certified key and policy management, and enhanced support for Vormetric Transparent Encryption Live Data Transformation a technology that mitigates the need for downtime when transforming or rekeying encrypted data. Also newly available in Microsoft Azure is the Vormetric Tokenization Server. Enabling workloads running in Microsoft Azure to tokenize data and offer dynamic data masking using simple REST API calls, the platform brings cloud elasticity to a security component that is critical to PCI-DSS compliance. CJ Radford, VP of Cloud for Thales e-Security says: "Thales has a strong relationship with Microsoft. As part of our ongoing collaboration, we have delivered the Tokenization Server in Microsoft Azure Marketplace and "bring your own key" so enterprises may retain direct control of their encryption keys used in Microsoft Azure. The resulting Microsoft Azure Key Vault with enhanced key controls, enabled by the Thales nShield hardware security module (HSM), gives Azure customers the tools they need to safeguard sensitive data. We look forward to continued integration of our products with Microsoft Azure native solutions." Chris Lwana, Principal, Cloud Ecosystem Engagement at Microsoft Corp says: "The Enterprise Cloud Alliance Partner Program welcomes Thales which is developing and delivering best in class enterprise and cloud solutions in strategic engagements with Microsoft to accelerate business and innovation. By developing solutions that leverage innovations in the Microsoft Intelligent Cloud, Thales will benefit from the promotion and access that are benefits of enrollment in the Enterprise Cloud Alliance to maximize their business opportunities." Industry insight and views on the latest key management trends can be found on the Thales eSecurity blog at blog.thalesesecurity.com. Follow Thales eSecurity on Twitter @Thalesesecurity, and on LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube. About Thales eSecurity Thales eSecurity is the leader in advanced data security solutions and services that deliver trust wherever information is created, shared or stored. We ensure that the data belonging to companies and government entities is both secure and trusted in any environment on-premise, in the cloud, in data centers or big data environments without sacrificing business agility. Security doesn't just reduce risk, it's an enabler of the digital initiatives that now permeate our daily lives digital money, e-identities, healthcare, connected cars and, with the internet of things (IoT), even household devices. Thales provides everything an organization needs to protect and manage its data, identities and intellectual property, and meet regulatory compliance through encryption, advanced key management, tokenization, privileged-user control and high-assurance solutions. Security professionals around the globe rely on Thales to confidently accelerate their organization's digital transformation. Thales e-Security is part of Thales Group. About Thales Thales is a global technology leader for the Aerospace, Transport, Defence and Security markets. With 64,000 employees in 56 countries, Thales reported sales of 14.9 billion in 2016. With over 25,000 engineers and researchers, Thales has a unique capability to design and deploy equipment, systems and services to meet the most complex security requirements. Its exceptional international footprint allows it to work closely with its customers all over the world. Positioned as a value-added systems integrator, equipment supplier and service provider, Thales is one of Europe's leading players in the security market. The Group's security teams work with government agencies, local authorities and enterprise customers to develop and deploy integrated, resilient solutions to protect citizens, sensitive data and critical infrastructure. Thales offers world-class cryptographic capabilities and is a global leader in cybersecurity solutions for defence, government, critical infrastructure providers, telecom companies, industry and the financial services sector. With a value proposition addressing the entire data security chain, Thales offers a comprehensive range of services and solutions ranging from security consulting, data protection, digital trust management and design, development, integration, certification and security maintenance of cybersecured systems, to cyberthreat management, intrusion detection and security supervision through cybersecurity Operation Centres in France, the United Kingdom, The Netherlands and Hong Kong. View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/thales-joins-the-microsoft-enterprise-cloud-alliance-300523443.html SOURCE Thales [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] AMSTERDAM A Dutch study has examined the culture of mass apparel production, the subsequent wastage and potential improvements as part of a paper published by the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences. Researchers found that on average, consumers in the Netherlands purchased 46 clothing items per year, figures that were lower than that of other participating nations. They also discovered that on average, 40 items are disposed of per annum: 24 of these garments are thrown away in general household waste; five are unsuitable for reuse but can can be recycled; two are re-wearable but not by international second-hand standards; nine of the items are suitable for resale on the international second-hand market. By Andy Rowell As new Hurricane Maria brings devastation to Puerto Rico, the governor of the island, Ricardo Rossello, has asked Donald Trump to declare the U.S. territory a disaster zone. He has said that Maria could be the most damaging hurricane to hit the country in more than 100 years. With maximum recorded wind speeds of 140 mph and rainfall of up to 25 inches or even higher, Mike Brennan, a senior hurricane specialist from the U.S. National Hurricane Center has also warned locals of flash-flooding and punishing rainfall. He added that the storm would remain very dangerous for the next couple of days. Rainfall is going to continue to be a problem there even after Marias center begins to move away, Brennan said. Everybody there should be prepared to stay safe the rest of the day and into tomorrow morning. In nearby Dominica, the principal advisor to Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, said The island has been devastated. The housing stock significantly damaged or destroyed The country is in a dazeno electricity, no running wateras a result of uprooted pipes in most communities and definitely to landline or cellphone services on island, and that will be for quite a while. As Maria follows on after Hurricanes Irma and Harvey, there is rising anger in the Caribbean about hurricanes and climate change. There is no one left on the Antigua and Barbuda islands after previous Hurricane Irma effectively destroyed the islands infrastructure and housing with 185 mph winds. All the inhabitants had to be evacuated. The islands prime minister, Gaston Browne, told IPS on his way to the 72nd UN General Assembly in New York. Climate change is real. We are the victims of climate change because of the profligacy in the use of fossil fuels by the large industrialized nations. He added: These nations, that have contributed to global warming and sea level rise, have an obligation to assist in the rebuilding of these islands Our common humanity, as citizens of a common space, called planet Earth mandates a spirit of empathy and cooperation among all nations, large and small. The climate deniers in the Trump administration though dont want to talk about climate change or how our changing climate is making hurricanes more powerful. Last week, Donald Trump said: Weve had bigger storms than this. 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. The EPA Administrator Scott Polluting Pruitt added Now isnt the time to talk about climate change. But now is the time to talk about climate change. It certainly looks like our changing climate is playing a part, as 2017 looks set to be an unprecedented hurricane season. According to the meteorologist Eric Holthaus, who tweeted: Just one other year in recorded history has there been two U.S. Cat 4+ landfalls (1992, Andrew & Iniki). There's been three in 2017 (so far) https://t.co/HSGfAk9dN1 Eric Holthaus (@EricHolthaus) September 20, 2017 There is still uncertainty if Maria will hit the U.S. coastline, but if it does, history will be made. And we are only in September. The Washington Posts Chris Mooney wrote an article Wednesday entitled: Whats scary about 2017s hurricanes isnt just their strength. Its how fast theyre achieving it. According to Mooney: Rapid strengthening tends to happen when waters are warm, when that warm water is deep, when the atmosphere is moist and when theres little adverse wind flow that could disrupt the storm, according to research papers on the topic and interviews with experts. And our changing climate is warming the waters and adding more moisture to the atmosphere. So now is the time to talk about climate change. Pure and simple. When President Donald Trump decided to pull out of the Paris climate agreement in June, the United States joined the only two countries of the 197 nations in the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change that declined to sign the 2015 accord: Syria, which has been embroiled in a full-scale civil war for six years; and Nicaragua, as its leaders felt the pact was not strong enough to fight climate change. But now, Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega said his country will sign the agreement soon, Managua-based TV station 100% Noticias reports. Ortega said on state TV that Nicaragua will join the global action plan to limit temperature rise to well below 2C to avoid dangerous climate change. He is doing so out of solidarity with countries that are the first victims to the effects of climate change and are the most vulnerable to climate-related natural disasters, including countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. As Quartz points out, Ortegas move leaves Trump in a two-member club with Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, one of the worlds most brutal dictators. Some mixed signals about Trumps Paris withdrawal arose last week, but a White House official said Monday: Consistent with the Presidents announcement in June, we are withdrawing from the Paris Agreement unless we can reengage on terms more favorable to the United States. By Zoe Loftus-Farren As an environmental reporter, its not every day that I get to communicate good newsthe state of our environment often feels pretty bleak. But today, at least, there is a victory to celebrate: Thanks to the persistence of a small group of prison ecology advocates, the support of their allies, and the assistance of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), prisoners rights and environmental justice advocates have a new tool to add to their activist arsenal. This summer, the EPA added a prisons layer to its Environmental Justice Screening and Mapping Tool. Known as EJSCREEN for short, the tool can be used by the public to assess possible exposure to pollutants that might be present in the environment (i.e., land, air and water) where they live or work. The new layer allows the public to overlay the locations of the countrys 6,000-plus prisons, jails and detention centers with information about environmental hazards like superfund and hazardous waste sites, something the nonprofit Human Rights Defense Center has been pushing for as part of its campaign for the EPA to consider prisoners within an environmental justice context. For the prison ecology movement, which addresses issues at the intersection of mass incarceration and environmental degradation, it could be a game changer. Its huge, said Panagioti Tsolkas, cofounder of the Prison Ecology Project, a program of the Human Rights Defense Center. Its one of those things that I think if you just look at it quickly, it seems almost mundane to have added a layer to this existing map. And in the absence of a movement present to actually use it for something, it could be meaningless. But in the presence of what weve been doing over the last three years, of building this national movement and organizing model of looking at prisons from an environmental justice perspective this is pretty massive. The Prison Ecology Project was thinking of creating its own map in the absence of an EPA version. And during our own reporting on toxic prisons earlier this year, Earth Island Journal and Truthout attempted to create a map of prisons and superfund sites across the country, but were stymied by a lack of adequate mapping tools. Tsolkas thinks the tool will prove valuable in the fight against new prison projects. Prisons are often built on marginal lands that, after having been mined, logged or otherwise contaminated, may not be seen as suitable for any other use. At the same time, the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), a subdivision division of the U.S. Department of Justice, doesnt typically address the impact of prison-siting decisions on the health of prisoners when completing federally mandated environmental impact statements (EIS). That was originally the case with the proposed construction of a maximum-security prison atop a former mountaintop-removal coal-mining site in Letcher County, Kentucky. The BOPs initial environmental impact statement for the project didnt mention the potential environmental impactslike mining-related pollution and water contaminationon the estimated 1,200 people who would be held at the prison if it were built. A revised EIS released earlier this year (following extensive comments by groups like the HRDC and the Center for Biological Diversity), mentions some of the health implications for prisoners, but does not provide a robust discussion of the impacts. According to HRDC, this EIS may represent the only example of an environmental review in which the BOP has made any mention of prisoner health. The final EIS for the new prison is still pending. (Read more about the status of the Letcher County proposal). Tsolkas said that the new EJSCREEN prison layer implicitly endorses HRDCs contention that the BOP must consider prisoner health when evaluating the Letcher County project, and others like it. What the BOP has been saying is that they basically have no reason, no mandate, nothing that points them to have to look at environmental justice concerns related to prisons, Tsolkas said. And having the EPA include prisons on the EJSCREEN basically implies the opposite, that federal agencies now need to look at prison populations when theyre considering the placement of industrial facilities including prisons themselves. The new prison layer may also give prison ecology advocates the edge they need to go on the offensive. Instead of reacting to abuses in existing prisons or responding to proposals for new prisons, we can actually initiate campaigns, and say, Hey, this overpopulated prison has documented issues with x, y, and x., Tsolkas explained. So we can create campaigns basically using the EJSCREEN tool. Tsolkas said hed like to give a shout-out to the folks at the environmental justice office of the EPA for making the prison layer a reality. But hed still like to see more from the agency, especially in the form of a robust national prison-inspection program. Such a program is not without precedent. The EPAs Region III officewhich covers the Mid-Atlantic states of Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, Delaware, Maryland and Washington, DCused to run a prisons initiative to improve environmental compliance at prisons and jails across the region. Under the imitative, which ended in 2011, the EPA conducted inspections at prisons, and engaged in outreach and training work. In a written statement, the agency said it ended the prisons initiative because it felt prisons in the Mid-Atlantic region were able to ensure environmental regulation compliance by themselves. It seems, however, that there is still room for improvement: A recent investigation by Earth Island Journal and Truthout found that mass incarceration impacts the health of prisoners, prison-adjacent communities, and local ecosystems across the U.S. It shouldnt be like pulling teeth, Tsolkas said, referring to the difficultly of getting EPA inspectors out to prisons. We have hundreds of letters from prisoners across the country saying the water is dirty. It shouldnt take that much to get an EPA representative to go. They have a key to get into the prisons that most of us dont have short of visitation and breaking laws. Reposted with permission from our media associate Earth Island Journal. Virgin Group founder and longtime environmentalist Richard Branson, who faced two damaging hurricanes in a row from his home in the British Virgin Islands, called out President Donald Trumps refusal to accept the science of climate change. Look, you can never be 100 percent sure about links, the British billionaire said Tuesday on CNNs New Day when asked about the correlation between global warming and the recent string of major hurricanes to hit the Carribean and the United States. But scientists have said the storms are going to get more and more and more intense and more and more often. Weve had four storms within a month, all far greater than that have ever, ever, ever happened in history, he said. Sadly, I think this is the start of things to come. Look, Branson insisted, Climate change is real. Ninety-nine percent of scientists know its real. The whole world knows its real except for maybe one person in the White House. Trump, who famously thinks global warming is a hoax, dismisses the link between climate change and extreme weather events. After Hurricanes Harvey and Irma wrecked Texas and Florida, the president told reporters last week, Weve had bigger storms than this. Trumps comment seemingly contradicted a tweet that he posted earlier that stated, Hurricane Irma is of epic proportion, perhaps bigger than we have ever seen, as well as another tweet, Hurricane looks like largest ever recorded in the Atlantic! Branson was shaken after having to ride out Hurricane Irma in his wine cellar in Necker, his private island in the British Virgin Islands. Ive never experienced anything quite like Hurricane Irma, he said in an Instagram video posted Tuesday. It literally devastated the British Virgin Islands. The head of the Royal Marines said hes been to war zones and has never seen anything like it. Theres not a tree left standing. Theres very few houses left standing. [instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/BZMVliOFodv/?hl=en&taken-by=richardbranson expand=1] Branson pointed out during his CNN interview that the cost of rebuilding the British Virgin Islands and Houston will cost billions of dollars. But, he noted, If all that money could be invested in clean energy, in powering the world by the sun and by the wind, where we wont have to suffer these awful events in the future, how much better than having to patch up peoples houses after theyve been destroyed? Putting his money where his mouth is, the philanthropist said he has met with government representatives from Britain and the U.S. to set up a green fund to rebuild the hurricane-wrecked Caribbean, the Thomson Reuters Foundation reported. As part of that fund we want to make sure that the Caribbean moves from dirty energy to clean energy, Branson said. Fourteen states and Puerto Rico are on track to meet and potentially exceed their portion of the U.S. commitment under the Paris agreement. The report shows that the member states of the U.S. Climate Alliance (USCA), which has grown to represent 36 percent of the U.S. population and more than $7 trillion of Americas GDP, are collectively on track to reach a 24 to 29 percent reduction below 2005 emissions levels by 2025. USCA founders Gov. Jerry Brown (CA), Gov. Jay Inslee (WA) and Gov. Andrew Cuomo (NY) were joined by former Secretary of State John Kerry at the reports release Wednesday in New York City. Together, we are a political and economic force, and we will drive the change that needs to happen nationwide, Gov. Brown told reporters at the event. USCA For a deeper dive: New York Times, AP, WSJ, Politico, Bloomberg, InsideClimate News, Washington Times, NY1, NY CBS, Charlotte News & Observer, Spokesman-Review For more climate change and clean energy news, you can follow Climate Nexus on Twitter and Facebook, and sign up for daily Hot News. The evolution of technology has definitely managed to overcome barriers created by time, distance and more importantly, the lack of information. Nowadays, the internet represents our most reliable ally against the lack of knowledge because it gives us the opportunity of becoming familiar with various fields and obtaining the necessary data that will help us develop as human beings. We can safely say that it significantly contributes to our education. In addition, applying to college or university represents an important step for our development and after all, it is part of the life cycle. Therefore, we could state that technology and education go hand in hand. For instance, if you intend to transfer colleges and move to another country, the internet could easily help you discover the most suitable options and the positive or negative aspects of making this decision. Even more, you have free access to colleges and universities publications and websites. Fortunately, they themselves provide detailed guides on students transfers. Technology helps you explore various colleges and universities The first step of the transfer process is to navigate on the internet in order to gather essential information about various colleges and universities. An online list containing the top colleges and universities from the specific country or even from a city will prove to be very helpful because it will allow you to make a comparison between the benefits and drawbacks of each option. From the admission requirements and the assessment of your qualifications to the application itself, with the deadline included, and the overall benefits provided by the transfer. Thanks to the advanced technology, you can analyze an international college or universitys profile, the life of the students there and extracurricular activities. Moreover, you are able to obtain certain application tips and samples or use a detailed guide that will facilitate your mission. Technology ensures communication with international graduate students Another advantage provided by the modern technology is that you have the opportunity and the freedom to communicate with students or graduatesfrom various international colleges and universities in order to obtain reliable information right from the source and decide if you should and how to apply for a transfer. Thus, you will become familiar with the schedule, the courses and you will find out more about the professors and their approach towards education and the importance of grades. Furthermore, you can dare and contact the management to ask what type of descriptions you should send and when for them to make an evaluation and establish if they will accept your transfer. Finding an educational consultant company online Have you considered using the internet to find educational consultant company from that country? It can provide many benefits because these types of companies usually have strong partnerships with certain universities and their main purpose or goal is to help students in your situation to discover the most suitable place for them, guide them and improve their education. Furthermore, they can keep you up to date regarding the latest changes in the education system and offer emergency transfer services if you need. About the Author: Stephen Marshall is a Director of LMG Solutions with extensive experience in marketing and financial services in Meridian, Idaho. My work has been featured and mentioned in a wide range of publication, including Tweak Your Biz, Mobile Business Insights, Social Nomics, Small Biz Club, Energy Central, Dzone, Biz Community, Blog Her and more. Edited by Mandi Nowitz By Llewelyn Hughes and Jonas Meckling Tumbling prices for solar energy have helped stoke demand among U.S. homeowners, businesses and utilities for electricity powered by the sun. But that could soon change. President Donald Trumpwhose proposed 2018 budget would slash support for alternative energymay get a new opportunity to undermine the solar power market by imposing duties that could increase the cost of solar power high enough to choke off the industrys growth. As scholars of how public policies affect, and are affected by, energy, we have been studying how the solar industry is increasingly global. We also research what this means for who wins and loses from the renewable energy revolution in the U.S. and Europe. We believe that imposing steep new duties on imported solar equipment would hurt the overall U.S. solar industry. That in turn could discourage choices that slow the pace of climate change. Trade Complaints A bankrupt manufacturer has petitioned the Trump administration to slap new duties on imported crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells, the basic electricity-producing components of solar panelsalong with imported panels, also known as modules. This case follows earlier and narrower complaints filed by SolarWorld, a German solar manufacturer with a factory in Oregon, that Chinese companies were getting an unfair edge as a result of subsidies and dumping. Due to those cases, the U.S. has imposed duties on solar panels and their components imported from China and Taiwan. The punitive Chinese tariffs averaged 29.5 percent last year, according to the Greentech Media research firm. Suniva, a U.S. company thatoddly enoughis majority-owned by a Chinese company, lodged this complaint in April under a rarely activated 1974 Trade Act provision called Section 201. SolarWorld Americas joined in a month later. The key difference in this new case is that it will potentially lead to tariffs on all imported solar cells and panels, rather than specific kinds from particular countries. Sunivas petition calls on the Trump administration to set a 40-cent-per-watt duty on cells and a minimum 78-cent-watt price for panels. Prior to the complaint, global prices for solar panels had fallen to 34 cents a watt. Enormous Progress This big increase in import duties could undermine the enormous progress the industry has made in cutting the cost of solar-generated electricity. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory finds that tumbling solar module prices contributed a lot to the 61 percent reduction in the cost of U.S. household solar power systemstypically located on rooftopsbetween 2010 and 2017. The Solar Energy Industries Association, which represents the sector in the U.S., calculates a blended average price that takes residential, commercial and utility-scale systems into account. It finds prices fell more sharply, dropping by more than 73 percent during that period. Likewise, the Energy Departments SunShot Initiative declared in September that U.S. utility-scale solar systems were already generating electricity at the competitive rate of 6 cents per kilowatt-hourthree years ahead of the programs ambitious target for 2020. Falling costs for solar panels played a big part in helping the industry hit this milestone ahead of time. The International Trade Commission will report on Sept. 22 whether it finds that imported cells and panels have caused serious injury to Suniva and SolarWorld. If it does, the independent, bipartisan U.S. agency will hold a second hearing to explore ways to respond. Regardless of what remedies the commission recommends, the White House would get broad powers to increase the cost of imported solar cells and panels to at least theoretically protect Suniva. Jeopardizing Jobs Imposing duties on imported solar equipment will not help the U.S. industry as a whole. Like most experts, we believe that the remedy sought in this case will make solar power more expensive for businesses and consumers, which will reduce its competitiveness against other sources of energy. Imposing new import duties also ignores the fact that the U.S. solar industry employs an estimated 260,000 people in installation, manufacturing, sales and other related activities, according to the Solar Foundation, but only a small fraction of these workers are involved in cell production. Protecting certain manufacturers would thus come at the costs of harming other parts of the industry. The Solar Energy Industries Association, which opposes Sunivas petition, estimates that 88,000 jobs may be at risk. Steep duties could thus undermine the contribution solar power makes to the U.S. economy. Solar Globalization Along with ignoring the effects on jobs across the entire industry, the petition misses the bigger picture. Cell and panel manufacturing composes a small part of a much larger industry that takes advantage of the global manufacturing base. The rise of China as a solar manufacturing hub is an integral part of what has helped drive costs down for installation companies and consumers around the world. Lowering the cost of solar power systems makes solar energy more competitive against more carbon-intensive sources of electricity, including coal-fired power plants. The growth of solar energy is one factor helping many U.S. states reduce their energy-related greenhouse gas emissions. Experts disagree about how much the Trump administrations decision to withdraw from the Paris agreement on climate change matters, particularly as states like California continue to work hard on reducing their carbon footprints. But there is no debate over whether imposing duties on imported solar cells and panels would hinder the growth of renewable energy in the U.S.reversing climate progress. Timeline and Punishment Section 201 cases differ from more standard trade complaints because they do not require a determination of unfair trade practices. They also open the door to broader trade restrictions to remedy the perceived problem in a given industry. If the International Trade Commission finds that imports have injured domestic companies, its expected to give the White House its recommendations by Nov. 13. Trump will probably respond within 60 days. It took decades of research and investment to drive down the cost of solar power to the point where it is competitive with conventional sources of electricity. Should these latest trade woes increase the cost of going solar, it would be likely to kill domestic jobs and slow progress toward cutting greenhouse gas emissions across the nation. Llewelyn Hughes is an associate professor at the Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University. Jonas Meckling is an assistant professor of Energy and Environmental Policy, University of California, Berkeley. Reposted with permission from our media associate The Conversation. By Luis Martinez and Kit Kennedy In a forceful show of climate leadership, Governors Andrew Cuomo (NY), Jerry Brown (CA), and Jay Inslee (WA) and former Secretary of State John Kerry came together in New York City Wednesday as part of Climate Week to celebrate the progress and growth of the U.S. Climate Alliance, the bipartisan coalition that has grown to 14 states dedicated to meeting the Paris agreement climate goal. The coalition was founded by Cuomo, Brown and Inslee after President Trump announced the U.S. intent to withdraw from Paris. President Trump may prefer to pretend that climate change isnt realGov. Cuomo quipped that the Trump administration is in the State of Denialbut these leaders detailed the extraordinary strides theyre making, in the absence of White House leadership, to slash greenhouse gas emissions and grow their economies at the same time. For New Yorkers, its exciting to see Cuomos leadership on clean energy and climate continue to accelerate, from setting strong renewable energy goals, to a successful push with other Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative states to further slash carbon emissions, to banning fracking. It was a privilege to attend Wednesdays event, where the governors announced that North Carolina has joined the alliance. North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said in a statement that [i]n the absence of leadership from Washington, North Carolina is proud to join the U.S. Climate Alliance, and we remain committed to reducing pollution and protecting our environment. North Carolina has risen to No. 2 nationally for installed solar capacity and is home to more than 34,000 clean energy jobs. And Gov. Cooper recently signed legislation that is expected to roughly double North Carolinas solar generation over the next four years. Kudos to Cooper for joining the alliance and ensuring that North Carolina remains at the forefront of the clean energy economy. Other members of the coalition are Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. And were counting on that list to grow even more! Bright Statistics According to a new report issued by the alliance Wednesday the coalition represents 36 percent of the U.S. population; 40 percent of U.S. gross domestic product; at least $7 trillion of combined economic activity and 13 million clean energy jobs. These states are proving that climate leadership promotes economic growth: U.S. Climate Alliance states are on track to reach a 24 to 29 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from 2005 levels by 2025, helping to achieve the Paris agreement targets that scientists say are necessary to try to keep the increase in global warming to 2 degrees Celsius and stave off the worst effects of climate change. Between 2005 and 2015, alliance states reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 15 percent compared to a 10 percent reduction by the rest of the country. During that same decade, the combined economic output of alliance states grew by 14 percent while the rest of the country grew by 12 percent. On a per capita basis, economic output in alliance states expanded twice as fast as in the rest of the country, showing that climate action and economic growth go hand in hand. The alliance states have attracted nearly $100 billion in renewable energy investment since 2011. Alliance members progress and the growth in their ranks is welcome news. With the Trump administration more interested in propping up its friends in the fossil fuel industry than confronting the existential threat of a warming planet, their leadership is crucial. The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) stands ready to help these states and others in achieving their climate and clean energy goals. In our new report, Americas Clean Energy Future: The Pathway to a Safer Climate Future, based on comprehensive modeling performed by internationally recognized consultants E3, we show that the U.S. can slash climate pollution by 80 percent by 2050 primarily by going big and fast on three key strategies: scaling up energy efficiency improvements to cut overall energy demand in half; scaling up renewable energy to provide 80 percent of our power; and electrifying vehicles and key building energy uses. Underlying these key strategies, we need to build a stronger, smarter, more resilient electricity grid. We can do all this at a cost of only 1 percent of annual energy costsand by 2050 our pathway costs less than business as usual. Governors Cuomo, Inslee, Brown, Cooper and the other U.S. Climate Alliance governors are showing us what climate leadership looks like. Like NRDC, theyre galvanized by the Trump administrations abject failure on climate and are ready to keep pushing forward. We know the clean energy pathway to meeting our U.S. climate goalslets get going on our own. Theres so much more to do and states and cities can lead the way until the federal government is ready to lead again. Early Impressions Are Good Our initial seat time in the Genesis G70 was limited to vehicles with all-wheel drive and the optional V6 engine, so it came as no surprise that the G70 felt responsive and quick. There was power to spare at nearly any speed, and the transmission was quick to grab a lower gear the deeper we dug into the gas pedal. Eight-speed automatics can sometimes get hung up trying to find just the right gear, but this one didn't feel overly busy. The steering felt particularly precise thanks to a variable ratio setup that's standard on V6 models. Small adjustments resulted in immediate responses, although there's less actual road feel than we would like. 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 We are very pleased with the strong performance of the underlying portfolio during some challenging times over the period. Despite economic headwinds in especially Mozambique, our consistent focus on asset management opportunities resulted in the conclusion of negotiations on several lease renewals, including two 10-year renewals with Vodacom and KPMG on favourable terms. This was further supported by the performance of assets transferred during the period. Our entrance into the Euro-denominated Mauritian hospitality market through sale and lease-back transactions further de-risked the portfolio through diversification whilst continuing our ability to secure true hard currency income streams, commented Bronwyn Corbett, Chief Executive. Grit declared its seventh consecutive dividend in line with Company guidance since formation of the Company in 2014. Total dividends for the year amounted to US$12.07 cents per share, comprising of an interim dividend of US$6.12 cps, a clean-out dividend for the four months to April 2017 of US$ 4.57 cps and a final dividend for the two months to June 2017 of US$1.38 cps. Our business model is based on structured investments underpinned by property assets. Debt is a major lever in this equation and the team successfully reduced our average weighted cost of capital from 6.22% in 2016 to 5.78% for 2017, despite the 0.48% increase in the US$ three-month LIBOR, continued Corbett. Corbett attributes the reduction in cost of capital mainly to the inclusion of Euro based loans over the period as the Company continued to match debt to the underlying cashflow of the asset. The increase in Euro based assets has resulted in an increase in the proportion of debt transactions concluded in Euros. Loan-to-value at year-end reduced to 41.6% from 48.9% in the comparative prior year period. Following the transfer of the interest in the Beachcomber Hospitality Investments (BHI) assets in Mauritius as well as the Imperial Warehouse (Kenya) and Vale accommodation compound (Mozambique), loan-to-value will normalise at approximately 48.8%. It should be noted that although Grit is an income group, it is not a REIT and therefore targets a more optimal debt-to-equity ratio of approximately 50%. During the reporting period, Grit increased its rental income including associates by 14% on the back of rental escalations, the full year impact of properties acquired in 2016 as well as income from Mall de Tete and the Lux Tamassa resort that transferred in March 2017. Vacancies across the portfolio remained stable at 3%, predominantly because of strategic vacancies at Anfa Place Shopping Centre in Mauritius, in line with the upgrade of the centre expected to be completed in Q4 2018. The consequent reduced rentals at Anfa Place adversely impacted rental income by US$ 1 million against the 2016 financial year. The weighted average lease expiry (WALE) on Grits existing portfolio increased from 5.8 years in the prior reporting year to 6.4 years for the year under review, as a result of successful lease renewals. Following the transfer of the Imperial Warehouse and interest in the BHI in August 2017, WALE will increase to a healthy 7.8 years. Grit successfully raised US$156 million in additional capital during the year, including US$121.22 million through a well-supported rights offer concluded at the end of the reporting period. Subsequently, total investment properties have increased to US$492 million from US$295 million in the prior year period. Post transfers concluded in August 2017, property investments now total US$546 million. Going forward, our focus will remain on asset management opportunities within the existing portfolio as well as other initiatives to support net asset value growth. Based on the current portfolios performance, the solid base established over the past three years and a stable economic environment across operations, we guide a distribution growth forecast for the next 12 months of between 3% and 5%, concluded Corbett. GoDaddy Inc. engages in the design and development of cloud-based technology products in the United States and internationally. The company provides domain name registration product that enables to engage customers at the initial stage of establishing a digital identity. It also offers shared Website hosting products that provide various applications and products, such as web analytics, Secure Sockets Layer certificates, and WordPress; Website hosting on virtual private servers and virtual dedicated servers products, which allows customers to select the server configuration suited for their applications, requirements, and growth; managed hosting products to set up, monitor, maintain, secure, and patch software and servers for customers; and security products, a suite of tools designed to help secure customers' online presence. In addition, the company provides presence products, such as Websites + Marketing, a do-it-yourself mobile-optimized online tool that enables customers to build websites and e-commerce enabled online stores; a range of marketing tools and services designed to help businesses acquire and engage customers, and create content, as well as search engine optimization that helps customers get their websites found on search sites; and social media management services. Further, it offers business application products, such as Microsoft Office 365, email accounts, email marketing, and Internet-based telephony services; online store capabilities that allows customers to transact business directly on their websites; GoDaddy Payments, a payment facilitator; and point-of-sale (POS) devices, as well as software for POS. The company serves small businesses, individuals, organizations, developers, designers, and domain investors. GoDaddy Inc. was incorporated in 2014 and is headquartered in Tempe, Arizona. Think of the relationship between plants and pollinators as a dance -- one that has been taking place, and evolving, for millennia. The importance of this dance is enormous. Pollination from bees (and birds, bats, butterflies, moths, beetles, and other animals) is necessary for the successful reproduction of a great number of plants, while pollinators gain sustenance to give birth to their next generations. These relationships support our natural ecosystems, as well as our cultivated ones, as an incredible amount of food crops worldwide depend on plant-pollinator interaction success. The advancement of climate change is threatening the plant-pollinator relationship. There is evidence that a variety of seasonal cues, internal biological timings, and environmental factors currently working in harmony could become unlinked due to shifts in local climate. To explore the impact of climate change on plant-pollinator interactions, Diane Byers (Illinois State University) and Shu-Mei Chang (University of Georgia) organized a symposium at Botany 2016, the annual meeting of the Botanical Society of America, in Savannah, Georgia. Participants exchanged ideas and experiences using diverse methods to better understand current plant-pollinator interactions and to reveal how these interactions might be shifting due to climate change. The results of that symposium, along with invited papers, are recently published in a special issue of Applications in Plant Sciences: Studying Plant-Pollinator Interactions Facing Climate Change and Changing Environments. The issue focuses on the creative methods being used by researchers to understand the complex changes that are taking place. Two articles in the issue discuss innovative techniques for measuring and exploring how floral cues and rewards, such as scent and nectar, can vary and why. Arnold and Michaels (2017) describe a new nectar extraction technique, and present how it can be used to boost butterfly restoration strategies in prairies and oak savannas. Burkle and Runyon (2017) demonstrate how the components of a flower's scent can be measured with specialized gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC/MC) sensors in the field to expand our understanding of how changing climates impact a plant's ability to lure different pollinators. On the pollinator side of the discussion, Pane and Harmon-Threatt (2017) illustrate how optimizing the use of emergence tents can provide insight into factors contributing to successful bee nesting site restoration. Bell et al. (2017) describe a proof-of-concept quantitative pollination network using pollen metabarcoding, sampling pollen from 38 bee species from multiple sites. Two review articles provide overviews of methods within particular areas: Morton and Rafferty (2017) evaluate the use of spatial and temporal transplant experiments to uncover how plants and their pollinators might respond to changing local climates; and Byers (2017) delves into assessments of altered plant and pollinator phenology (the cyclical and seasonal timing in an organism's life cycle) that can shed light on new climate norms. Together, these articles illustrate the diversity of tactics being used to deepen our understanding of plant-pollinator interactions, which are beginning to unravel in the face of climate change and other anthropogenic disturbances. As scientists move forward in addressing these changes, their creativity and multi-faceted approaches can help plant-pollinator relationships, as well as humanity, persist. ### Byers, D. L., and S.-M. Chang. 2017. Studying Plant-Pollinator Interactions Facing Climate Change and Changing Environments [special issue]. Applications in Plant Sciences 5(6). Articles in the issue: Arnold, P. M., and H. J. Michaels. 2017. Nectar sampling for prairie and oak savanna butterfly restoration. Applications in Plant Sciences 5(6): 1600148. doi:10.3732/apps.1600148 Bell, K. L., J. Fowler, K. S. Burgess, E. K. Dobbs, D. Gruenewald, B. Lawley, C. Morozumi, and B. J. Brosi. 2017. Applying pollen DNA metabarcoding to the study of plant-pollinator interactions. Applications in Plant Sciences 5(6): 1600124. doi:10.3732/apps.1600124 Burkle, L. A., and J. B. Runyon. 2017. The smell of environmental change: Using floral scent to explain shifts in pollinator attraction. Applications in Plant Sciences 5(6): 1600123. doi:10.3732/apps.1600123 Byers, D. L. 2017. Studying plant-pollinator interactions in a changing climate: A review of approaches. Applications in Plant Sciences 5(6): 1700012. doi:10.3732/apps.1700012 Byers, D. L., and S.-M. Chang. 2017. Studying plant-pollinator interactions facing climate change and changing environments. Applications in Plant Sciences 5(6): 1700052. doi:10.3732/apps.1700052 Morton, E. M., and N. E. Rafferty. 2017. Plant-pollinator interactions under climate change: The use of spatial and temporal transplants. Applications in Plant Sciences 5(6): 1600133. doi:10.3732/apps.1600133 Pane, A. M., and A. N. Harmon-Threatt. 2017. An assessment of the efficacy and peak catch rates of emergence tents for measuring bee nesting. Applications in Plant Sciences 5(6): 1700007. doi:10.3732/apps.1700007 Applications in Plant Sciences (APPS) is a monthly, peer-reviewed, open access journal focusing on new tools, technologies, and protocols in all areas of the plant sciences. It is published by the Botanical Society of America, a nonprofit membership society with a mission to promote botany, the field of basic science dealing with the study and inquiry into the form, function, development, diversity, reproduction, evolution, and uses of plants and their interactions within the biosphere. APPS is available as part of BioOne's Open Access collection For further information, please contact the APPS staff at apps@botany.org. (Millbrook, NY) Through a $1.2 million grant from the National Science Foundation, the Baltimore Ecosystem Study (BES) is partnering with Baltimore City Public Schools to transform the way that chemistry is taught in the city's high schools. The innovative approach draws on data gathered by BES to convey how chemistry shapes the local environment. Dr. Alan Berkowitz, Head of Education at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, is leading the effort. Berkowitz says, "This represents a major milestone in our work with Baltimore City Public Schools. For the first time, we are developing a unit for a required high school science class that will include Baltimore Ecosystem Study data, research methods, and local applications. Every student in the city will be learning about chemistry through the lens of this research." Founded in 1997, the Baltimore Ecosystem Study (BES) is a National Science Foundation-funded Long Term Ecological Research Site. Under the Cary Institute's direction, it has emerged as one of the world's most extensive investigations of the ecology of a city. To-date, more than 100 biologists, social scientists, planners, and educators are working together to advance a more sustainable Baltimore. The newly designed Integrating Chemistry and Earth science (ICE) unit infuses Earth science into chemistry at the high school level; it will be taught to every student taking chemistry this year. ICE aligns with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), adopted by the state of Maryland in 2013, which are designed to help students practice 'real science' and explore connections across scientific disciplines. Joshua Gabrielse, Science Coordinator for the Baltimore City Public Schools, is leading the curriculum development of the ICE unit. "The Next Generation Science Standards require the inclusion of Earth/Space Science in the traditional high school science curriculum. We are meeting this challenge by embedding Earth science in new biology, physics, and chemistry courses." Baltimore-focused lessons developed by ICE project partners, which include Baltimore City Public Schools and George Washington University, encourage students to explore BES data and gather first-hand observations. Topics to be explored will include: acid rain and the weathering of city sidewalks; local fluctuations in carbon dioxide levels and correlations with rising ocean acidity; urban heat island effects and the influence of green spaces; and impacts of human activities, such as road salting, on freshwater streams. Bess Caplan, an educator with the Baltimore Ecosystem Study, explains, "Our hope is that by anchoring Earth science lessons in Baltimore research, the content will be more relevant and engaging to students. In the process of learning chemistry, they will gain a greater understanding of both Earth science and local environmental concerns." "Students walk on these weathered sidewalks every day. They pass patches of vegetation that help cool the city and street gutters that carry pollutants into Baltimore waterways. It's important that students understand these small-scale ecological processes happening right in their neighborhoods - not only to help them relate to school lessons, but to hopefully inspire a sense of local stewardship," Berkowitz adds. Dr. Jonathon Grooms, Professor of Curriculum and Pedagogy at George Washington University, will lead efforts to assess how teachers enact ICE and what students learn during the experience. Grooms notes, "This is an exploratory project that should help us understand how students engage in cross-disciplinary science lessons and whether this is an effective approach to teaching these concepts." Caplan is recruiting seven Baltimore City chemistry teachers to help roll out the ICE curriculum. The two-year commitment involves participating in afterschool professional development, providing feedback on lessons, and assisting with revisions to the lessons and curriculum. Perks include a stipend, in-person support from BES and the school system, supplies, and engagement with a dynamic professional community of educators and scientists. Martin Schmidt, a geoscience teacher at McDonogh School in Owings Mills in suburban Baltimore, is an ICE partner teacher. He is quick to note how Earth science topics such as the weathering of rocks were already being integrated into high school chemistry courses to meet NGSS goals. He explains, "The ICE program helps expose students to more tangible 'real world' questions that connect broader subjects to local and regional science. By tapping into BES data, students can also do more data analysis to reach their own conclusions - another NGSS goal." Lessons learned while implementing the ICE science curriculum in Baltimore will be relevant elsewhere. Berkowitz explains, "The instructional tools and supports we are developing will be adaptable to a broad range of science topics and regional settings. ICE will serve as a model for other districts interested in the infusion approach to teaching high school Earth science." Caplan says, "We're excited for the opportunity to share BES research with the students who call Baltimore home. Essentially, BES scientists have turned their city into a giant experiment, making the students direct participants. We hope that these locally-focused lessons will help students feel connected to this important work, which they - likely without realizing - already are a part of." ### If you are a high school chemistry teacher in the Baltimore City school district and would like more information about this exciting new project, please contact Bess Caplan via email at caplanb@caryinstitute.org. Investigators: Alan Berkowitz, Head of Education, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies (Principal investigator) Jonathon Grooms, Professor of Curriculum and Pedagogy, George Washington University (Co-principal investigator) Joshua Gabrielse, Science Coordinator, Baltimore City Public Schools (Co-principal investigator) The Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies is one of the world's leading independent environmental research organizations. Areas of expertise include disease ecology, forest and freshwater health, climate change, urban ecology, and invasive species. Since 1983, Cary Institute scientists have produced the unbiased research needed to inform effective management and policy decisions. By sequencing the ancient genomes of 15 individuals from different parts of Africa, researchers reporting in the journal Cell on September 21 have reconstructed the prehistory of humans on the continent, going back thousands of years. The findings shed light on which human populations lived in eastern and southern Africa between 8,000 and 1,000 years ago, the researchers say. "Ancient DNA has been able to provide an extraordinary view into human history, mostly on the Eurasian continent," said senior author David Reich of Harvard Medical School. "We are excited to bring ancient DNA to answer questions about African prehistory and were lucky to have colleagues in archaeology who were interested in this as well and had suitable samples." To reconstruct African population structure prior to the spread of food production, the researchers including Reich and Pontus Skoglund (@pontus_skoglund), also at Harvard Medical School, sequenced DNA from the genomes of 15 ancient sub-Saharan Africans. Their sample included 3 individuals from the western Cape of South Africa (~2,300-1,200 years before present [BP]) and 12 others from eastern and south-central Africa, including 4 from the coastal region of Kenya and Tanzania (~1,400-400 BP), 1 from interior Tanzania (~3,100 BP), and 7 from Malawi (ranging from ~8,100 to 2,500 BP). The researchers combined that newly generated ancient DNA data with previously generated genome-wide data from an Ethiopian highland individual (~4,500 BP). They also included in their analysis data from 584 present-day African individuals from 59 diverse populations and 300 high-coverage genomes from 142 populations around the world. The data show that populations related to the indigenous people of southern Africa had a wider distribution in the past, contributing about two-thirds of the ancestry of Malawi hunter-gatherers from 8,100 to 2,500 years ago and about one-third of the ancestry of hunter-gatherers who lived in Tanzania at least until ~1,400 years ago. The later spread of agriculturalists from western Africa had a major impact on those earlier hunter-gatherer populations, with complete replacement in some regions. The researchers also have some insight into the movements of herding groups before farmers came along. They found that a ~3,100-year-old pastoralist from Tanzania contributed ancestry to people from northeast to southern Africa, including a ~1,200-year-old southern African pastoralist. Africa harbors more human genetic diversity than any other place in the world. The researchers said that most previous studies suggested that the earliest diversification of modern human lineages occurred in southern Africa. However, the new data suggests that western Africa may also harbor substantial ancestry from a modern human lineage that split even earlier than the one leading to the indigenous people of southern Africa. The availability of past genomic diversity also allowed the researchers to identify genes that may have been important for humans as they adapted to a hunter-gatherer lifestyle in southern Africa. For example, the researchers found evidence of past selection on genes encoding taste receptors, which are known to be important for detecting and learning to avoid poisonous plants. The researchers also observed potentially adaptive evolution among indigenous populations that live in the Kalahari Desert of southern Africa in genes involved in the response to ultraviolet radiation from the sun. "These results document a prehistoric population landscape that we didn't know about," Skoglund said. "They document how farmer and herder migrations swept through eastern and southern Africa and how adaptation in southern African populations has been ongoing." The researchers say that ancient DNA is the only clear way to understand human population dynamics over the deep sweep of human history. Understanding past genomic diversity can help not only to reconstruct unwritten history but also to guide medical genetic studies of diverse populations, the researchers noted. The researchers plan to continue using ancient DNA to study ancient population history in Africa and around the world. "It is particularly important to reconstruct the origins of present-day genomic diversity in populations that have been underserved," Reich said. ### The researchers received support from the Wenner-Gren Foundation; the Swedish Research Council; the DFG, German Research Foundation; the Max Planck Society; the National Science Foundation; the National Research Foundation of South Africa; the South African Medical Research Council; the European Research Council; the Wellcome Trust; the National Institutes of Health; and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Cell, Skoglund et al.: "Reconstructing Prehistoric African Population Structure" http://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(17)31008-5 Cell (@CellCellPress), the flagship journal of Cell Press, is a bimonthly journal that publishes findings of unusual significance in any area of experimental biology, including but not limited to cell biology, molecular biology, neuroscience, immunology, virology and microbiology, cancer, human genetics, systems biology, signaling, and disease mechanisms and therapeutics. Visit: http://www.cell.com/cell. To receive Cell Press media alerts, contact press@cell.com. ITHACA, N.Y. - Human activities could change the pace of evolution, similar to what occurred 66 million years ago when a giant asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs, leaving modern birds as their only descendants. That's one conclusion drawn by the authors of a new study published in Systematic Biology. Cornell University Ph.D. candidate Jacob Berv and University of Bath Prize Fellow Daniel Field suggest that the meteor-induced mass extinction (a.k.a. the K-Pg event) led to an acceleration in the rate of genetic evolution among its avian survivors. These survivors may have been much smaller than their pre-extinction relatives. "There is good evidence that size reductions after mass extinctions may have occurred in many groups of organisms," says Berv. "All of the new evidence we have reviewed is also consistent with a Lilliput Effect affecting birds across the K-Pg mass extinction." Paleontologists have dubbed this phenomenon the "Lilliput Effect" -- a nod to the classic tale Gulliver's Travels. "Smaller birds tend to have faster metabolic rates and shorter generation times," Field explains. "Our hypothesis is that these important biological characters, which affect the rate of DNA evolution, may have been influenced by the K-Pg event." The researchers jumped into this line of inquiry because of the long-running "rocks and clocks" debate. Different studies often report substantial discrepancies between age estimates for groups of organisms implied by the fossil record and estimates generated by molecular clocks. Molecular clocks use the rate at which DNA sequences change to estimate how long ago new species arose, assuming a relatively steady rate of genetic evolution. But if the K-Pg extinction caused avian molecular clocks to temporarily speed up, Berv and Field say this could explain at least some of the mismatch. "Size reductions across the K-Pg extinction would be predicted to do exactly that," says Berv. "The bottom line is that, by speeding up avian genetic evolution, the K-Pg mass extinction may have temporarily altered the rate of the avian molecular clock," says Field. "Similar processes may have influenced the evolution of many groups across this extinction event, like plants, mammals, and other forms of life." The authors suggest that human activity may even be driving a similar Lilliput-like pattern in the modern world, as more and more large animals go extinct because of hunting, habitat destruction, and climate change. "Right now, the planet's large animals are being decimated--the big cats, elephants, rhinos, and whales," notes Berv. "We need to start thinking about conservation not just in terms of functional biodiversity loss, but about how our actions will affect the future of evolution itself." ### This research was supported by a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship and Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant to Berv, and a National Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada Graduate Scholarship to Field. Berv was also supported by a Cornell Lab of Ornithology Athena Grant. Field is supported by a 50th Anniversary Prize Fellowship at the University of Bath. Cornell University has television, ISDN and dedicated Skype/Google+ Hangout studios available for media interviews. First large-scale study of ancient human DNA from sub-Saharan Africa opens a long-awaited window into the identity of prehistoric populations in the region The first large-scale study of ancient human DNA from sub-Saharan Africa opens a long-awaited window into the identity of prehistoric populations in the region and how they moved around and replaced one another over the past 8,000 years. The findings, published Sept. 21 in Cell by an international research team led by Harvard Medical School, answer several longstanding mysteries and uncover surprising details about sub-Saharan African ancestry -- including genetic adaptations for a hunter-gatherer lifestyle and the first glimpses of population distribution before farmers and animal herders swept across the continent about 3,000 years ago. "The last few thousand years were an incredibly rich and formative period that is key to understanding how populations in Africa got to where they are today," said David Reich, professor of genetics at HMS and a senior associate member of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. "Ancestry during this time period is such an unexplored landscape that everything we learned was new." Reich shares senior authorship of the study with Ron Pinhasi of the University of Vienna and Johannes Krause of the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History and the University of Tubingen in Germany. "Ancient DNA is the only tool we have for characterizing past genomic diversity. It teaches us things we don't know about history from archaeology and linguistics and can help us better understand present-day populations," said Pontus Skoglund, a postdoctoral researcher in the Reich lab and the study's first author. "We need to ensure we use it for the benefit of all populations around the world, perhaps especially Africa, which contains the greatest human genetic diversity in the world but has been underserved by the genomics community." Long time coming Although ancient-DNA research has revealed insights into the population histories of many areas of the world, delving into the deep ancestry of African groups wasn't possible until recently because genetic material degrades too rapidly in warm, humid climates. Technological advances--including the discovery by Pinhasi and colleagues that DNA persists longer in small, dense ear bones--are now beginning to break the climate barrier. Last year, Reich and colleagues used the new techniques to generate the first genome-wide data from the earliest farmers in the Near East, who lived between 8,000 and 12,000 years ago. In the new study, Skoglund and team, including colleagues from South Africa, Malawi, Tanzania and Kenya, coaxed DNA from the remains of 15 ancient sub-Saharan Africans. The individuals came from a variety of geographic regions and ranged in age from about 500 to 8,500 years old. The researchers compared these ancient genomes--along with the only other known ancient genome from the region, previously published in 2015--against those of nearly 600 present-day people from 59 African populations and 300 people from 142 non-African groups. With each analysis, revelations rolled in. "We are peeling back the first layers of the agricultural transition south of the Sahara," said Skoglund. "Already we can see that there was a whole different landscape of populations just 2,000 or 3,000 years ago." Genomic time-lapse Almost half of the team's samples came from Malawi, providing a series of genomic snapshots from the same location across thousands of years. The time-series divulged the existence of an ancient hunter-gatherer population the researchers hadn't expected. When agriculture spread in Europe and East Asia, farmers and animal herders expanded into new areas and mixed with the hunter-gatherers who lived there. Present-day populations thus inherited DNA from both groups. The new study found evidence for similar movement and mixing in other parts of Africa, but after farmers reached Malawi, hunter-gatherers seem to have disappeared without contributing any detectable ancestry to the people who live there today. "It looks like there was a complete population replacement," said Reich. "We haven't seen clear evidence for an event like this anywhere else." The Malawi snapshots also helped identify a population that spanned from the southern tip of Africa all the way to the equator about 1,400 years ago before fading away. That mysterious group shared ancestry with today's Khoe-San people in southern Africa and left a few DNA traces in people from a group of islands thousands of miles away, off the coast of Tanzania. "It's amazing to see these populations in the DNA that don't exist anymore," said Reich. "It's clear that gathering additional DNA samples will teach us much more." "The Khoe-San are such a genetically distinctive people, it was a surprise to find a closely related ancestor so far north just a couple of thousand years ago," Reich added. The new study also found that West Africans can trace their lineage back to a human ancestor that may have split off from other African populations even earlier than the Khoe-San. Missing links The research similarly shed light on the origins of another unique group, the Hadza people of East Africa. "They have a distinct appearance, language and genetics, and some people speculated that, like the Khoe-San, they might represent a very early diverging group from other African populations," said Reich. "Our study shows that instead, they're somehow in the middle of everything." The Hadza, according to genomic comparisons, are today more closely related to non-Africans than to other Africans. The researchers hypothesize that the Hadza are direct descendants of the group that migrated out of Africa, and possibly spread within Africa as well, after about 50,000 years ago. Another discovery lay in wait in East Africa. Scientists had predicted the existence of an ancient population based on the observation that present-day people in southern Africa share ancestry with people in the Near East. The 3,000-year-old remains of a young girl in Tanzania provided the missing evidence. Reich and colleagues suspect that the girl belonged to a herding population that contributed significant ancestry to present-day people from Ethiopia and Somalia down to South Africa. The ancient population was about one-third Eurasian, and the researchers were able to further pinpoint that ancestry to the Levant region. "With this sample in hand, we can now say more about who these people were," said Skoglund. The finding put one mystery to rest while raising another: Present-day people in the Horn of Africa have additional Near Eastern ancestry that can't be explained by the group to which the young girl belonged. Natural selection Finally, the study took a first step in using ancient DNA to understand genetic adaptation in African populations. It required "squeezing water out of a stone" because the researchers were working with so few ancient samples, said Reich, but Skoglund was able to identify two regions of the genome that appear to have undergone natural selection in southern Africans. One adaptation increased protection from ultraviolet radiation, which the researchers propose could be related to life in the Kalahari Desert. The other variant was located on genes related to taste buds, which the researchers point out can help people detect poisons in plants. The researchers hope that their study encourages more investigation into the diverse genetic landscape of human populations in Africa, both past and present. Reich also said he hopes the work reminds people that African history didn't end 50,000 years ago when groups of humans began migrating into the Near East and beyond. "The late Stone Age in Africa is like a black hole, research-wise," said Reich. "Ancient DNA can address that gap." ### Funding for this research was provided by the National Institutes of Health (grant GM100233), the National Science Foundation (HOMINID BCS-1032255 and BCS-1613577), the DFG/German Research Foundation (KR 4015/1-1), the Max Planck Society, the National Research Foundation of South Africa, the South African Medical Research Council, European Research Council starting grants SEALINKS (206148) and ADNABIOARC (263441), a Wellcome Trust Senior Investigator Award (100719/Z/12/Z), the Wenner-Gren Foundation and the Swedish Research Council (VR grant 2014-453). Reich is a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator. There were a total of 44 study authors from institutions in 11 countries. Hurricane Maria has caused catastrophic flooding in Puerto Rico and left a wake of heavy rainfall that NASA measured using a fleet of satellites in space. NASA satellite imagery also saw Maria's eye close up as it tracked across Puerto Rico and re-open after its exit. Calculating Maria's Rainfall The Global Precipitation Measurement mission or GPM core satellite, a joint mission between NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency can measure rainfall from space. That rainfall data, combined with data from other satellites provided a tally of Hurricane Maria's rainfall over the course of several days. At NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, NASA's Integrated Multi-satellitE Retrievals for GPM (IMERG) data were used to estimate the total amount of rain that Hurricane Maria dropped from Sept. 17 to early Sept. 21, 2017. During that period Maria dropped heavy rain in the Leeward Islands, Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. IMERG estimated that rainfall totals greater than 10 inches (254 mm) were common along Maria's track. IMERG rainfall estimates indicated that more than 20 inches (512 mm) of rain fell over a large part of Puerto Rico. Extreme flooding was reported in the streets of San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico. The National Weather Service issued flash flood warnings for the entire island. Hurricane Maria has now moved to the northwest of Puerto Rico but is still expected to contribute to rainfall over the island on Friday. Feeder bands of thunderstorms are transporting rain over Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic even as the hurricane moves toward the Turks and Caicos Islands. Hurricane Maria's Eye Winks Hurricane Maria made landfall near Yabucoa, Puerto Rico, around 6:15 a.m. EDT/AST on Sept. 20. Maximum sustained winds in the hurricane were reported to be 149.5 mph (130 knots) as Maria moved toward San Juan, Puerto Rico. On Sept. 20 at 10:50 a.m. EDT (14:50 UTC) NASA's Terra satellite provided a visible image as Hurricane Maria was moving over Puerto Rico. Maria's eye had become obscured by clouds. On Sept. 21 at 1:54 a.m. EDT (0554 UTC) the VIIRS instrument aboard NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite provided a thermal image of Hurricane Maria after it re-emerged eye moved off the coast of Puerto Rico and as just northeast of Hispaniola. The image showed that the eye had become visible again and powerful thunderstorms with very cold cloud tops surrounded it's eye. Another infrared image of Hurricane Maria was taken from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder or AIRS instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite on Sept. 21 at 2:05 a.m. EDT (0605 UTC). Maria's eye opened up, and there were clear areas where the sea surface shows through. Powerful thunderstorms circle the large eye where cloud top temperatures of strong thunderstorms in Maria's eyewall as cold as or colder than minus 63 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 53 Celsius). Warnings and Watches in Effect on Sept. 21 The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said a Hurricane Warning is in effect for the Dominican Republic from Cabo Engano to Puerto Plata, Turks and Caicos Islands and the Southeastern Bahamas. A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for the Dominican Republic west of Puerto Plata to the northern border of the Dominican Republic and Haiti, Dominican Republic west of Cabo Engano to Andres/Boca Chica. A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for the Central Bahamas. Location and Status of Maria on Sept. 21 At 11 a.m. EDT/AST (1500 UTC), the large eye of Hurricane Maria was located near 20.2 north latitude and 69.1 degrees west longitude. That's about 105 miles (175 km) east-northeast of Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic and about 155 miles (255 km) southeast of Grand Turk Island. Maria is moving toward the northwest near 9 mph (15 kph), and this general motion is expected to continue through tonight. The minimum central pressure based on aircraft data is 960 millibars. Data from an Air Force Reserve reconnaissance aircraft indicate that maximum sustained winds remain near 115 mph (185 kph) with higher gusts. Maria is a category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Some strengthening is possible during the next day or so. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 60 miles (95 km) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 150 miles (240 km). The NHC said "A turn toward the north-northwest is forecast early Friday, with that motion continuing through early Saturday. On the forecast track, Maria's eye will continue to pass offshore of the northern coast of the Dominican Republic today, and then move near or just east of the Turks and Caicos Islands and southeastern Bahamas tonight and on Friday, Sept. 22. ### For forecast updates on Maria, visit: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov An Australian researcher has come up with a unique way to manage predatory African lovegrass A partnership between QUT, the NSW Government and farmers could lead to the eventual eradication of the highly invasive African lovegrass threatening pastures and native grasslands Australia-wide. What they discovered is that local knowledge is the key to a successful management approach. The results of a research project by Associate Professor Jennifer Firn from QUT's School of Earth, Environmental and Biological Sciences, Emma Ladouceur from Italy's University of Pavia and Dr Josh Dorrough from the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage, have been published in the esteemed international Journal of Applied Ecology. "The impact of invasive non-native plant species like African lovegrass is increasing dramatically," said Professor Firn, who has previously tested control methods for the grass in southern Queensland. "A native of southern Africa, it is very hardy and considered valuable for animal production and soil conservation but in Australia, where it is believed to have first arrived in the 1800s, it is considered by many Landholders to be a pest species because it is not selectively grazed by livestock and tends to dominate native pastures reducing biodiversity and essential ecosystem functions. "Landholders are in a unique position to witness species turnover in grasslands as well as learn from their own successes and failures in trying to manage invasive grasses. "For this study, we worked closely with 15 landholders in the Bega region of NSW to examine the changing ecological characteristics of grassy woodlands and the impact on them following the arrival of the non-native African Love Grass which has become an enormous problem for them. "We then conducted a field study testing seven landholder-generated hypotheses at 57 sites on the 15 Landholders properties, which validated many of their management perceptions." Professor Firn said seeds for African lovegrass can germinate even up to 17 years of age and are dispersed by grazing animals, slashing, vehicles, water, fodder and wind. It thrives in drought conditions and paddocks with low ground cover are more susceptible to invasion. "As well as overwhelming endangered native grasses, African lovegrass tussocks can grow so large they restrict the movements of livestock and become a hazard to famers trying to navigate their properties," she said. "Our project has yielded some extremely helpful information and really highlighted the value of a team effort amongst scientists, governments, land care groups and farmers. "One theory we tested was whether mechanically slashing African lovegrass and then putting a large number of cattle into the paddock was effective as some farmers think. We found the opposite was true and it only made the lovegrass more abundant. It was also an expensive exercise for farmers. "Conversely, we discovered that an alternative control technique, "roller-wiping" or spot spraying with herbicide, was effective even with heavy infestations and cost efficient despite its poor reputation. "Overall, we found local knowledge coupled with scientific methods can act in tandem as a smart approach to developing management solutions to African lovegrass, but this approach would likely be useful for understanding and managing other invasive plants and animals." ### The full study - Integrating local knowledge and research to refine the management of an invasive non-native grass in critically endangered grassy woodlands - can be viewed on the website of the Journal of Applied Ecology. Contact: Amanda Weaver 07-3138-3151 amanda.weaver@qut.edu.au After hours: Rose Trapnell 0407-585-901 media@qut.edu.au Scientists from the RUDN University have analyzed historical sources and revealed the foreign policy views of Russian liberals from the 1850s to the early 1890s. The researchers came to the conclusion that the views of modern liberals have nothing to do with the views of their predecessors. The study is published in The International History Review. "We have shown the foreign audience how the first liberals understood Russian foreign policy and what the essence of the "real" liberalism is. Liberal foreign policy views of the second half of the XIX century combined the ideas of freedom and sovereignty with patriotic sentiments and their own understanding of national interests. Modern liberals do not share these views," said one of the authors of the study Konstantin Kurylev, doctor of historical sciences, associate professor of the Department of Theory and History of International Relations of the RUDN University. The article deals with the relations between European countries and Russia during the Crimean War of 1853-1856, the foreign policy crisis of the 1870s, relative international stability and military alliances in Europe in the 1880s and early 1890s. The defeat of Russia in the Crimean War prompted Emperor Alexander II to turn to large-scale reforms of the 1860s and 1870s. These reforms affected virtually all aspects of life in the Russian Empire, contributing to its modernization. After the death of Alexander II at the hand of terrorists, his heir Alexander III came to power. The new extremely conservative emperor began to pursue a policy of counter-reforms. Thus, the liberal forces that could develop under Alexander II were in opposition under Alexander III. The scientists analyzed the views of the liberals who were published in the 'Vestnik Evropy' magazine and found out what their political stance was during the reign of Alexander II and Alexander III. Historians have found out that the counter-reforms of Alexander III, which caused a lull in public life, were unable to force the liberals to abandon their ideas. The scientists have described the demands of the liberals rejecting the active foreign policy in Europe, the interference in the internal affairs of other countries, and the alliances that could draw Russia into war. The liberals saw Russia as a European country that would eventually reach the level of advanced European states. However, given the fact that the country's isolation after the Berlin Congress of 1878 threatened its security, the liberals understood the demand to find an ally. The choice fell on France, which was supposed to help Russia solve two problems: to ensure stable international environment for the internal modernization of the country and to protect its political interests on the world stage. The liberals believed that France could not only become an example of constitutional reforms, but also help Russia solve the "Eastern question" by supporting national liberation movements of the Christian peoples in the Balkans who were under the rule of the Turkish sultans and Russian consolidation in the Balkans. Historians believe that the liberals planned to restore greatness of Russia and protect its national interests in the Balkans and Central Asia through proposed reform programmes. "The liberals of the late nineteenth century thought of Russia in terms of a great Power, hoping to regain its greatness, but not by affirming its military power, conquering and instilling terror to neighbors, but as a result of the transformations in the country and its new image that would be attractive to other nations", - said Konstantin Kurylev. The scientists came to the conclusion that the views of the ideologists of liberalism of the second half of the XIX century have nothing to do with the views of modern liberals. The liberals of the XIX century advocated the policy that would meet the interests of the nation. They loved Russia and wanted to restore its greatness. This is, according to the authors of the paper, what modern liberals could use, the ones that do not understand the essence of true liberalism. ### The scientists from the Center for Applied Probabilistic Analysis of the Institute of Applied Mathematics and Telecommunications of the RUDN University have used a new mathematical model to find out why telecommunication systems and electronic equipment that handles numerous client requests break down. The results of the study were published in the Applied Mathematics and Computation journal. What does a central processor, an Internet provider, a supermarket cash desk and a call center have in common? Their common feature is that these systems handle numerous user requests. Such systems are called queuing systems (QS). They are often used in electronic engineering and telecommunications. Any QS includes the following elements: incoming client requests, servers, and data storage (buffer). The buffer is needed in order not to lose requests that cannot be processed immediately when all servers are busy. The contents of the buffer form a waiting queue. Scientists use the methods of queuing theory which is a part of the theory of stochastic processes to describe and model queuing systems. This is because the processes going on in the QS are random. For example, customer requests do not enter the system on a strict schedule, but at some random time. Servers can break, which significantly affects the performance of QSs. If one of the cell towers fails, the phone carrier will not be able to satisfy the user's requests for a phone call in the area. The model created by the authors of the paper takes the unreliability of the servicing devices into account and predicts the impact of breakdowns on the efficiency of the system. Scientists have described the processes of requests coming and server failures using the mathematical model of a Markovian Arrival Process. The Markovian Arrival Process is a random process of events occurring randomly in time. "In this paper we studied a queuing system with a finite number of parallel independent identical servers and an infinite buffer. The system handles the Batch Markovian Arrival Process (BMAP) of requests. Servers are subject to breakdowns at some moments defined by the Markovian Arrival Process. After the breakdown the device immediately starts to recover. The periods of time for maintenance and restoration have phase-type distribution," explained one of the authors of the paper Valentina Klimenok, doctor of physics and mathematics, chief researcher of the Center for Applied Probabilistic Analysis of the RUDN University. Earlier QS processes models, although they are rather simple, give large errors in the system performance evaluation. To avoid such errors, scientists use more complex models of the requests and breakdowns occurrence (namely, Markovian arrival process). The paper includes the following performance indicators: the average number of requests; the distribution and the average number of busy devices; the distribution and the average number of devices under repair; the probability of the incoming request to be immediately processed (rather than getting into the waiting queue). "The results of this study can be used to analyze and optimize real stochastic systems in which servers are subject to breakdowns and recovery. These systems include any computer network, "- Valentina Klimenok concluded. ### The study was conducted in cooperation with scientists from the Belarusian State University and the University of Sanji (Republic of Korea). Quantum mechanics, as a pillar of modern civilization, has benefited human society for a century, in which wavefunctions played a crucial role. In the past 100 years, what most people did was 'Shut up and calculate', and wavefunctions always gave us a correct probability list of measurement outcomes. However, the debate on the following deeper philosophical issue behind it still persists: whether wavefunctions describe the reality of quantum entities' existence and dynamic trajectory. In various delayed-choice experiments that are dedicated to this issue, Copenhagen interpretation denied the reality of wavefunctions for avoiding the paradox of a choice made in the present to alter a photon's past behavior. However, the determinists argued that the past of photons should be realistic and deterministic prior to the detection, as Einstein's famous question states: Do you really believe the moon exists only when you look at it? Recently, to address this long-standing issue, Profs. Bao-Sen Shi's research group from the University of Science and Technology of China collaborated with Prof. Zhi-Han Zhu from Harbin University of Science and Technology and other collaborators to propose and demonstrate a quantum twisted double-slit experiment, in which photonics orbital angular momentum (OAM) and its group velocity slowing-down feature are employed to extract photons' propagation history after detections. Specifically, first, the state (wavefunction) of signal photons diffracted from the twisted double slits is transformed into a superposition state between different OAM modes and Gaussian mode; second, the photons are observed only in Gaussian mode (selecting particle behavior); and then, a Hong-Ou-Mandel (HOM) interference between signal and reference photons provides the arrival times of signal photons that allow one to investigate photons' propagation history. The results obtained from the experiment tell us that the nature of the photon prior to the measurement is pre-existing, just as described by the wavefunction. Thus, the physical reality and nonlocality of wavefunctions are confirmed. This finding clarifies the long-held misunderstanding of the role of wavefunctions and their collapses in the evolution of quantum entities. In addition, they present a cartoon titled "Quantum Twisted Loong", which is shown in the Cover and Fig. 5 in the article, as shown in Fig. 1, to illustrate the propagation behavior of photons in a double-slit apparatus. Unlike the cartoon titled "Great Smoky Dragon" created by Miller and Wheeler in 1983, as shown in Fig.2, where the body of the dragon is unknown and smoky, the body of Loong is deterministic, i.e., the two bodies coexist simultaneously (representing wave nature) before their collapse. ### This work is supported by the National Natural Science Funds for Distinguished Young Scholar of China (Grant No. 61525504); the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 11574065, 11604322, 61275115, 61378003, 61435011, 61605194); China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (Grant No. 2016M590570); the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities No. 11604322), and the Key Programs of the Natural Science Foundation of Heilongjiang Province of China (Grant No. ZD201415). See the article: Zhi-Yuan Zhou, Zhi-Han Zhu, Shi-Long Liu, Yin-Hai Li, Shuai Shi, Dong-Shenging, Li-Xiang Chen, Wei Gao, Guang-Can Guo, Bao-Sen Shi. Quantum twisted double-slits experiments: confirming wavefunctions' physical reality, Science Bulletin 62 (2017) 1185-1192 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095927317304358 Hunter College's Center for HIV/AIDS Educational Studies and Training (CHEST; @CHESTNYC) has been awarded a five-year research grant (R01-MH114735) for more than $3.65 million from the National Institute on Mental Health (NIMH) to better understand how stigma is associated with mental and physical health outcomes for HIV-positive gay and bisexual men. The Principal Investigator (PI) on the award is Dr. Jonathon Rendina (@ProfRendina), Assistant Professor of Psychology at Hunter College and Director of Quantitative Methods at CHEST. Sexual minority stigma has been well-examined as a contributor to mental and physical health outcomes for gay and bisexual men, but much less is known about the impacts of HIV stigma for men who are both gay/bisexual and HIVpositive. This study represents the culmination of training that Dr. Rendina received at Hunter College/CHEST over the past three years and pilot research he conducted with the support of a career development award (K01-DA039030) from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). This is the second large, NIH-funded research grant awarded to Dr. Rendina as PI since joining Hunter College as a full-time faculty member in 2016. "There are well-documented mental and physical health disparities faced by gay and bisexual men, and these are further exacerbated among those who are living with HIV," said Dr. Rendina. He went on to note that, "The hypotheses we will test as part of this longitudinal study will help us plan appropriately for subsequent interventions aimed at reducing health disparities by targeting the mechanisms linking stigma to health." ### Co-Investigators on this award are Dr. Jeffrey Parsons, Distinguished Professor at Hunter College and Director of CHEST, and Dr. Sarah Feldstein Ewing, Professor at Oregon Health and Sciences University. Additional collaborators include Dr. Brian Mustanski of Northwestern University, Dr. Steven Safren of University of Miami, Dr. Adam Carrico of University of Miami, and Dr. Christina Meade of Duke University. The study will involve many Hunter College undergraduate and master's students who intern or volunteer their time at CHEST, doctoral students from CUNY's Health Psychology and Clinical Science PhD program, and postdoctoral fellows from Hunter College/CHEST. CHEST's mission is to conduct research to identify and promote strategies that prevent the spread of HIV and improve the lives of people living with HIV. We have been advocating for and working with the LGBT community since 1996. The City University of New York is the nation's leading urban public university. Founded in New York City in 1847, the University comprises 24 institutions: 11 senior colleges, seven community colleges, and additional professional schools. The University serves nearly 275,000 degree-credit students and 218,083 adult, continuing and professional education students. For more information, please contact shante.booker@cuny.edu or visit http://www.cuny.edu/research Reducing tourist consumption of reef fish is critical for Palau's ocean sustainability, finds a new UBC study that suggests other small island nations might also consider adopting this strategy. Climate change is expected to lead to sharp declines in Palau's reefs, and this new research suggests that the best tourism management strategy includes a more than 70 per cent reduction in the amount of reef fish eaten by visitors. These findings are relevant for sustainable development for other small island developing states that are likely to feel a significant impact from changes to the ocean. "Palau's reefs and the fish communities they host are incredibly beautiful and recognized worldwide as a top diving destination," says lead author Colette Wabnitz, research associate with the Nippon Foundation-UBC Nereus Program at UBC's Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries. "Tourist numbers can reach nine times the local population and most come to enjoy the ocean. This puts enormous pressure on local marine resources that are central to local communities' culture, food security and livelihoods." Palau, an archipelago of 700 islands in the South Pacific, is heavily dependent on tourism. Many studies have focused on damage that tourists cause reefs physically -- from stepping on coral to interacting with wildlife -- but this is the first to look at the effects of consuming the same fish that tourists are looking at through their dive masks. The authors developed a social-ecological computer model to explore policy scenarios involving tourism, climate change, marine conservation, and local food security. Fish consumption emerged as playing an important role in future ecosystem declines. The authors found that the health of reefs can be better maintained by shifting seafood consumption to open water fish, such as sustainably-harvested tuna, instead of reef fishes such as grouper, snapper, and parrotfish. "Dining habits are removing important fish species from local reefs, and it's ironic that viewing these fish is the reason people come in the first place. This is an important step that can be taken now, rather than a future adaptation to climate change," says co-author Andres Cisneros-Montemayor, Nippon Foundation-UBC Nereus Program manager. "Sustainable tourism, especially ecotourism, shouldn't threaten the food security of local people or their environment." The study's recommendations, which align with the government's current proposal of developing an offshore national fishery as part of the recently designated National Marine Sanctuary, may allow Palau to protect reef systems and the industries that rely on them, as well as traditional local lifestyles intimately linked to catching and eating seafood. "The ocean is central to Palau's life and customs; their seafood consumption must be maintained sustainably," says co-author Yoshitaka Ota, Nippon Foundation-UBC Nereus Program director of policy at the University of Washington. "The most important thing is for the people of Palau to keep engaging with the ocean, eating good fish, catching fish sustainably and protecting their way of life, tekoi ra belau -- as they say in Palau. We are hoping that this study will be used for current Pacific Island Nation policy to address what they can do right now and for the future." The study was published this week in Marine Policy: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308597X17302063 ### This work was supported by the Nippon Foundation. Additional co-author is Quentin Hanich, Nereus Program principal investigator at the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security (ANCORS), at the University of Wollongong. About the Nippon Foundation-Nereus Program The Nereus Program, a collaboration between the Nippon Foundation and the University of British Columbia, has engaged in innovative, interdisciplinary ocean research since its inception in 2011. The program is currently a global partnership of sixteen leading marine science institutes with the aim of undertaking research that advances our comprehensive understandings of the global ocean systems across the natural and social sciences, from oceanography and marine ecology to fisheries economics and impacts on coastal communities. Visit nereusprogram.org for more information. ### Anyone familiar with the University of Cincinnati's College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP) student experience knows about the long, arduous hours spent in studios. Especially as semesters come to a close, with final critiques -- "crits" -- looming, undergraduate and graduate students alike essentially set up shop in DAAP spaces, working around the clock. "Studios are very much a live-work environment where you're doing everything but sleeping, hopefully," says UC industrial design professor John Dixon. "There should be a kitchenette, a lounge space...." "The reality is that they're actually sleeping there as well," interjects architecture professor Stephen Slaughter. They laugh, but it's true. Last year, Dixon and Slaughter began crafting a collaborative class for industrial design and architecture students to create a collection of furniture and pieces to populate the graduate design studio space in DAAP. Crits for this class would be a bit more high-stakes than usual -- this collection would go on display at the prestigious 2017 International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) in New York City. Slaughter has been working with students to produce exhibits at ICFF since 2013. The show, North America's premier showcase for contemporary design, features displays by more than 35,000 interior designers, architects, retailers and a select few top design schools. Previous DAAP displays at ICFF include a disaster relief shelter and a collection of items from DAAPcares, an outreach initiative that applies architecture, art, design and planning skills to address humanitarian concerns. They didn't end up winning any awards in those years, but the students took away a lot from attending the international event. "It was such an amazing experience for the students to see design from all over the world and see exactly how this school ranks in terms of their education," Slaughter says. "It's a great chance for them to get in front of employers at an international fair and have the opportunity to interview." Dixon and Slaughter decided to collaborate for UC's 2017 ICFF entry. Learning from past ICFF exhibits, they had an idea of what the festival judges were looking for. Gjoko Muratovski, director of DAAP's Myron E. Ullman, Jr. School of Design, challenged the class to create a live-work collection that could be used in an actual studio on campus. It's a tall order to get 25 creative students with individual points of view to work together as one brand, so Dixon and Slaughter framed the class around researching not only live-work space, but Shaker design -- a minimalist style of furniture developed by the Christian sect in the 19th century -- and its influence on Scandinavian modernism, Japanese modernism and American midcentury modern design. Students researched these topics, presented brand proposals and developed a cohesive brand under which to operate, like a professional design company. They called this brand "section 001." "It was rooted in this bluntness of midcentury American," Dixon explains. Many midcentury modern designers gave their pieces very straight-forward names. For example, an iconic midcentury chair design is the Eames LCW, which stands for "lounge chair wood." "The actual name is an acronym for a description of it," Dixon says. "In a clever way, the students noted, 'Why don't we just call this brand what the class is?'" And section 001 was born, pulling its name from the course title. The class established a logo and color palate, unintentionally taking inspiration from the iconic pastel DAAP building, with a soft sage green, steely gray and light pink. "It's kind of funny," Dixon says, "because DAAP colors have been made fun of for so long and now they're really on-trend all of the sudden." Each student designed a piece for the collection -- from chairs to a clock to a coffee station, perfect for late-night studio sessions. The industrial designers also maintained branding roles while the architects designed and built the exhibition space. For many, it was their first time taking a design and building a piece or furniture or usable object. Most items were built in-house, but some required vendors (for example, sheet metal work was contracted out) -- also new territory for the students. "That was their first time taking a design, breaking it down into drawings that communicated that design well enough for a vendor to make and being responsible for that," Dixon says. "It was cool to have students send designs off and get pieces back." Most students had to tweak their designs to fit the brand or just based on what tools were available -- all limitations of the real world, Dixon says. "Our strengths as a program are having designers fit within parameters so they can execute a real thing, whether that's fitting within a brand or synthesizing research into a piece." Once complete, section 001 produced a full line of furniture and other objects for the office (shelves, desks and organizational storage), kitchen (a dining table and chairs, chandelier, cabinets and tableware) and living spaces within the studio (lounge seating, a coat rack and coffee table) and even incorporated outdoor elements (a porch swing and firepit). Final critiques in DAAP are seen more as "milestones" than deadlines. "There's always a critical angle in the studio that allows students to grow both as designers and makers and grow an investment of their projects by creating a dialogue," Slaughter explains. He and Dixon invited DAAP Dean Robert Probst, Interim Director of the School of Architecture and Interior Design Michael McInturf and director Muratovski to check out the final collection. What the professors expected to be a quick viewing turned into a two-hour crit by their own bosses. "The conversation was like nothing I could imagine," Slaughter says. "It was at such an amazing level. The students benefitted from it, and the work progressed as a result." It was clear the class had an impressive exhibit on its hands, and that was confirmed at the exhibition. ICFF awarded DAAP's section 001 with the 2017 Editor's Award for best school installation. Having learned from DAAP's past entries in the show, section 001 made a concerted effort to integrate the collection's design -- color palate and overall aesthetic -- with all the furniture pieces and the display booth itself. As one of 15 schools showing at ICFF, DAAP's display impressed attendees and judges. "Our students are really good at designing for a brand and fitting in with what the market wants," Dixon says. "Some people didn't understand that it was from a university. Their first reaction was that it was not student work." The quality was great, he says, but it was the cohesion among the pieces that really drew attention. "We got this question time and time again of how we got the students to all work in the same color," Dixon explains. "That's just what they can do. We posed this prompt and they just had to fit in with it, and our students are good at that. Co-op helps, obviously. Every project we do in early stages in industrial design is geared towards a specific brand or user." Five editors from leading design industry media scoured the show floor to identify the best of global design. In one of just 12 prizes overall, ICFF presented DAAP's section 001 with the award. "We got feedback that it was the most thorough, cohesive and professional looking school installation," Slaughter says. "They thought the quality of the work, craftsmanship and design was so high that it was on-par with companies that had their own booth." The section 001 collection now resides in DAAP -- in the library, for now. Pieces of the exhibition will be on display in the upcoming DesignBuildCincy, a curated showcase of home design and fine craftsmanship, taking place in Cincinnati's Music Hall Oct. 28-29. Looking ahead, Dixon and Slaughter will collaborate on another cross-disciplinary class next spring, planning to return to ICFF and replicate their success in 2018. "Winning was a vindication of understanding what a collaborative studio can actually produce and that it can be successful," Slaughter says. ### CINCINNATI--A study led by environmental health researchers at the University of Cincinnati (UC) College of Medicine finds that children in East Liverpool, Ohio with higher levels of Manganese (Mn) had lower IQ scores. The research appears online in the journal NeuroToxicology, available in advance of publication. The study analyzed blood and hair samples of 106 children 7 to 9 years of age from East Liverpool and surrounding communities, who enrolled in the study from March 2013 to June 2014. Working with a trained registered nurse from East Liverpool, participants and their caregivers were also given cognitive assessments and questionnaires at the time the samples were taken. The study found that increased Mn in hair samples was significantly associated with declines in full-scale IQ, processing speed and working memory. Manganese is an element generally found in combination with iron and many minerals. It plays a vital role in brain growth and development, but excessive exposure can result in neurotoxicity. Manganese is used widely in the production of steel, alloys, batteries and fertilizers and is added to unleaded gasoline. Erin Haynes, DrPH, associate professor in the Department of Environmental Health and lead author of the study, was approached by East Liverpool school district officials in 2013, prompted by concerns of students' academic performance, paired with the knowledge that Mn concentrations in the area have exceeded U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reference levels for more than a decade. "There are socioeconomic issues at play, however, they are also compounded by potentially significant environmental exposures," says Haynes, who collaborated with the Kent State East Liverpool Campus and the community group Save our County Inc., formed in 1982 by East Liverpool residents in response to the proposed construction of a hazardous waste incinerator in their community. "Children may be particularly susceptible to the neurotoxic effects of ambient Mn exposure, as their brains are undergoing a dynamic process of growth and development." After concerns of elevated airborne levels of Mn, the school district superintendent in East Liverpool requested testing students for manganese along with neuropsychological tests. A pilot study overseen by Haynes found levels of Mn at double the level in children from the other CARES study cohort, and further investigation was pursued to examine the association between Mn exposure and child cognition. Located in northeast Ohio along the Ohio River, East Liverpool has a demonstrated history of environmental exposures, with EPA records showing elevated levels of manganese concentrations since 2000. In 2005, East Liverpool was deemed by the EPA to be a potential environmental justice area, afflicted with major environmental exposures, and a 2010 EPA report noted manganese concentrations detected by all monitors in East Liverpool had "consistently exceeded" health-based guidelines set by the agency. With a declining population of just 11,000, just 7.3 percent of East Liverpool residents have a college degree. The East Liverpool school district reports a higher than average percentage of students in special education (19 percent) versus the Ohio state average of 13 percent. The school board learned of Haynes' research studying manganese in Marietta, Ohio. Marietta was the original location of the Communities Actively Researching Exposure Study (CARES) which was initiated in 2008 based on community concern about exposure to manganese from a nearby metallurgical manufacturing company. Cambridge, Ohio serves as the comparison community, and the CARES research has since expanded into East Liverpool. In previous studies, the CARES scientific team has found that both too low and too high levels of manganese can be associated with lower neurodevelopment. Marietta and East Liverpool have some of the highest levels of ambient manganese in the country, Haynes says, and notes that their studies continue in these areas and include neuroimaging, "as we continue to advance our understanding of the impact of manganese on neurodevelopment, and help to define the lines between essential benefit and toxicological harm." The study also included researchers from Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, University of Albany, New York State Department of Health and the late Roxanne Burns, PhD, chair of the biology department at Kent State University East Liverpool Campus. "Dr. Roxanne Burns was a strong advocate for the study and for the community, and we are deeply indebted to her contributions," says Haynes. ### This research was supported by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (R01ES016531, R21ES021106, and P30-ES06096) and NIH/NCRR8UL1TR000077. The researchers cite no conflicts of interest. LAWRENCE -- The search for biology on neighbor planet Mars won't play out like a Hollywood movie starring little green men. Rather, many scientists agree if there was life on the Red Planet, it probably will present itself as fossilized bacteria. To find it, astrobiologists likely will need to decode the chemical analysis of rock samples performed by a rover (like the one NASA plans to send to Mars in 2020). Only then might humankind know conclusively that life exists beyond Earth. A new paper in the journal Astrobiology suggests NASA and others hunting for proof of Martian biology in the form of "microfossils" could use the element vanadium in combination with Raman spectroscopy on organic material as biosignatures to confirm traces of extraterrestrial life. "You've got your work cut out if you're looking at ancient sedimentary rock for microfossils here on Earth -- and even more so on Mars," said Craig Marshall, the paper's lead author and an associate professor of geology at the University of Kansas. "On Earth, the rocks have been here for 3.5 billion years, and tectonic collisions and realignments have put a lot of stress and pressure on rocks. Also, these rocks can get buried, and temperature increases with depth." Marshall likens a potential ancient Martian microorganism to a cut of steak from the supermarket in a pressure cooker. "You can see a steak looks biological -- there's blood dripping from it," he said. "Then, you put it in a pressure cooker for very long time, and you end up with charcoal. It could be abiotic charcoal, or it could be made from heat and pressure on organic materials. A lot of biological compounds get destroyed and ripped apart from heat and pressure, and you're left with carbon residue. We can see this carbon with Raman spectroscopy." Indeed, for some time paleontologists and astrobiologists hunting for bits of life on Mars have made use of Raman spectroscopy, a technique that can reveal the cellular composition of a sample. "People say, 'If it looks like life and has a Raman signal of carbon, then we have life,'" Marshall said. "But, of course, we know there can be carbonaceous materials made in other processes -- like in hydrothermal vents -- consistent with looking like microfossils that also have some carbon signal. People also make wonderful carbon structures artificially that look like microfossils -- exactly the same. So, we're at a juncture now where it's really hard to tell if there's life only based on morphology and Raman spectroscopy." In the new paper, Marshall and his co-authors offer a path toward ironclad verification that microfossils once were alive. According to the researchers, the proposed technique could be possible to perform with instrumentation already planned for the NASA 2020 rover mission to explore areas of Mars where the ancient environment could have fostered microbial life. Researchers included Alison Olcott Marshall at KU, Jade Aitken and Peter Lay of the University of Sydney, Barry Lai of Argonne National Laboratory, Pierre Breuer of the Saudi Arabian Oil Co. and Philippe Steemans of the University de Liege. "We applied a new technique called X-ray fluorescence microscopy -- it looks at elemental composition," said Marshall. "Vanadium is an element in the periodic table, a transition metal. It's been shown it can substitute into biological compounds. If you can't unambiguously assign if something is biology or not with morphology and Raman spectroscopy in tandem -- maybe we could look for a known biological element, like vanadium. Then, if the material that looked like a microfossil, and looked carbonaceous with Raman spectroscopy -- and had vanadium -- that's a new way forward for finding out if something really was biology." According to the researchers, vanadium can be found in crude oil, asphalt and black shale, formed from acknowledged biological sources. "Vanadium gets complexed in the chlorophyll molecule," Marshall said. "Chlorophylls typically have magnesium at the center -- under burial, vanadium replaces the magnesium. The chlorophyll molecule gets entangled within the carbonaceous material, thus preserving the vanadium. It's like if you have a rope stored in your garage and before you put it away you wrap it so you can unravel it the next time you need it. But over time on the garage floor it becomes tangled, things get caught in it. Even when you shake that rope hard, things don't come out. It's a tangled mess. Similarly, if you look at carbonaceous material there's a tangled mess of sheets of carbon and you've got the vanadium mixed in." Marshall and his colleagues proved the concept of testing for vanadium on known microfossils with acknowledged biological origins on Earth -- organic microfossils called acritarchs that might not be far from the kinds of traces of life possibly existing on the Red Planet. "We tested acritarchs to do a proof-of-concept on a microfossil where there's no shadow of a doubt that we're looking at preserved ancient biology," Marshall said. "The age of this microfossil we think is Devonian. These guys are aquatic microorganisms -- they're thought to be microalgae, a eukaryotic cell, more advanced than bacterial. We found the vanadium content you'd expect in cyanobacterial material." The work was supported by an ARC International Research Grant (IREX) looking for biosignatures for extracellular life, the Australian Synchrotron, and the Department of Energy at the Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory. When Marshall was an ARC Fellow at the University of Sydney, prior to coming to KU, he worked with co-author Lay's group. "We plan to undertake further Raman spectroscopic work on the carbonaceous materials using nanospectroscopic imaging," Lay said. "This research is also of interest to researchers in the European space program on the Mars Explorer, since another investigator on the ARC grant, although not working on this aspect, was Howell Edwards, who was involved in instrumentation for the Mars Explorer." Marshall said his research team's vanadium-based verification technique deserves attention from NASA scientists planning for the Mars 2020 mission. Luckily, the KU researcher has good contacts at the space agency. "Hopefully someone at NASA reads the paper," said Marshall. "Interestingly enough, the scientist who is lead primary investigator for the X-ray spectrometer for the space probe, they call it the PIXL, was his first graduate student from Macquarie University, before his KU times. I think I'll email her the paper and say, 'This might be of interest.'" ### An innovative new app could help enhance home and hospital environments for people with dementia - improving patient outcomes and reducing the strain on health services, according to University of Stirling academics. On World Alzheimer's Day [today], the University's Dementia Services Development Centre (DSDC), together with Space Architects, launches Iridis - the first app of its kind in the world to assess and provide feedback on how suitable a residence, care facility or other environment is for older people, particularly those with the condition. Lesley Palmer, Chief Architect at the DSDC, said: "Iridis revolutionises how we improve the day-to-day lives of older people and those living with dementia around the world. "At the touch of a button, people with dementia, their families and health professionals will be able to assess how dementia-friendly their built environment is and how it can be improved." It comes as new research from the University reveals that the hospital environment plays a key role in ensuring a positive outcome for patients. The Older Persons Routine Acute Assessment (OPRAA) study found a good hospital environment is safe and secure, quiet and calm and familiar and consistent, with clear wayfinding signage in place. The survey aimed to explore the outcomes that are important to people with dementia or confusion who have experienced a hospital admission. Respondents reported that the hospital environment was important for ensuring a good outcome. Iridis allows users to use smartphones and tablets to assess environments - such as homes or hospitals - to ensure they comply with dementia design principles, which in turn, helps to reduce confusion and risk. The technology asks users - including people with dementia, their family members and healthcare professionals - a series of questions about their surroundings and requests photographs of the environment. It then uses the data to highlight potential problems - such as issues with furniture, lighting, colour contrast and noise - before recommending changes that could enhance the environment for people with dementia. Recommended improvements could be as simple as improving lighting to more complex enhancements, such as reconfiguring bathrooms. The app is an updated, digital version of the DSDC's existing paper-based Dementia Design Audit Tool, used by thousands of people around the world. It simplifies and digitises the process, with the assessment of a two-bedroom home taking around 20 minutes to complete. Experts say the app will allow people with dementia to live independently for longer and, in turn, could help ease pressure on hospitals. They also highlight further benefits to the health and care sectors, with hospital and care home environments vital in ensuring patients receive the best possible outcomes. Ms Palmer explained: "There are around 50 million people living with dementia worldwide and we have already received significant international interest in Iridis, from the likes of Japan, India and China. "We already know that improving the living environment can have a profound effect on the health and wellbeing of people living with dementia and latest research from the University of Stirling indicates that enhancing the hospital environment could lead to an increase in positive outcomes for patients. "Iridis will advise and inform homeowners and health professionals of recommended changes to the built environment and, in turn, improve the health, dignity and independence of our senior population. "We are proud to have led the development of Iridis." Stephen Brooks, Director of Space Architects, said: "In the UK, a wealth of housing stock is categorically unsuitable for elderly living, we are in an era where people are living longer and we have a duty of care to offer a better quality of life and improved living standards to allow people to remain independent for longer. "What we're doing in association with DSDC is offering a service which will reduce the high cost of specialist care by creating and adapting living spaces for specific needs and future-proofing homes as individuals' needs change. "Through the introduction of our new Iridis App, people can independently assess a building and take, often simply steps, to make them dementia-friendly." He added: "By providing the right living environment we can help people to stay safe, physically active and maintain mental stimulation for longer. "The information and data collated from app users will allow us to understand the needs of the elderly in even greater detail and with greater certainty, and we can apply this to future design and planning of our homes. The Iridis app will be a catalyst for improved design and the first of its kind that brings together intelligent data and residential design processes." Richard Baker, Policy and Communications Manager at Age Scotland, who is speaking at the launch, said: "The living environment affects older people in a great number of ways, particularly those living with dementia. Therefore, ensuring older people are living in an environment which meets their needs is very important for their quality of life and independence. "Age Scotland welcomes the launch of Iridis as innovations like this make it easier to adapt the living environment - such as homes, workplaces and public buildings accordingly. This can make a huge difference to older people, particularly those with dementia, and allows them to remain independent and living in their own homes for longer. "We want to congratulate the University of Stirling and Space Architects on this exciting innovation." Two versions of the app are available for download via the Apple App Store and Google Play from today - a free homeowners' app and a professional app, priced at 14.99 for a one-month subscription or 52.99 for six months. Data collected from users of the app will allow its designers to continually update and improve the technology. The OPRAA survey found that hospitals can ensure people living with dementia, and their families and carers, can have a positive experience in hospital by: Ensuring the environment is safe and secure, putting the patient and family at ease Keeping the environment as familiar as possible, avoiding moving the patients multiple times and maintaining staff consistency Making the patient feel "at home" by providing some recognisable items Ensuring the ward is as quiet and calm as possible Easy wayfinding signage for the patient, such as clear access to the bathroom Providing flexible visiting hours Improving facilities for carers within hospitals, such as rooms to retreat to when spending many hours on the ward The full findings will be unveiled at a joint event, alongside the launch of Iridis, at the University of Stirling today (Thursday, 21 September). ### We must move faster towards a low-carbon world if we are to limit global warming to 2oC this century, experts have warned. Changes in electricity, heat, buildings, industry and transport are needed rapidly and must happen all together, according to researchers at the universities of Sussex, Manchester and Oxford in a new study published in the journal Science. To provide a reasonable (66%) chance of limiting global temperature increases to below 2oC, the International Energy Agency and International Renewable Energy Agency suggest that global energy-related carbon emissions must peak by 2020 and fall by more than 70% in the next 35 years. This implies a tripling of the annual rate of energy efficiency improvement, retrofitting the entire building stock, generating 95% of electricity from low-carbon sources by 2050 and shifting almost entirely towards electric cars. This elemental challenge necessitates "deep decarbonisation" of electricity, transport, heat, industrial, forestry and agricultural systems across the world. But despite the recent rapid growth in renewable electricity generation, the rate of progress towards this wider goal remains slow. Moreover, many energy and climate researchers remain wedded to disciplinary approaches that focus on a single piece of the low-carbon transition puzzle. A case in point is a recent Science Policy Forum proposing a 'carbon law' that will guarantee that zero-emissions are reached. This model-based prescription emphasizes a single policy instrument, but neglects the wider political, cultural, business, and social drivers of low carbon transitions. A new, interdisciplinary study published in Science presents a 'sociotechnical' framework that explains how these different drivers can interlink and mutually reinforce one another and how the pace of the low carbon transition can be accelerated. Professor Frank Geels from the University of Manchester, lead author of the study, explains: "Our 'big picture' socio-technical framework shows how interactions between various social groups can increase the momentum of low-carbon transitions." Professor Nick Eyre from the University of Oxford, End Use Energy Demand Champion for the UK Research Councils' Energy Programme, adds: "Accelerating transitions is critical if we are to achieve the goals of decarbonizing and saving energy faster, further, and more flexibly. This international quality study shows the importance of whole systems thinking in energy demand research." Professor Benjamin K. Sovacool from the University of Sussex, a co-author on the study, says: "Current rates of change are simply not enough. We need to accelerate transitions, deepen their speed and broaden their reach. Otherwise there can be no hope of reaching a 2 degree target, let alone 1.5 degrees. This piece reveals that the acceleration of transitions across the sociotechnical systems of electricity, heat, buildings, manufacturing, and transport requires new conceptual approaches, analytical foci, and research methods." The Policy Forum provides four key lessons for how to accelerate sustainability transitions. Lesson 1: Focus on socio-technical systems rather than individual elements Rapid and deep decarbonization requires a transformation of 'sociotechnical systems' - the interlinked mix of technologies, infrastructures, organizations, markets, regulations and user practices that together deliver societal functions such as personal mobility. Previous systems have developed over many decades, and the alignment and co-evolution of their elements makes them resistant to change. Accelerated low-carbon transitions therefore depend on both techno-economic improvements, and social, political and cultural processes, including the development of positive or negative discourses. Professor Steve Sorrell from the University of Sussex, a coauthor of the study, states: "In this policy forum we describe how transformational changes in energy and transport systems occur, and how they may be accelerated. Traditional policy approaches emphasizing a single technology will not be enough." Lesson 2: Align multiple innovations and systems Socio-technical transitions gain momentum when multiple innovations are linked together, improving the functionality of each and acting in combination to reconfigure systems. The shale gas revolution, for instance, accelerated when seismic imaging, horizontal drilling, and hydraulic fracturing were combined. Likewise, accelerated low-carbon transitions in electricity depend not only on the momentum of renewable energy innovations like wind, solar-PV and bio-energy, but also on complementary innovations including energy storage and demand response. These need aligned and then linked so that innovations are harmonized. Prof. Paul Ekins, Director of the UCL Institute for Sustainable Resources, University College London, and project leader to the EU INNOPATHS consortium researching low-carbon transitions for Europe, comments: "One of the great strengths of this study is the equal emphasis it accords to technological, social, business and policy innovation, in all of which governments as well as the private sector have a key role to play. "European countries will become low-carbon societies not only when the required low-carbon technologies have been developed but when new business models and more sustainable consumer aspirations are driving their deployment at scale. Public policy has an enormous role to play at every step in the creation of these changed conditions." Lesson 3: Offer societal and business support Public support is crucial for effective transition policies. Low-carbon transitions in mobility, agro-food, heat and buildings will also involve millions of citizens who need to modify their purchase decisions, user practices, beliefs, cultural conventions and skills. To motivate citizens, financial incentives and information about climate change threats need to be complemented by positive discourses about the economic, social and cultural benefits of low-carbon innovations. Furthermore, business support is essential because the development and deployment of low-carbon innovations depends upon the technical skills, organizational capabilities and financial resources of the private sector. Green industries and supply chains can solidify political coalitions supporting ambitious climate policies and provide a counterweight to incumbents. Technological progress can drive climate policy by providing solutions or altering economic interests. Shale gas and solar-PV developments, for instance, altered the US and Chinese positions in the international climate negotiations. Lesson 4: Phase out existing systems Socio-technical transitions can be accelerated by actively phasing out existing technologies, supply chains, and systems that lock-in emissions for decades. Professor Sovacool comments that: "All too often, analysists and even policymakers focus on new incentives, on the phasing in of low-carbon technologies. This study reminds us that phasing out existing systems can be just as important as stimulating novel innovations." For instance, the UK transition to smokeless solid fuels and gas was accelerated by the 1956 Clean Air Act, which allowed cities to create smokeless zones where coal use was banned. Another example is the 2009 European Commission decision to phase-out incandescent light bulbs, which accelerated the shift to compact fluorescents and LEDs. French and UK governments have announced plans to phase-out petrol and diesel cars by 2040. Moreover, the UK intends to phase out unabated coal-fired power generation by 2025 (if feasible alternatives are available). Phasing out existing systems accelerates transitions by creating space for niche-innovations and removing barriers to their diffusion. The phase-out of carbon-intensive systems is also essential to prevent the bulk of fossil fuel reserves from being burned, which would obliterate the 2oC target. This phase-out will be challenging since it threatens the largest and most powerful global industries (e.g. oil, automobiles, electric utilities, agro-food, steel), which will fight to protect their vested economic and political interests. Conclusion Deep decarbonization requires complementing model-based analysis with socio-technical research. While the former analyzes technically feasible least-cost pathways, the latter addresses innovation processes, business strategies, social acceptance, cultural discourses and political struggles, which are difficult to model but crucial in real-world transitions. As Professor Geels notes, an enduring lesson is that "to accelerate low-carbon transitions, policymakers should not only stimulate techno-economic developments, but also build political coalitions, enhance business involvement, and engage civil society." Additionally, the research underscores the non-technical, or social, elements of transitions. Dr. Tim Schwanen from the University of Oxford, a coauthor, states that "the approach described in this Policy Forum demonstrates the importance of heeding insights from across the social sciences in thinking about low-carbon transitions." While full integration of both approaches is not possible, productive bridging strategies may enable policy strategies that are both cost-effective and socio-politically feasible. ### Don't let their appearance fool you: Thimble-sized, dappled in cheerful colors and squishy, poison frogs in fact harbor some of the most potent neurotoxins we know. With a new paper published in the journal Science, scientists are a step closer to resolving a related head-scratcher -- how do these frogs keep from poisoning themselves? And the answer has potential consequences for the fight against pain and addiction. The new research, led by scientists at The University of Texas at Austin, answers this question for a subgroup of poison frogs that use the toxin epibatidine. To keep predators from eating them, the frogs use the toxin, which binds to receptors in an animal's nervous system and can cause hypertension, seizures, and even death. The researchers discovered that a small genetic mutation in the frogs -- a change in just three of the 2,500 amino acids that make up the receptor -- prevents the toxin from acting on the frogs' own receptors, making them resistant to its lethal effects. Not only that, but precisely the same change appeared independently three times in the evolution of these frogs. "Being toxic can be good for your survival -- it gives you an edge over predators," said Rebecca Tarvin, a postdoctoral researcher at UT Austin and a co-first author on the paper. "So why aren't more animals toxic? Our work is showing that a big constraint is whether organisms can evolve resistance to their own toxins. We found evolution has hit upon this same exact change in three different groups of frogs, and that, to me, is quite beautiful." There are hundreds of species of poisonous frogs, each of which uses dozens of different neurotoxins. Tarvin is part of a team of researchers, including professors David Cannatella and Harold Zakon in the Department of Integrative Biology, who have been studying how these frogs evolved toxic resistance. For decades, medical researchers have known that this toxin, epibatidine, also can act as a powerful nonaddictive painkiller. They've developed hundreds of compounds from the frogs' toxin, including one that advanced in the drug-development process to human trials before being ruled out due to other side effects. The new research -- showing how certain poison frogs evolved to block the toxin while retaining use of receptors the brain needs -- gives scientists information about epibatidine that could eventually prove helpful in designing drugs such as new pain relievers or drugs to fight nicotine addiction. "Every bit of information we can gather on how these receptors are interacting with the drugs gets us a step closer to designing better drugs," said Cecilia Borghese, another co-first author of the paper and a research associate in the university's Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research. Changing the Lock A receptor is a type of protein on the outside of cells that transmits signals between the outside and the inside. Receptors are like locks that stay shut until they encounter the correct key. When a molecule with just the right shape comes along, the receptor gets activated and sends a signal. The receptor that Tarvin and her colleagues studied sends signals in processes like learning and memory, but usually only when a compound that is the healthy "key" comes into contact with it. Unfortunately for the frogs' predators, toxic epibatidine also works, like a powerful skeleton key, on the receptor, hijacking cells and triggering a dangerous burst of activity. The researchers found that poison frogs that use epibatidine have developed a small genetic mutation that prevents the toxin from binding to their receptors. In a sense, they've blocked the skeleton key. They also have managed, through evolution, to retain a way for the real key to continue to work, thanks to a second genetic mutation. In the frogs, the lock became more selective. Fighting Disease The way that the lock changed suggests possible new ways to develop drugs to fight human disease. The researchers found that the changes that give the frogs resistance to the toxin without changing healthy functioning occur in parts of the receptor that are close to, but don't even touch epibatidine. Borghese and Wiebke Sachs, a visiting student, studied the function of human and frog receptors in the lab of Adron Harris, another author on the paper and associate director of the Waggoner Center. "The most exciting thing is how these amino acids that are not even in direct contact with the drug can modify the function of the receptor in such a precise way," Borghese said. The healthy compound, she continued, "keeps working as usual, no problem at all, and now the receptor is resistant to epibatidine. That for me was fascinating." Understanding how those very small changes affect the behavior of the receptor might be exploited by scientists trying to design drugs that act on it. Because the same receptor in humans is also involved in pain and nicotine addiction, this study might suggest ways to develop new medications to block pain or help smokers break the habit. Retracing Evolution Working with partners in Ecuador, the researchers collected tissue samples from 28 species of frogs -- including those that use epibatidine, those that use other toxins and those that are not toxic. Tarvin and hear colleagues Juan C. Santos from St. John's University and Lauren O'Connell from Stanford University sequenced the gene that encodes the particular receptor in each species. She then compared subtle differences to build an evolutionary tree representing how the gene evolved. This represents the second time that Cannatella, Zakon, Tarvin and Santos have played a role in discovering mechanisms that prevent frogs from poisoning themselves. In January 2016, the team identified a set of genetic mutations that they suggested might protect another subgroup of poison frogs from a different neurotoxin, batrachotoxin. Research published this month was built on their finding and conducted by researchers from the State University of New York at Albany, confirming that one of UT Austin's proposed mutations protects that set of poison frogs from the toxin. ### The paper's other co-author is Ying Lu of UT Austin. Funding for this project was provided by the National Geographic Society, the National Science Foundation, the UT Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research, the National Institutes of Health and seven academic societies. Patients with "metal on metal" (MoM) artificial hips are at risk of complications caused by adverse reactions to metal debris (ARMD). A study in the September 20, 2017 issue of The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery confirms that blood metal ion levels specific to the type of hip implant used can help predict patients who are at low risk of ARMD. The journal is published in partnership with Wolters Kluwer. Using implant-specific cutoff points resulted in fewer missed cases of ARMD compared to using fixed thresholds currently recommended by US and UK regulatory authorities, according to the report by Gulraj S. Matharu BSc(Hons), MRCS, MRes, DPhil of University of Oxford and colleagues. Their findings offer a refined approach to predicting the risk of ARMD in patients with two widely used types of metal-on-metal hip replacements: the Birmingham Hip Resurfacing (BHR) implant and the Corail-Pinnacle implant. The research was funded by Arthritis Research UK (grant reference number 21006). Blood Metal Ion Levels Identify Patients at Low Risk of ARMD Patients can develop adverse reactions to the metal debris generated from the implant surfaces sliding over each other in the artificial joint. Measuring levels of chromium and cobalt ions in the blood--reflecting the presence of small particles from the worn implant surfaces--is recommended as part of patient follow-up for early detection of ARMD. However, there is no agreement as to the specific blood metal ion levels that should raise concern after MoM hip replacement. Previous studies by Dr. Matharu and colleagues suggested that using implant-specific thresholds could improve the ability to detect patients at low risk of developing ARMD. To confirm this approach, the researchers performed an external validation study including 710 patients (803 hips) who underwent MoM hip replacement with one of the two aforementioned MoM hip prostheses at three European hospitals. Implant-specific versus fixed regulatory authority cutoff points for blood metal ion levels were tested for their ability to correlate with clinically diagnosed ARMD, rates of which were 12 percent after single-hip BHR replacement, 18 percent after double-hip BHR replacement, and 7 percent after single-hip Corail-Pinnacle replacement. The implant-specific cutoff points performed well in distinguishing between patients with and without ARMD. Sensitivity--the percentage of patients with ARMD who had ion levels above the implant-specific threshold--ranged from 65 to 79 percent in the three groups. Just as important, the negative predictive value--the percentage of patients without ARMD who had ion levels below the threshold--was 93 to 97 percent across groups. Overall, the implant-specific cutoff points identified all but 2.8 percent of ARMD cases. In contrast, the fixed regulatory authority cutoff points missed up to 6.5 percent of cases. Early identification of ARMD is important, especially for some patients where early revision (implant removal and replacement) can reduce complications and give a better outcome for the patient. The new findings confirm the value of implant-specific blood metal levels in helping assess the risk of ARMD after MoM hip replacement. Using these cutoff points helps to pinpoint patients who should be monitored more closely for possible ARMD, while also minimizing the use of additional testing in patients unlikely to have or develop ARMD. But Dr. Matharu and colleagues emphasize that no single test can determine whether a patient actually has ARMD or what treatment is needed. They write, "[B]lood metal ion levels should be only a part of the complete clinical assessment." ### Read the article: Blood Metal Ion Thresholds to Identify Patients with Metal-on-Metal Hip Implants at Risk of Adverse Reactions to Metal Debris: An External Multicenter Validation Study of Birmingham Hip Resurfacing and Corail-Pinnacle Implants Article DOI: 10.2106/JBJS.16.01568 About The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery (JBJS) has been the most valued source of information for orthopaedic surgeons and researchers for over 125 years and is the gold standard in peer-reviewed scientific information in the field. A core journal and essential reading for general as well as specialist orthopaedic surgeons worldwide, The Journal publishes evidence-based research to enhance the quality of care for orthopaedic patients. Standards of excellence and high quality are maintained in everything we do, from the science of the content published to the customer service we provide. JBJS is an independent, non-profit journal. About Wolters Kluwer Wolters Kluwer N.V. (AEX: WKL) is a global leader in information services and solutions for professionals in the health, tax and accounting, risk and compliance, finance and legal sectors. We help our customers make critical decisions every day by providing expert solutions that combine deep domain knowledge with specialized technology and services. Wolters Kluwer reported 2016 annual revenues of 4.3 billion. The company, headquartered in Alphen aan den Rijn, the Netherlands, serves customers in over 180 countries, maintains operations in over 40 countries and employs 19,000 people worldwide. Wolters Kluwer shares are listed on Euronext Amsterdam (WKL) and are included in the AEX and Euronext 100 indices. Wolters Kluwer has a sponsored Level 1 American Depositary Receipt program. The ADRs are traded on the over-the-counter market in the U.S. (WTKWY). Wolters Kluwer Health is a leading global provider of information and point of care solutions for the healthcare industry. For more information about our products and the organization, visit http://www.wolterskluwer.com/, follow @WKHealth or @Wolters_Kluwer on Twitter, like us on Facebook, follow us on LinkedIn, or follow WoltersKluwerComms on YouTube. For more information about Wolters Kluwer's solutions and organization, visit http://www.wolterskluwer.com, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube. The Herman Trend Alert September 20, 2017 Experience Tourism into the Future Earlier this month, our author, Joyce, attended a conference in France on the Future of Tourism. Ostensibly focusing on 2050, Les Entretiens de Vixouze drew people from around the world to look at various aspects of tourism. Over the course of the next several months, we will offer insights from that conference. This Herman Trend Alert is the first of these topics. One the speakers at the conference Les Entretiens de Vixouze [The Interviews of Vixouze] was the consultant Armelle Solelhac, CEO, SWiTCH. After her presentation, we caught up with her to discuss her visions for the future. Personal space will be the new paradigm Focusing on the future of resort tourism, Solelhac believes that a new paradigm is emerging. Fueled by the increasing world population, tourism will be based on the amount of personal space people will have. For their vacations, people who can afford it will look for more space. The trend will particularly be reflected in seaside resorts, in the next 20 to 30 years, where niche tourism for the elite will offer unique opportunities to disconnect as much as they want. Friction-free experiences People will be looking for as little friction (read "stress") as possible in their lives when they are on vacation in resorts, as well as when they are living in cities. Hotels and resorts can reduce that friction and enhance the experiences by engineering many aspects of the space, including the flow of people, the openness of the space, and conversation areas. (The newly renovated Hyatt at SFO is a great example of the latter.) Using technology to reduce friction New technologies like RFD-based bracelets allow visitors at the Val-d'Isere ski resort in France to play on the slopes stress-free. If you have ever skied you know how annoying it is to pay for items, like lift tickets and food. Usually the credit card or cash is buried in a pocket and you must remove everything else to get to it. Carnival's Ocean Medallion will take this to the next level Debuting in November on the Princess Cruise Line will be Carnival's Ocean Medallion. This product will take this stress-free concept up several levels. Keeping track of personal preferences and much more, the new wearable technology will allow for instant purchasing in the store, as well as review of travelers' photographs without having to take hours to scan all the passenger pictures on the ship. Keeping track of passenger preferences, the new hyper customer-centric system will also open stateroom doors and even suggest appropriate activities. Look for a subsequent Herman Trend Alert focusing exclusively on this customer experience breakthrough. Natural Tourism We will also see an increasing demand for ecological and natural tourism, travel that supports rather than damages the environment. Risk-free hyper-adventures Solelhac is seeing controlled environments that seem risky, but in fact, are not. She sees heightened experiences that could be risky, but because they are in controlled environments are not. Guests enjoy the enhanced adventures, while staying safe. Hyperactive versus laid-back travel Finally, Solelhac believes we will have two types of travel: very active and very inactive. We will see the vacations where we will be hiking and climbing and clubbing from early morning until late at night versus the totally unscheduled, no deadlines types of vacations where people will have nothing to do, but sit under a palm tree and read or sleep all day. The developments you may expect in tourism In the future, vacationers will be able to enjoy totally customized travel experiences that will provide the desired amount of activity and thrills with the precise level of excitement the traveler is looking for. There is no reason you won't be able to have it your way! Hello Again, Have you ever wondered how the food pantries feed so many people over the course of the year? While talking with just one pantry, the Greater Dover-New Philadelphia Food Pantry, I found out they give away between 35,000 and 40,000 pounds of food to needy families in an average week. Wow, 35,000 pounds in one week! I am both amazed and impressed. We are from the government and here to help is a longstanding joke among many Americans. While in reality, our federal government really is here to help. One great example is the Feds Feed Families campaign. This is a government-wide campaign where all federal agencies, including field offices, are asked to participate in the campaign. Involving field offices, allows them to share their collections locally, ensuring that the campaign reaches all corners of our great nation and is visibly active in every state. The campaign was created to help food banks and pantries stay stocked during summer months when they traditionally see a decrease in donations and an increase in need. In Washington, D.C., the Capital Area Food Bank receives collections and distributes them through its network of more than 500 partner organizations. Through the amazing generosity of federal employees, the food drive has collected nearly 70 million pounds of food for those in need. Last year alone, more than 12.5 million pounds were donated and provided to food banks and pantries. Sadly, there are still too many people struggling to put food on the table. So the northeast area Farm Service Agency County Office employees went into action and participated in the 2017 Feds Unite Against Hunger Feds Feed Families food drive. A contest was launched to see who could bring in the most pounds of food. I think the participants had fun with the challenge while doing their part in the fight against hunger. The food collected was donated to the Greater Dover-New Philadelphia food pantry. Even more impressive is the pounds donated to local pantries across all of Ohio just from FSA employees. Overall, there were 2,037 pounds of food donated. I think its very fitting for an agricultural agency to help feed the hungry. And I think saying We are from the government and here to help is an admirable statement FSA employees should be proud to say. Thank you, FSA for all your efforts. Thats all for now, FSA Andy Since the emerald ash borer arrived over a decade ago in Michigan, we here in Ohio have been witnessing one of the great forest calamities since the Dutch Elm disease appeared and the American Chestnut blight ravaged that great tree. One of the most common questions we received over this decade period was, what can I do? Treatment options If they were yard trees, you could treat them with a basal chemical compound each year and perhaps save a few yard trees. If it was woodlot trees, your only real hope was to harvest them for timber. As long as you did it soon enough and were willing to live with the onslaught of the invasives into the future. One thing I have noticed is if ash trees were present in your woods or fence rows, they are partially present today in the form of new saplings from the existing seedbed that has been propagating new ash trees over the decades. The longevity or survival of these saplings is short-term at best. If this is true, then how soon will the ash borer attack these new saplings. Probably as they approach 1 inch in diameter. I have observed some that made it to 4 inches before being attacked. None-the-less, I really find the whole thing disgusting. Such a wonderful tree species grew fairly quickly, not messy, usable wood, and a great firewood source. In north central Ohio, the tree was at its most prominent density of population. Those of us who had predominate woodlots of ash ask the obvious question, what can I do in those woodlots now that they are falling over, the sunlight is coming in, the understory is showing signs of briars, multiflora rose, grape vines and other invasive species. Replacement species Also, is there a good replacement species or is not worth the effort? So, I asked our resident expert and ODNR state service forester, John Jolliff, for insight. He said if they are not dead, they are infested. He also mentioned a few people have eliminated the invasive surge with hard work and perseverance by preventing the bush honeysuckle, buckthorn, briars and multiflora rose to get started. However, most owners choose to let it all go because of the time requirement. It takes a lot of work to convert a woodlot to a new dominate native species. He mentioned green ash, white ash and black ash are the most preferred by the borer, and blue ash is the least desirable for the borer. He mentioned mountain ash is not a true ash species, so they are not impacted. I guess unless nature fights back and a few ash trees survive then science will have to begin looking at cross-breeding with another ash tree from somewhere like the American Chestnut Foundation. It is crossing American Chestnut trees with Chinese Chestnuts to give the chestnut some blight resistance. The difference with ash trees is that darn emerald ash borer is a bug, not a fungus. SPRINGFIELD -- Illinois children can help kick off the states bicentennial celebration by using their imaginations and artistic skills in a contest sponsored by the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. The theme of this years art contest is Happy Birthday, Illinois. Kids from kindergarten through high school get to design posters celebrating the states 200th birthday by drawing anything they want -- for instance, famous Illinoisans at a party or landmarks decorated as birthday cakes. The winning artwork will be displayed at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum throughout the bicentennial year of 2018. Artwork may be submitted from Sept. 1 until Dec. 15. Winning entries will go on display in February 2018, around the time of Lincolns birthday. Submissions must be on poster board 14 inches high by 11 inches wide in portrait orientation (that is, taller than it is wide). They cannot feature copyrighted characters such as Batman. More details are available at bit.ly/ALPLMartcontest. Learning history is about more than memorizing dates and taking tests. Producing art is a great way for students to connect with historic events and consider their meaning. The contest is open for students from kindergarten through the end of high school. Entries do not have to be submitted via schools; youth groups, home-educated children or anyone else in the proper age ranges can participate. Winners and honorable mentions will be selected in three categories: Grades K-5, 6-8 and 9-12. Illinois became the nations 21st state on Dec. 3, 1818. A year-long celebration of the state and its accomplishments will begin on Dec. 3 of this year, leading up to the 200th birthday next December. More information about the bicentennial can be found at www.Illinois200.com. The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, at 212 N. Sixth St. in Springfield, is dedicated to telling the story of Americas 16th president through old-fashioned scholarship and modern technology. The library holds an unparalleled collection of Lincoln books, documents, photographs, artifacts and art. It also has some 12 million items pertaining to all aspects of Illinois history, making the library one of the nations leading institutions for genealogy and history research. Meanwhile, the museum uses traditional exhibits, eye-catching special effects and innovative story-telling techniques to educate visitors. For more information, visit www.presidentlincoln.illinois.gov or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. ORRVILLE, Ohio Communicating accurate information about agriculture is one of the biggest challenges farmers face. Misinformation can do a lot of damage in a hurry, and farmers dont always have the time nor the resources to speak to the masses. But they do have Gabe Middleton, a veterinarian with the Orrville Veterinary Clinic in Wayne County, Ohio. In October, Middleton will become president-elect of a national organization that strives to publish credible, science-based information in both public and private sectors. That organization the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) is made up of scientific groups across the country, as well as individuals like academic professionals, businesses and nonprofits. It publishes task force reports, commentary papers, special publications, and issue papers written by scientists. Middleton, 35, is at least the third president from Ohio to lead CAST. He grew up in the small town of Smithville, but started working on a dairy farm when he was 12. He graduated from the College of Wooster, and then Ohio State Universitys College of Veterinary Medicine in 2005. He is married to Megan Middleton and the couple have three children: Kellyn, 5; Edward, 4; and Mason, 1. Farm and Dairy sat down with him to learn about his new leadership role and how it might benefit farmers. Q. Tell me about your job at Orrville Veterinary Clinic? A. Im a partner in the practice and we have 10 doctors right now. I do exclusively ambulatory large animal practice mostly dairy cattle, some beef cattle and horses. My role on dairies would be anything from reproduction to drug residue avoidance, milk quality, calf health I kind of enjoy all aspects of trying to help dairy producers. In addition to the Orrville clinic, the company now operates two other locations: The Seville-Wadsworth Veterinary Clinic, and The Akron-Barberton Veterinary Clinic. Q. What is CAST? A. I think the easy way to describe it is its a society of societies, and so there are multiple universities, corporations, and theres also a lot of other scientific societies that are a part of CAST and those people all serve as the board of representatives. I was the American Association of Bovine Practitioners liaison to CAST, and started in the animal working group. Q. What does CAST do? A. The major product is scientific papers. We try to gather the experts in the fields. So my role will not be to write the papers, but to take the scientific consensus on a topic, analyze it and put that out in a publication. And that publication would then serve as something that people could cite in their own literature or their own research, and its also typically presented on Capitol Hill, and so it does serve as a way that agriculture is involved with the process of legislation. And we feel like thats a pretty important thing. Q. What are some of CASTs current or upcoming projects? A. Issues that affect farm technology. For example, a paper that will be coming soon from CAST deals with antibiotics the issue: resistance and marketing. There is some fear-based marketing involved with antibiotics. GMOs are another big issue. Theres some people, I think, would be in favor of that, but it would actually probably have a really negative impact on the environment, consumers and producers. And so CAST tries to look at those things from a scientific perspective. The goal is to communicate credible, sound science. When choosing topics, we write a proposal, we get it approved and then we try to get authors for the paper and get it published. The other thing about CAST is that you can go to their website no matter who you are: a farmer, a Ph.D., a journalist, and you can submit an idea and that idea will come to the board of directors and well take a look at it. Q. How does having you as a veterinarian and also president of CAST benefit farmers? A. A few years ago, I had a few clients who were frustrated over affidavits they had to sign saying would not use rbST. They looked at me and said How are you standing up for me. I looked at myself and I said that maybe Im not as much as I should, and that got me interested in doing something a little bit more. While I dont necessarily tell my clients exactly everything I do in CAST, hopefully they know that I am standing up for the things they believe in, and I believe you should be able to farm however you want, without having something stigmatizing your methods. Q. Is there a good demand for large animal veterinarians? A. It seems that way, especially in this area where we have a lot of livestock. At Orrville Veterinary Clinic, it seems like we almost cant keep up with the work some days, but were really committed to trying to help our producers be better. The interesting thing about this type of practice is that you learn a lot from your clients, too, whether thats life lessons or related to agriculture. I feel passionate about young veterinarians and their career paths and I think that if we dont have food animal veterinarians, it compromises the safety of our food supply. And by giving these young veterinarians the right start and giving them mentorship, making sure that they have the right information, I think we can shape their career path so that theyll be successful members of the profession and just improve the lives of people everywhere by improving food security. Q. What do you enjoy about being a veterinarian? A. My dad used to tell me, and he would tell other people, it would be nice to be a veterinarian because you dont have to deal with people. I still hear people say that. That is 100 percent wrong. That is the No. 1 thing that veterinarians do. This business is the animal business, but its really the people business. I love my clients and I respect them and I admire what they do, because I dont know that I could do it. I think the relationships that Ive formed throughout the years are what I enjoy the most. I also enjoy making positive changes on an operation that impact the health of the entire herd and also impacts the profitability, so that farmers have more to put in their pocket at the end of the day. Q. Where do you see the veterinary industry headed? A. I think were probably going to see more and more specialization needed, more and more knowledge needed at least from an agricultural perspective. We dont treat as many individual animals as we used to, and instead focus on whole herd health and decisions. We have to have a higher level of knowledge; we have to be good at analyzing records; we have to be experts in many different fields to survive. When it comes to food security, veterinarians are at the forefront and that is always important. Working Sheepdogs is based on Leault Farm, Kincraig which is only 7 miles from Aviemore at the very heart of the Cairngorms National Park in the Scottish Highlands. During a 45-minute demonstration amidst some of the most beautiful scenery in Scotland, you will see up to eight dogs working as a team manoeuvring sheep and ducks through various obstacles. Every dog has its own set of commands enabling visitors to see just how each of them responds to their individual whistles and each move by the dogs is explained by their handler, Neil Ross. This truly is an experience not to be missed, giving people of all ages the chance to enjoy and participate in the traditional working day of a Highland Shepherd and his dogs. Meet the collie pups, bottle-feed the orphan lambs and take part in shearing a sheep. You'll have excellent opportunities to capture some unforgettable memories - so don't forget your camera! Maps Place Your Advert Register or sign in to advertise your job An agri-tech organisation has said advances in technology have driven a huge labour increase but farm outputs have remained static since the 1980s. Advances in technology have driven a 64% increase in agriculture since 1973, but this is "deceptive", according to Dr Belinda Clarke, director of the Cambridge-based company Agri-Tech East. The company launched its new report on the sector's future, entitled From Grass Roots to Blue Skies: a vision for agri-tech, at a reception held at the House of Lords earlier this week. Dr Clarke said it is widely accepted by scientists and farmers that the current model for the farming industry is broken. She said: Labour productivity has increased year on year but since the 1980s farm outputs have become static. Technology has enabled labour to be more efficient, producing the same amount but with far fewer people, thus reducing the input costs. Although there have been many successes, it is increasingly realised that the current model is not sustainable economically or environmentally. 'Little incentive' Dr Clarke said there is "little incentive" with the current model for farmers to increase outputs as often a bumper yield means that prices will fall. She continued: In addition we have seen degradation of the soils, pressure on water and the increasing need for more resilience in the face of climate change. This creates a challenge but also a huge opportunity to create a new approach to farming. We know there is the potential to do this as across the UK the yield and quality of crops varies greatly between farms, and even within an individual field or crop there is a scope to improve efficiency. Agri-Tech East has stimulated a number of initiatives that have enabled producers to meet non-traditional players and collaborate in new ways. The company has overseen projects such as improving the forecasting of the demand for lettuces to reduce waste and release resources for alternative crops, and the development of a digital platform that makes data from multiple sources, including international markets, which is accessible to farmers. Dr Clarke continued: We are concentrating on what works well, perhaps in other industry sectors or geographies, and seeing how it can be applied by some of the UKs most skilled farmers. Our approach is to put the person with an intractable problem in contact with people that might have solutions. The key is to help all parties frame their challenges in a way that the others can appreciate. Farming is actually a complex business. By encouraging people with different perspectives to participate in workshops and networking events as a community we have been able to identify where innovation is needed. The Lynx UK Trust has announced an agreement that will insure the UK's whole sheep population against lynx attacks throughout a proposed trial to reintroduce the wild cat to the UK. The agreement, with Lloyds Syndicate ARK Speciality Programs, is seen as an attempt to ease farmers' concerns surrounding the danger of reintroducing the lynx to the British countryside. If the proposal trial is approved by Natural England, six lynx will be reintroduced for a five year period in the Kielder Forest, Northumberland. They will be closely monitored with satellite tracking to see how they fit back into the UK ecosystem, where they could become a natural control on the currently overpopulated deer species. But the National Sheep Association (NSA) has said the proposals would have a "detrimental impact" on farmers' livelihoods. The NSA said the debate so far has only focused on the positives, with 'little consideration' for evidence which suggests similar projects in Europe have experienced limited success. "Releasing this predatory species puts at risk all the things that emanate from a successful sheep farmed area the landscape and its associated ecology and wildlife, local working communities and a vibrant rural economy," the group said. 'Wide-reaching' NSA chief executive Phil Stocker said the impact of it would be 'far wider-reaching than just a few sheep lost'. "The UK's ecology is built on huge diversity which is dependent on human management and farming in the majority of cases," he said. "This hierarchy of species interact with each other and we already have many examples where a lack of intervention and predator control result in the collapse of iconic birds and mammals such as the red squirrel and the curlew - two species that Northumberland is renowned for. "The UK is very different from countries where top level predators such as big cats can survive, in terms of land use, wildlife and our population and infrastructure." 'Natural balance' However, Lynx UK Trust believes the animal belongs in the UK ecosystem, having been hunted to extinction around 500-700AD. The Trust believes reintroduction is vital in re-storing a natural balance in the British countryside. Lynx UK Trust has pledged to establish a sheep welfare programme which will provide grants to build fencing, buy outbuildings for lambing and bring in llamas to act as guardians for sheep flocks. Chief scientific advisor to the Lynx UK Trust, Dr Paul O'Donoghue told The Telegraph: There are some really exciting ideas from other countries, such as guardian animals like llamas, said chief scientific advisor to the Trust, Dr Paul O'Donoghue. We've seen these successfully used in the Scottish Highlands keeping off foxes, and in an American study they reduced sheep kills from dogs and coyotes by 66 per cent; half of those farms saw predation stop entirely. Those are astounding results, I'm amazed we don't already see them widely in use; we might be able to reduce all sheep predation by two thirds, just by providing farmers with llamas. 'Criminal offence' Nevertheless, the NSA said it would therefore be a 'criminal offence' to keep them without a local authority licence. Currently, these licences are only available for zoo and captive animals, not for those being released into the wild. The current law would also allow farmers to legally shoot lynx causing distress to their animals. And since lynx's are natural predators, farmers' see this as a risk to their livestock if a re-introduction were to happen. NSA's Phil Stocker continued: This country is a very different place to what it was 1,300 years ago and NSA does not believe we have enough largescale, suitable habitat to support the minimum population of 250 lynx that is needed for true genetic sustainability. Animal welfare and disease biosecurity, as well as unconsidered changes in ecology if we were to see pastoral farming decline, also present huge problems. Landowners and farmers concerned they are being left potentially liable if something goes wrong in the fracking process have demanded action from the Government over who should deal with the consequences. Rural organisation the CLA, which represents farmers and landowners, has written to Fracking Minister Richard Harrington. It asks Mr Harrington to speed up assurances which minimise the liabilities landowners face as a result of shale gas operations taking place on their land. CLA Deputy President Tim Breitmeyer said the Government has not made sufficient progress to properly tackle the long-term liability of fracking, leaving landowners at risk long after drilling has stopped. He said: Our members take a long-term view of land management and will continue to run businesses using land with shale gas developments on them long after an operator has left a site. It is critical that the right protections are in place to ensure the long-term integrity of well sites and remove any risk to future use of affected land. It is greatly concerning that despite the acknowledged risk, the Government continues to encourage the industry to increase the number of sites in development without an adequate solution to liabilities being in place. For a government whose stated objective is to establish a world leading shale gas industry in the UK, the lack of clarity on these important issues is a major failing. To date, no solution has been provided to private landowners despite the continued growth of the UK shale gas industry. FarmingUK spoke to a concerned farmer about her fear over pollution after a local authority gave the go-ahead for fracking operations in the UK for the first time in five years. Sarah Houlston, whose farm is just a mile from the drilling site, appeared before the North Yorkshire planning committee to voice her opposition to Third Energys application, along with other opponents. She told FarmingUK that her cattle were reliant on water from a borehole, which she feared could be contaminated by the fracking operations. Four lambs have suffered "brutal injuries", with three of them having their ears ripped off, in a suspected dog attack in the Scottish Borders. The horrific incident occurred on a farm near Acreknowe Reservoir, near Hawick, between Thursday and Friday evening (14 and 15 September). The four lambs suffered serious head wounds with three of them having both ears ripped off. PC Claire White said it was believed a dog or dogs had attacked the animals and urged anyone with information to contact them. "These animals suffered brutal injuries and, once again, we're urging dog walkers to always keep their pets on leads around any livestock," she said. "All animals are unpredictable and it's a dog's natural instinct to chase - it is your responsibility as the owner to ensure that your dog is kept under suitable control at all times. "As well as causing significant harm to these animals and distress to the farmer, you are liable to prosecution if you fail to do so." The escalating problems caused by livestock worrying have been highlighted at an All Party Group on Animal Welfare (APGAW) in London. The APGAW heard from farmers, landowners, local government, police and dog charities on what has been done to tackle and prevent dog attacks on livestock, with a view to establishing best practise as a way to reduce the number of attacks. With six lives lost within the Northern Ireland farming community so far this year and a further 100 accidents per month on farms, farming families have been called to Stop and Think about farm safety. Recent wet weather, time and financial pressures at this time of year could increase the risk of a near miss becoming an injury or a fatality on a farm this autumn, a campaign looking at farm safety has stated. The causes of injuries and fatalities on farm have largely remained the same over the years. As many as 100 accidents happen per month on Northern Irish farms which require medical treatment, the Farm Safety Partnership has said. It has led the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) to urge the farming community to continue to raise awareness, make improvements and adopt safer practices. "Everyone involved in the farm business should be mindful of the risks and how to keep themselves and others safe. The farm family can include multiple generations and the impact of a farm accident should never be underestimated," CAFRE said in a statement. Farm Family Key Skills Farm Family Key Skills (FFKS) is a scheme being managed by CAFRE, which espouses a health and safety theme. Farm Family Key Skills addresses the need for farmers, farm family members and farm employees to take a fresh look at health and safety on the farm. The short workshops raise awareness of the need for families to regularly walk around their farm looking for potential risks and making improvements and places a greater emphasis on learning from the near misses. The training also highlights the need to spread the message of farm safety to farm employees, visitors to the farm and more vulnerable members of the farm family such as children and older people. The training covers the four main dangers associated with working on a farm, Slurry, Animals, Falls and Equipment. The National Farmers Union has voiced its fears about a possible shortage of workers following the leak of a Home Office document revealing post-Brexit plans to deter immigrants from the European Union. British farming and the wider food industry have come to rely on EU labourers to work in the fields and factories. Securing access to this workforce has been one of the NFU's priorities since the UK voted to withdraw from the European Union in the 2016 referendum. But a document leaked to The Guardian suggests that the Home Office intends to drive down the number of low skilled migrants from the EU. "To be considered valuable to the country as a whole, immigration should benefit not just the migrants themselves but also make existing residents better off, says the draft document. Following the leak, NFU deputy president Minette Batters called for an urgent commitment from Government that British agriculture will have the workers its needs following withdrawal from the EU. The loss of the migrant workforce from the European Union could have serious consequences for the food industry, she said. A competent and reliable workforce is vital for British farms. Farming produces the raw ingredients for the UK food and drink sector, worth 109 billion and employing 3.8 million people," she told FarmingUK. Across all sectors, particularly in horticulture, poultry, pig and dairy, access to both seasonal and permanent workers is absolutely critical for the nation to continue producing food to feed the British public. An abrupt reduction in the number of EU workers able to work in the UK after we leave the EU would cause massive disruption to the entire food supply chain - a solution for the whole industry is needed to ensure the sector has access to the skills and labour it needs. 'Urgent commitment' The NFU is calling is thus for an "urgent and clear" commitment from Government to ensure that farmers and growers have access to sufficient numbers of permanent and seasonal workers post-Brexit. Ms Matters continued: And we need clarity on the new rules for EU nationals living and working in the UK well before free movement ends in March 2019. The NFU is urging the Migration Advisory Committee to report before Christmas on the impact on agriculture specifically. The NFU believes it is critical that the Government consults extensively with the food and farming industry on this issue and proceeds with an immigration policy that is based on fact and business need. It is critical that any policy recognises the importance and seasonality of both low and highly skilled workers to our food production system, especially in a time of record low levels of unemployment. 'Hostile environment' The Guardian says that the leaked document suggests that post-Brexit Britain may seek to extend Theresa May's "hostile environment" policy to EU nationals, alongside migrants from countries outside the European Union. In 2012, as Home Secretary, she said: The aim is to create here in Britain a really hostile environment for illegal migration," as she sought to fulfil the Conservative Party's commitment to reduce net immigration to tens of thousands each year. The leaked Home Office document emphasises the need to reduce migration once the UK leaves the European Union. "Sharply increased levels of net migration since 1997, from both the EU and beyond, have given rise to public concern about pressure on public services and wages," it says. "These concerns about the sustainability of unrestricted migration from the EU featured strongly in the debate surrounding the referendum on the UK's membership of the EU on 23 June, 2016. The public must have confidence in our ability to control immigration from the EU. "Although net migration from the EU has fallen over the last year, we cannot exercise control over it at present, as free movement gives EU citizens a right to reside in the UK regardless of the economic needs of this country. "The Government has, therefore, made clear that, after our departure, we will end free movement in its current form." Salary threshold The document outlines possible measures to reduce the level of low-skilled migration. One suggestion is the introduction of a salary threshold below which migrant workers would not be able to work in the UK. It suggests "limiting the number of EU citizens able to come to the UK to undertake low-skilled work, for example through a salary threshold, an assessment of the skill-level of the occupation and/or through a direct numeric cap on numbers. "Restrictions could be combined with the option of a scheme for temporary or seasonal workers depending on the industry." Another is the adoption of a policy requiring employers to recruit British residents before looking abroad. The draft suggests that employers may be required to complete an "economic needs" test to check whether suitable recruits can be found locally before they are a able to recruit anyone from the European Union. 'Sustainable levels' The document says: "We may require EU nationals seeking to reside in the UK, for example for work, to obtain permission to do so before taking up employment or before entering the UK, we may require employers to recruit locally first, or we may restrict access to occupations that are not in shortage, particularly in non-highly skilled occupations. "In making the rules, we will still be guided by our ambition to achieve sustainable levels of net migration." The document also suggests reducing the opportunity for workers bring their dependants to the UK, especially at lower skill levels. A recent survey carried out for the NFU indicated that the number of seasonal workers coming to work on British farms had dropped by 17 per cent since the Brexit vote. The union has repeatedly called on the Government to ensure that the industry will still have access to migrant labour once the UK leaves the EU in 2019. MATTOON (JG-TC) -- Students returned to class this morning at Mattoon High School, a day after a shooting occurred in the school cafeteria. Police were on site, and the school district said earlier that counseling will be offered to anyone who requests it. About midday Wednesday, a male student opened fire in the cafeteria, wounding one other male student. An MHS teacher, who has been identified as Angela McQueen, subdued the shooter, according to authorities, and the police department's on-site school resource officer disarmed the young man. The school was quickly evacuated and students congregated in safe spaces. High schoolers then were bused to Riddle Elementary School, where their parents could pick them up. The shooting was related to a bullying situation, according to sources. Nine police forces team up to improve prosecution of rural offenders A Fresh Pairing "Fanney Khan will bring together an unlikely and fresh pairing - Aishwarya and Rajkummar.'' But Aishwarya Refused This Time ''There's news that Ash has refused to shoot intimate scenes.'' Aishwarya Rai Is Very Particular About Every Scene A source revealed, "Aishwarya is very particular about every scene in her films.'' She Has Apprehensions.. ''She has expressed her apprehensions in doing a few intimate scenes for Fanney Khan." Her Romantic Scenes With Ranbir She was last seen in the 2016 hit film Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, where she romanced Ranbir Kapoor on-screen. When Jaya Bachchan Said A Shocking Thing About Her Intimate Scenes During an event, when Jaya Bachchan was asked to comment on Aishwarya's ADHM, she had said, "Earlier, filmmakers created art. Today, it's a business and all about numbers.'' Sharam Naam Ki Toh Cheez Hee Nahi Hai.. ''Everything is thrown at our face. People have forgotten subtlety. Open display of affection is considered smart... sharam naam ki toh cheez hee nahi hai." When Amitabh Bachchan Was Asked The Same... When Amitabh Bachchan was asked about Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, he had said he was yet to watch the film or the trailer. Bachchans Wanted Karan To Chop-Off Those Scenes It was also reported by a daily that the Bachchan family had also told Karan Johar to edit all the intimate scenes of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. Amitabh Bachchan Promoted Jazbaa & Sarbjit But Not ADHM Many eyebrows were raised when Amitabh Bachchan didn't promote ADHM on his Twitter account like Jazbaa and Sarbjit. Deepika Was Seen Wearing A Ring The Padmavati actress, who recently attended a stand-up comedy show in Bangalore, was seen wearing a fine diamond ring on her ring finger. She Was Clicked In Bangalore Recently Deepika Padukone attended this comedy show in Bangalore with her sister, Anisha Padukone. Don't miss to check out that ring on her ring finger. Deepika Wore This Ring In London According to Spotboye, Dippy was also wearing the same ring when she was spotted in London. Their Secret Vacation She was holidaying in London with Ranveer Singh, secretly. Taking Their Relationship To The Next Level Many believe that Ranveer Singh proposed to the leggy lass in London. The News About Their Rokha Earlier Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh's Rokha news had also surprised everyone. Their Engagement A daily had stated that Deepika and Ranveer got engaged a few months back in the presence of their parents and the couple is not likely to marry soon, since Deepika doesn't want to tie the knot for the next two years. To Which Deepika Had Said... "I'm not pregnant, I'm not having a baby, I'm not engaged and I'm not married.'' Actor Sanjay Dutt, who is looking forward to his comeback film 'Bhoomi', has joked that his wife Maanayata uses his shoes to hit him. The actor quipped about his personal life during an episode of 'Yaar Mera Superstar Season 2'. The episode will go on air on Sunday on Zoom channel, read a statement. He also said that some of his shoes are custom-made in Mexico. "These are my shoes. These shoes are handmade shoes. The mochi (cobbler) of Agra would not make such shoes here. The mochi is from Mexico who makes these shoes and I have found him after a lot of difficulties. The name of the Mochi's shop is 'Back at the ranch'," Sanjay said. "He sends me catalogues and you can choose what you want, it's not leather, it's plastic and you can choose which one you want... I have many of such shoes which my wife hits me with, on my head," he added. Bhoomi marks Sanjay's comeback after he was released from jail in Pune in 2016. It is an emotional and sensitive revenge drama that explores the relationship between a father and daughter. It also stars Shekhar Kapur and Aditi Rao Hydari. Priyanka On World Peace She said, "The adults are clearly not making a good decision, look at what is happening with this world. Is that the world you want to leave behind to your children? A barren wasteland where people are only fighting with each other and killing each other on the basis of color of your skin, the god that you pray to that no one has seen.What are we fighting about, What are we killing innocent people and children about. 'I Don't Believe In Combat' She added, "I have always been a believer of peace and I believe conversations sort out most problems in the world. I don't believe in combat; I am a fighter." 'Ask My Boyfriends' She chuckled, "I will fight for what is right but I do it firmly instead of violently, unless you ask boyfriends that, they'll tell you a different story. I just don't talk about it (my relationships), doesn't mean it didn't exist or doesn't." Priyanka Can Be A Little Volatile In Her Relationships PeeCee said that she is a peace-loving person in general but in her romantic relationships she can be a little volatile. She also hinted that there is something happening in her personal life, but did not divulge further details. When The World Would Know Earlier in one of her interviews with Filmfare, when quizzed about her love life, Priyanka had said, "Nobody knows that. C'mon! When there is a ring on my finger, which is actually given to me, then I'll tell the world. Till then no one can claim me.'' PeeCee's Ideal Man The actress had earlier mentioned while talking about her ideal man, that she wants someone who can handle her. V. Ravichandran is now in Hyderabad, shooting for his next film, Kurukshetra. It is a well-known fact that the actor is portraying the role of Sri Krishna in the magnum opus. It is but natural for fans to be excited about the Crazy Star's appearance in the film. Previously, the actor had stated that he was required to shave his moustache for the film, which he had never done in his career before. EMPTY FRIDAY! No Kannada Film Release On This Weekend, September 22; Here Are The Reasons! As of now, we can only speculate how the actor might look in his role as Sri Krishna in the epic film, but, as a consolation, we have brought to you a couple of his pictures from the sets of Kurukshetra, wherein the actor has shaved off his moustache. So, ladies and gentlemen, here we present to you, the Crazy Star, without his moustache, a face that public has never seen before! Go ahead, take a look at V. Ravichandran as he posed to the cameras before he donned the make-up and costume for his role. Apparently, the actor has not only shaved off his moustache, but also his chest hair, which was required for his role. In addition to that, the actor has taken a lot of steps to prepare for his role by reducing his weight. The Crazy Star has also stopped having non-vegetarian food items and coffee from the last 3 months! Reportedly, this is the first time V. Ravichandran will be seen acting in a historic film in his career. For the same reason, fans, followers and likewise are expecting to see a whole new version of Crazy Star as Sri Krishna in the film. Major electrical issues-please help! Hey guys, today around 10 am i drive through about 36 inches of water while scoping out an area for a military exercise here in Italy. Later on went to run some errands, truck started and ran fine. Drove it about 5 miles, parked to run in some where and went to leave and all of a sudden I get some intermitent idleing and shutoffs. Tried cranking, it would crank back up, put it in drive and boom, it would die again. Did this about 4-5 times and now it wont start. Now the engine light stays on, tried to pull codes but it doesnt sense I have the key in the on position so guessing its not seeing the PCM. Disconnected batts, I pulled the PCM, removed my DP tuner chip to eliminate it as the culprite, and noticed the PCM pins had a small amount of moisture sitting inside the port. Dryed it the best I could, slapped it back in and no change. Pulled the PCM and have it taken apart to remove any other moisture overnight. Also pulled all the fuses under the steering wheel as well. Had to leave the truck at the place I was at inside thier locked compound. What do you guys think this could be? Open to all suggestions. Hoping its a simple fix since to avoid it being down for weeks waiting for parts over here. Anything Lewis Hamilton can do, his Mercedes pit crew can do too. Just like the three-time world champion, the Silver Arrows tyre-change unit made it three victories on the bounce as they tightened their grip on this year's DHL Fastest Pit Stop Award trophy. Red Bull proved the second-quickest team, but the 2.54s they spent changing Daniel Ricciardo's tyres was considerably slower (in relative terms) than Mercedes managed on Hamilton's and Bottas's cars. Former pit stop pacesetters Williams returned to the top ten with quick times on Stroll's and Massa's cars, while Haas and Force India were also double scorers. Notable by their absence on this, of course, are Ferrari, who didn't make it beyond the first lap, let alone into the pit stop window... MATTOON -- A student opened fire in the Mattoon High School cafeteria and wounded a fellow student before being subdued by a teacher Wednesday. School district Superintendent Larry Lilly and Mattoon police Chief Jeff Branson shared information about the incident at a press conference Wednesday evening at the district office, during which officials emphasized that they believe the shooter acted alone. Lilly said a male student fired multiple shots in the high school cafeteria at approximately 11:30 a.m. and wounded a fellow student. He said a teacher was nearby when the shooting occurred and she subdued the shooter, who was then disarmed by the police department's on-site school resource officer. The superintendent said he has visited with the wounded student at the local hospital and can say, with the permission of his father, that he is in stable condition and in good spirits. He added that the victim's father wants to pass along his prayers to the family of the shooter. The superintendent said emergency responders were quick in taking the wounded student to the hospital, taking the suspect into custody, and securing the school. He said high school students were bused to Riddle Elementary School for pickup by their families, adding that the district accounted for all of the students soon after the shooting. "We are saddened that this incident has happened and we will provide counseling to our students in need," Lilly said. He added that, "I would ask that you would keep everyone involved in this tragic situation in your thoughts and prayers." Mattoon High School is scheduled to dismiss early at 12:09 p.m. Thursday. All of the district's other schools will maintain regular hours. Lilly said parents who wish to keep their students home Thursday will receive an excused absence for their children. He said counselors, clergy and police officers will be available to meet with students and staff. Police officers are scheduled to have a stepped-up presence at Mattoon schools. Branson thanked the more than 100 officers from various local and state agencies that were dispatched to the school and helped secure the scene. He commended the high school's staff for evacuating students from the school and for barricading them in place as needed, and he commended the teacher for her lifesaving role in subduing the shooter. "If the teacher had not responded as quickly as she had, I think the situation would have been a lot different," Branson said. The police chief said the investigation is ongoing, but investigators are confident that only one suspect was involved in the shooting. Coles County State's Attorney Brian Bower said during the press conference that charges against the suspect will be pursued in juvenile court. He declined to release the name of the suspect due to juvenile court and school district privacy requirements. Officials also have declined to release the name of the wounded student and the teacher who subdued the shooter. An audience member at the press conference claimed during this event that the school district had been warned at 8:45 a.m. Wednesday about a threat being made at the high school. This man declined to give his name. Officials there did not comment due to the ongoing investigation. The shooting sent many students streaming out of the high school on Wednesday and those students at the school with cellphones quickly called their parents. One of these parents was Skye Arthur, who said her 16-year-old son Braeton Davis had his knuckles busted open during this incident, but he is physically fine otherwise. She said her son believed he may have been grazed in the shooting. According to authorities, Braeton is not the student who was shot. "I think he is traumatized by everything that happened. (Braeton) saw him shooting the gun, but he said he doesn't know who he is," Arthur said. "Overall (Braeton) is OK; he's probably like everybody else at school, in shock and scared." Braeton and some of his friends ran out of the cafeteria and out of the school into a neighbor's yard. Then, he called his mother to tell her what happened, Arthur said. "He got trampled while running out of the school and lost his shoes," Arthur said. Arthur said she noticed dozens of student walking in front of her house, which is near the high school, and she asked a teacher what they were doing. She said the teacher said all students were reporting to nearby Riddle Elementary School to be accounted for and picked up by their families. So, Arthur called Braeton back and told him and his friends they needed to go to the elementary school so they could be counted and people would know they were safe. Arthur said she is still in shock: "I've been a mess all day." "I never would have thought anything like this would have happened here," Arthur added. "I thought he would be safe at school; they have security doors and everything." Arthur said Braeton is scared and upset. She said her son wanted to lay down and relax, and was not ready to talk about what happened yet. "I can't imagine how he is doing, I can't imagine how any of those kids are doing right now and you see it on TV and don't think it is going to happen to your own kid," Arthur said. "(Braeton) walked to school and walked home and never thought any of this would happen." Landowners are seeking assurances from government that their businesses will be insured for any damage caused by fracking on their land. The Conservative government is pressing ahead with shale gas exploration in the UK, despite strong opposition from green groups and local councils, who have raised concerns about the environmental impact. The Country, Land and Business Association (CLA), which represents more than 30,000 landowners in England and Wales, has written to the government to demand action over fracking liability. See also: Farmers at odds over fracking operations in Lancashire In the letter, CLA deputy president Tim Breitmeyer urged energy minister Richard Harrington MP to speed up assurances to minimise liabilities that landowners could face as a result of shale gas operations on their land. Mr Breitmeyer said: The government has not made sufficient progress to properly tackle the long-term liability of fracking leaving landowners at risk long after drilling has stopped. Our members take a long-term view of land management and will continue to run businesses using land with shale gas developments on them long after an operator has left a site. It is critical that the right protections are in place to ensure the long-term integrity of well sites and remove any risk to future use of affected land. The governments stated objective is to establish a world-leading shale gas industry in the UK. But despite acknowledging there are risks to this policy, it is increasing the number of fracking sites in development without having an adequate solution to liabilities in place, the CLA said. Over the past four years, the CLA has consistently raised the concerns of its members with numerous energy ministers, officials and the industry who have acknowledged the liability issue needs addressing. To date, no solution has been provided to private landowners despite the continued growth of the UK shale gas industry. Insurance products The body representing the UKs shale gas industry, UK Onshore Oil and Gas (UKOOG), said: The decommissioning of our sites is an important part of the regulatory system which we take extremely seriously, and we have an excellent record of successfully decommissioning sites in the UK. The industry has made clear on a number of occasions that it has no wish to leave this responsibility to the taxpayer or the landowner. The industry is discussing with government its longer-term needs as it grows, including plans for insurance-type products. This is a longer term objective as plans in place at present are more than adequate for the small numbers of wells being drilled. Energy firm Cuadrilla has started shale gas exploration on a farm at a site near Blackpool and the Fylde. Fracking risks Barbara Richardson, a spokesman for anti-fracking group Frack Free Lancashire, said: No one knows the long-term damage of fracking, but in countries such as the US and Australia where fracking has taken place, they are starting to find problems. If I was a farmer, I would be worried about the impact on my farm of fracking to animals through leakages, accidents and earth tremors. She advised all farmers to do their own independent research before they sign up to fracking. The energy companies will try to convince landowners that fracking is safe. But our view is that it is short-term gain for long-term damage, she added. 6 zones of Georgian winemaking and varieties according to regions Facts all wine-lovers must know - GeorgianJournal Inovu I7 is the new Nokia 3310 clone priced at Rs. 349 News oi -Abhinaya Prabhu Meet the latest Nokia 3310 clone. Though the smartphones have become popular and imperative, the fame of feature phones hasn't faded. The mobile phone manufacturers are launching affordable feature phones once in a while to stay in this segment. Earlier this year, Nokia was back in headlines not only for the launch of the Android smartphones - Nokia 3, Nokia 5 and Nokia 6 but also for the new Nokia 3310 feature phone. Since the launch of this phone, we have been seeing many lesser-known brands coming up with their Nokia 3310 (2017) clones with cheap price tags. Buy Darago 3310 - New Nokia 3310 Clone in India for Rs. 799 After the launch of Darago 3310 and Lafee 3310 priced at Rs. 799 and Rs. 600, another brand called Inovu has come up with the Inovu I7. This is among the cheapest phones in the country as it is priced at Rs. 349. The Inovu I7 supports only 2G networks as the Nokia 3310, so it cannot be used with the Reliance Jio 4G SIM. The device is exclusive to the e-commerce portal Shopclues. It is available in a range of color variants such as black, red, yellow, white and gray. Lafee 3310, a Nokia 3310 clone is priced at just Rs. 600 The Inovu I7 flaunts large keys for easy typing and rounded corners. There is a 1.44-inch monochrome display, 32MB RAM and 64MB storage. The device features a LED torch light, FM Radio, single SIM support, a 600mAh battery and support for English and Hindi languages. The only major difference is that the device will not have a microSD card slot as in the Nokia phone for expandable storage support. VKWorld Z3310, a Nokia 3310 (2017) clone pegged for June launch This new Nokia 3310 lookalike is priced at just one-tenth of the Nokia 3310 (2017) despite the identical looks and features. Notably, the Nokia 3310 is priced at Rs. 3,310, which is pretty expensive given that there is no 3G or 4G support at a time when the industry is progressing towards the adoption of 5G. Best Mobiles in India Sony Xperia XA1 Plus finally arrives in India: Available for purchase starting September 22 News oi -Samden Sherpa Sony Xperia XA1 Plus is priced at Rs. 24,990 and it will be available for purchase starting September 22 via offline stores in Black, Blue, and Gold color variants. Sony Xperia XA1 Plus smartphone was launched last month at IFA 2017 in Berlin. However, the smartphone has finally arrived in India. The company has just introduced the new handset for the Indian market and consumers will now be able to get their hands on this device. Talking about the details, Sony Xperia XA1 Plus is priced at Rs. 24,990 and it will be available for purchase starting September 22 via offline stores in Black, Blue, and Gold color variants. Notably, Sony has also announced several offers on Sony smartphones this festive season. In any case, the main USP of this handset is its cameras and ClearAudio+ sound technology. So if you are a Sony fan you could check out this brand new product from the Japanese brand. Having said that, here's a closer look at what you'll get with the new Sony Xperia XA1 Plus. The smartphone comes with a 5.5-inch full-HD (1080x1920 pixels) display. It is powered by a 64-bit octa-core MediaTek Helio P20 SoC paired with 4GB of RAM and Mali T-880 MP2 GPU which handles the graphics. The handset offers 32GB of inbuilt storage and it can be further expanded up to 256GB via microSD card. As for the cameras, the device is equipped with a 23-megapixel Exmor RS sensor with hybrid autofocus and 24mm wide-angle f/2.0 aperture lens. UP front there is an 8-megapixel camera with 23mm f/2.0 aperture lens which the company claims that it is capable of taking low-light photographs at ISO setting of ISO3200. Sony Xperia XA1 Plus is backed by a 3430mAh battery and comes with Quick Charge 2.0+ support. As per the company, the handset is designed to ensure a long lasting performance over the smartphone's lifetime. "Stamina Mode extends the battery lifetime just when you really need it, whilst Qnovo Adaptive Charging technology and Battery Care work together to maintain the long-term health of the battery by monitoring its health and adjusting the charging current accordingly to avoid damage and maximise its lifespan." The smartphone runs Android 7.0 Nougat out-of-the-box. Connectivity options include 4G LTE, WiFi 820.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS, NFC, USB Type-C and dual-SIM. Sony Xperia XA1 Plus also features a side-mounted fingerprint sensor for added security. It measures 155 x 75 x 8.7 mm and weighs 190 grams. 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 CHARLESTON -- Evaluations for mental issues were ordered Thursday during the first court appearance of the Mattoon High School student accused of shooting and injuring another student at the school on Wednesday. Circuit Judge Mitchell Shick granted requests for the evaluations from Coles County Public Defender Anthony Ortega, who's been appointed to represent the boy, an MHS freshman. The evaluations will address the possibility of insanity at the time of the incident, whether the boy is a risk to himself or others and if he's able to understand and help with his case. The slightly built blonde teen appeared in court Thursday in custody of a state juvenile detention facility. Shick also ordered the boy's continued detention as the case continues. Shick appointed Lawrence Jeckel, a Champaign psychiatrist, to examine the teen. The examinations will address issues that could affect whether he can be found guilty as well as treatment before the case's conclusion. The insanity evaluation will try to determine if the teen's mental condition at the time of the shooting meant he wasn't criminally responsible for what he did. The mental fitness for trial issue could lead to the teen receiving treatment until he can help with his case. A finding that he's a risk to himself or others could also affect his detention. State's Attorney Brian Bower agreed that Ortega had the right to seek the evaluations and didn't object to Shick's ordering them to take place. The boy's parents attended the hearing and, responding to Shick's question, said they agreed to the mental issue evaluations. Members of the boy's family were in contact with the Journal Gazette/Times-Courier earlier in the day Thursday and declined to be interviewed. The shooting incident reportedly took place late in the morning in the school's cafeteria. Some sources have indicated that bullying was a motivation. While addressing the detention issue Thursday, Bower provided Shick with some of the details of the Mattoon Police Department's investigation and arrest of the teen. He said the witnesses who police Lt. Detective Sam Gaines interviewed included an MHS student who said she was sitting at a lunch table with the suspect and other students. The girl said she saw that the boy had a gun and MHS teacher Angie McQueen then approached him, Bower related. The boy then pulled the gun and pointed it at the girl and shot as McQueen grabbed his arm, he said. The shot missed the girl but did hit another MHS student in the upper chest, Bower said. More shots were fired into the cafeteria's ceiling before McQueen subdued the boy, he also said. In addition, a semi-automatic handgun was later found in the teen's possession, Bower said. Authorities have identified the wounded student as a boy who, at last report, was hospitalized in stable condition. After the hearing, Bower said the suspect is charged with aggravated battery with a firearm. As a juvenile court offense, a conviction would mean the teen would be ordered detained with the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice, the juvenile equivalent of prison, until the age of 21. Bower said he didn't charge the teen with attempted murder because that charge requires an attempt at killing a specific person. It's also the same classification of offense as aggravated battery with a firearm and the possible sentence is the same, he explained. With adult charges, both are felony offenses that require a prison sentence of six to 30 years with a conviction. Shick scheduled the suspect's next court appearance for Oct. 5. Incumbent operators have a history of opposing all IUC regulations: Reliance Jio News oi -Priyanka Financial stress or the need of IUC for promoting rural coverage actually revealed the mindset of incumbent operators of treating the said charge as a subsidy. Clearing its stand on new interconnection usage charges (IUC), Mukesh Ambani owned Reliance Jio has said that, there is no question of any advantage from the new IUC regulation to the company as it has already passed on all the benefits to customers. "We deny any benefits to Jio. At a time when the world is moving towards IP-based technologies, cost of voice has come down to a fraction of a paisa and the customers should enjoy this advantage," Jio said in a statement. Jio said that it is "appalling" that incumbent operators have made baseless allegations against the process for determination of IUC and regulator Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). Similarly, Trai Chief R S Sharma has dismissed the allegations, saying its cost calculation approach was objective and scientific. Jio further said that the incumbent operators have a history of opposing all the IUC regulations over the last 8 years, but have not been successful in thwarting passing of the benefits of lower IUC to customers. The company further said the argument on financial stress or the need of IUC for promoting rural coverage actually revealed the mindset of incumbent operators of treating the said charge as a subsidy. On the contrary, it is a fact that the high-cost IUC regime thus far has caused financial stress for the smaller and new operators. Technology is fast determining growth opportunities in the world. It is the responsibility of all the operators and other stakeholders to work together to achieve the vision of Digital India and transform the digital landscape of India. A forward-looking regulatory regime will contribute to achieving that vision, Jio added. Best Mobiles in India Military Strikes Continue Against ISIS Terrorists in Syria, Iraq From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release SOUTHWEST ASIA, Sept. 20, 2017 U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria yesterday, conducting 44 strikes consisting of 50 engagements, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today. Officials reported details of yesterday's strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports. Strikes in Syria Near Raqqa, coalition military forces conducted 30 strikes consisting of 32 engagements against ISIS targets. The strikes engaged six ISIS tactical units and destroyed 28 fighting positions, three vehicles, two ISIS communications infrastructure items and an ISIS headquarters. Strikes in Iraq In Iraq, coalition military forces conducted 14 strikes consisting of 18 engagements against ISIS targets: -- Near Qaim, two strikes destroyed an ISIS headquarters and a weapons storage area. -- Near Huwijah, five strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units; destroyed three tunnels, two ISIS headquarters, two command-and-control nodes, a vehicle, a tractor, and a vehicle-borne improvised bomb facility; and damaged two supply routes. -- Near Rawah, seven strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units and destroyed two mortar systems, two weapons caches, an improvised explosive device, a staging area, and a vehicle. Additional Strikes Additionally, 51 strikes consisting of 53 engagements were conducted in Syria and Iraq on Sept. 17-18 that closed within the last 24 hours for which the information was not available in time for yesterday's report: -- On Sept. 17, near Raqqa, Syria, three strikes destroyed seven fighting positions. -- On Sept. 18, near Dayr Az Zawr, Syria, four strikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit and damaged three supply routes. -- On Sept. 18, near Raqqa, Syria, 42 strikes engaged 23 ISIS tactical units; destroyed 23 fighting positions, eight vehicles, three VBIEDs, two ISIS unmanned aerial systems, and a command-and-control node; and suppressed four fighting positions. -- On Sept. 18, near Huwayjah, Iraq, two strikes illuminated tactical areas. Part of Operation Inherent Resolve These strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to destroy ISIS in Iraq and Syria. The destruction of ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria also further limits the group's ability to project terror and conduct external operations throughout the region and the rest of the world, task force officials said. The list above contains all strikes conducted by fighter, attack, bomber, rotary-wing or remotely piloted aircraft; rocket-propelled artillery; and some ground-based tactical artillery when fired on planned targets, officials noted. Ground-based artillery fired in counterfire or in fire support to maneuver roles is not classified as a strike, they added. A strike, as defined by the coalition, refers to one or more kinetic engagements that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single or cumulative effect. For example, task force officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIS vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against a group of ISIS-held buildings and weapon systems in a compound, having the cumulative effect of making that facility harder or impossible to use. Strike assessments are based on initial reports and may be refined, officials said. The task force does not report the number or type of aircraft employed in a strike, the number of munitions dropped in each strike, or the number of individual munition impact points against a target. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Mattis: DoD Lines of Effort Include Building a More Lethal Force By Cheryl Pellerin DoD News, Defense Media Activity WASHINGTON, Sept. 20, 2017 The Defense Department's three lines of effort include building a more lethal force, strengthening international partnerships and reforming business practices of military departments and DoD itself, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said this morning. Mattis delivered the keynote address on the final day of the Air Force Association's annual Air and Space Conference in National Harbor, Maryland, to a standing room only audience of defense officials, legislators and soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines. The secretary spoke about the department's current efforts, but he also had words for the airmen. The Air Force is a reminder, he said, that American has two fundamental sources of power -- inspiration and intimidation. "You represent rightly the power of intimidation, even though you are often the ... most reassuring ambassadors to allies and friends who are trying to keep the peace," Mattis said. "And whether it's safeguarding the nuclear deterrent or air combat mobility, to space, to personnel management processes and policies, and everything in between, your actions must meet one standard, and that is to make the U.S. Air Force more lethal every day that you serve," he added. Lethality and Readiness U.S. adversaries are making concentrated efforts to erode the nation's competitive edge, Mattis said. "You know it, I know it, and we can see it in the world around us," he said. Some nations that are challenging U.S. dominance in the air are doing so through a proliferation of advanced integrated air defense networks plus fifth-generation aircraft, the secretary said, noting that space is contested and cyberspace, the newest domain, is contested in an operating realm at the tactical, operational and strategic levels of conflict. "That means that we took several thousand years of war on land and sea, and it took us about 100 years to get another domain, air, brought to the position we're in today," Mattis said. "And then in the last 10 years, we've seen basically two new domains mature into warfighting realms on us. Never in history has this happened in our past." "If we fail to adapt at the speed of relevance, then our military forces and our Air Force will lose the very technical and tactical advantages we've enjoyed since World War II," the secretary said. He added, "I believe the problem we face today is how [to] maintain a nuclear deterrent and a decisive conventional force while maintaining irregular warfare as a core competency." A safe, secure and effective nuclear deterrent "is there to ensure that a war that can never been won is never fought [and] I am absolutely convinced that having this safe, secure and effective deterrent is the most critical piece of our nation's defense," Mattis said. In terms of damage to military readiness, Mattis said nothing has done more than continuing resolutions and the lack of budgetary predictability. "If Congress restores managerial integrity over the budget, this will enable us to invest in critical warfighting capabilities, including in space and cyberspace, where we need new starts in order to take advantage of what our industry can deliver if we are willing to invest there," he said. "I think, too, we have to look at how we conduct in the future global strike, close air support, global intelligence, global mobility, global surveillance [and] global command and control," Mattis added. Strengthening Alliances, Partnerships In his long military career, Mattis said he never fought in an all-American formation. "I've always fought alongside coalition partners," he said during his discussion of the importance of strengthening international alliances and partnerships and building new partnerships. Nations with allies thrive and those without allies decline, he added. "So to our allies and any partners here in this room, I would just say thank you for standing with us," the secretary said. To the American officers in the room, Mattis said, "we must be willing to do more than to listen to our allies; we must be willing to be persuaded by them." Not all the good ideas, he added, come from the nation with the most aircraft carriers. "I think this is absolutely critical," the secretary said, "and we have to recognize that our organizations, our processes and procedures, have got to be ally friendly, they've got to be welcoming." Reforming Business Practices On reforming business practices, Mattis said the department must make more effective use of the people's treasury. "The heart of our competitive edge is reforming the department and its business processes and gaining full value from every taxpayer dollar," he said. Reforming the department is going to require that the acquisition enterprise is transformed, he said. "We're looking at how we break that out between software and hardware to take advantage of software development. Do we really need to have the same procedures when we're doing a small program as when we're doing a major aircraft program? All these things are being looked at and I've got some great people coming in to help," Mattis said. Transforming the enterprise, the secretary said, "will require delegating decision authority in many cases to the outer edges of the enterprises to unleash the great ideas we find among our bright and committed airmen. It's also important to integrate this across the joint force, because the real strength we've exhibited over 16 years of war is jointness." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Mattis Praises Romania for Defense Partnership DoD News, Defense Media Activity WASHINGTON, Sept. 20, 2017 Defense Secretary Jim Mattis yesterday praised fellow NATO member nation Romania as a valued ally in alliance efforts to deter Russian aggressive actions in Eastern Europe and in the campaign to defeat terrorist groups, including the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. During a ceremony welcoming Romanian Minister of National Defense Mihai-Viorel Fifor and his delegation to the Pentagon for bilateral meetings, Mattis saluted Romania as "a staunch NATO ally." Mattis said he and Fifor would "discuss, obviously, our shared priorities, as is appropriate between two allies. You have been a reliable partner I also want to thank you for honoring the Wales Commitment the way your country has." Romania has committed two percent of its annual gross domestic product for defense needs, as part of an agreement made at the NATO Wales Summit meeting in September 2014, whereby member nations would aim to move towards the existing NATO guideline of spending two percent of gross domestic product on defense and with a view to meeting NATO capability priorities. "I would just tell you that, by the end of this year, you'll be at the two percent, I believe. And you've increased spending nearly 50 percent over the last year. That is a phenomenal sacrifice and commitment by your country and your people, and we recognize it for what it is," Mattis told the Romanian delegation. Saber Guardian Exercise Mattis said this summer's Saber Guardian exercise demonstrated NATO unity and firm resolve in the face of Russia's aggressive behavior. Romania, one of the co-hosts of Saber Guardian -- which was also conducted in Hungary and Bulgaria -- "was integral to the success of that exercise. And your commitment to unity and stability shows, I would call it leadership by example, there in NATO," Mattis said. Mattis saluted Romania for its participation in NATO's Resolute Support campaign against terrorists in Afghanistan. "I must also thank you for Romania's commitment to the Resolute Support mission today in Afghanistan," the secretary said to the Romanian delegation. "But you were also one of the first nations to engage with us, stand with us after we were attacked [on 9/11]. And you deployed even before joining NATO, making it very clear where you stood when it came to terrorism." The secretary also offered his condolences for the loss of Romanian troops, "including dozens of your troops who have been killed in action standing with us in some of the most difficult parts of the battles." Mattis added, "And just last Friday, we lost a Romanian soldier, a comrade in arms in Kandahar province, one of the fiercest provinces there in Afghanistan. But the service and sacrifices of your troops are tangible demonstrations that NATO military alliance stands united in the face of terror or other threats from the East." Fifor thanked Mattis, noting the strategic partnership with the United States is one of the fundamental pillars of Romania's security and defense. Bilateral Defense Relationship "One of the priorities of my mandate is to further consolidate it, especially on the defense dimension," Fifor said of the U.S.-Romanian defense partnership. "We have a solid bilateral relationship, and I praise your constant and relevant support on defense matters you provide us." Russia's influence in the Balkan region has been significantly increased, Fifor said. NATO is seen as the main foreign military threat to Russia's security, he said, and subsequently, the states hosting components of the allied ballistic missile defense, including Romania, are also considered by Russia as potential threats. There is a need for a comprehensive approach in the political, operational and major acquisition fields, Fifor said, to ensure a strategic balance of power in Black Sea region. And in this regard, he said, the U.S. is already playing an essential part in a resolute way. Deterrence The U.S. efforts in the Black Sea region demonstrate a strengthened, credible and effective deterrence and defense posture on NATO's eastern flank, Fifor said. And, U.S.-Romanian bilateral cooperation "is an important booster for the modernization of the Romanian armed forces, he said. "We already took important steps, as you say, towards this, based on the [Romanian] government's strong commitment to properly budget the defense sector at two percent of the GDP," Fifor said." And, almost 40 percent is allotted for the acquisition of new equipment and the modernization." He added, "We firmly believe that the new opportunities for cooperation with Romanian defense companies will arise and [we] welcome further extending the American investments in the Romanian defense sector." And, Romania remains "fully committed to the Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan, where our soldiers are engaged shoulder to shoulder with U.S. troops in the fight against terrorism," including the campaign to defeat ISIS, Fifor said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Army to prioritize top equipment programs in service-wide review By C. Todd Lopez, Army News Service September 20, 2017 WASHINGTON -- Over the next several months, some 820 equipment programs -- including combat vehicles, aircraft, and even gear worn or carried by Soldiers -- are expected to be rank ordered by their importance to the Army's warfighting mission, as a way to determine if the Army is spending its limited resources in the best ways possible. The Strategic Portfolio Analysis and Review for this year, or SPAR 20, is the second of its kind in recent years. The first was completed earlier this year, in April, to feed the 2019-2023 Program Objective Memorandum. This newest SPAR will in turn feed the 2020-2024 POM. The last SPAR looked at 780 programs and as an end result produced a "top ten" list of near-term capabilities the Army deemed most important. Topping that list was "maneuverable, protected, short-range air defense" capability, said Lt. Gen. John M. Murray, Army G-8, during a conference earlier this year. Other programs that made it onto the list of most-important Army programs were long-range precision fires; munition shortfalls; lethality, mobility and protection of BCT's; active-protection systems for air and ground systems; assured position navigation and timing; electronic warfare; both offensive and defensive cyber capabilities; assured communications; and vertical lift. During an early morning forum Tuesday, Murray announced the kick-off of the latest SPAR. "Once again we will work through each portfolio to prioritize within that portfolio," Murray said. The Army's G-8 expects to again use the SPAR process to identify long-term resourcing strategies for each of the 820 programs in the Army. Murray said the Army will "look for opportunities where we can take risk to free up resources, by either cancelling programs, (or) scaling down procurement objectives." As part of the SPAR process, the Army will put its multitude of competing programs into one of four "buckets," as it did the first time around, to create a list of recommendations for Army leaders on how limited modernization resources might be applied moving forward. As part of the 2020 SPAR, the Army's 820 programs will be divided up into four categories: I: Accelerate or find a way to bring into the portfolio II: Sustain at current level of resources III: Reallocate resources to invest elsewhere IV: Divest most or all resources This year, the Army will do something differently than what it did last time for the SPAR -- which, in 2016, was the first time the Army conducted such a top-down review of its equipment portfolio. "We will put together an ends, ways and means strategy for certain critical combat systems in order to make sure we understand exactly when we run out of physics, if you will, on incremental upgrades and when the Army must begin to invest in next-generation systems," Murray said. Essentially, Murray said, the Army hopes to be able to determine when it's time to stop investing in incremental upgrades to existing systems -- when the payoff for doing that might no longer be worth it -- and instead look at entirely new replacement systems. "When we make that decision, the Army creates risk for itself," Murray said. "Because to do that, we will have to free up resources and to free up those resources, it has to come from the incremental upgrade, unless the Army's budget goes up -- which I am not expecting." Murray was reticent to go into great detail about the future direction of Army modernization. Less than three weeks away, many Army leaders will attend the 2017 Association of the U.S. Army Annual Meeting and Exposition in Washington, D.C. There, it's expected, the Army's chief of staff and the acting secretary of the Army -- or secretary, if one is confirmed by that time -- will be more forthcoming on details for Army modernization. Murray opted to not get out ahead of them. Instead, he laid out some of what he called personal and professional opinions about the way ahead for modernization. "I'm almost certain the Army will have to continue to incrementally upgrade combat systems to ensure the U.S. Army can fight tonight against a near-peer," he said. "We will a have to continue to invest in incremental upgrades in order to ensure our Soldiers have the best possible equipment when called." The Army must also prioritize within its science and technology budget, he added. "I am convinced that our Army should only be investing in the things that are most important to us, and most likely in only the things that industry is not already heavily invested in," he said. The general also said he expects the Army will see increased investment in prototyping of some next-generation combat systems. "I am also thinking you will see the Army try to put prototypes into the hands of Soldiers as quickly as we possibly can, to gather their input and their feedback, do experimentation, all before we write the requirements documents," he said. Murray also said he thinks there will be a desire for more non-developmental solutions that can be rapidly delivered to the field. One recent example is with short-range air defense systems, something the Army has identified as a capability gap for itself. The Army recently held a demonstration of four such existing systems at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. Those four systems already exist, though the Army doesn't use them. They could quickly be brought into the Army, and delivered to the field, with limited or no modification. That differs from a developmental solution, where the Army may spend years working with a defense contractor to develop a brand-new solution from the ground up. Finally, the general said, he envisions the Army focusing on sustaining its support fleets, and combat service support fleets as a way to free up resourcing for more critical investments and also, he said, a continued effort "to divest old, obsolete and excess equipment as quickly as we possibly can in order to once again free up resources for higher priorities." For Fiscal Year 2017, Murray said, the Army got approximately $26.2 billion for its procurement/research, development, testing and evaluation budget. This year, in the FY18 budget, the Army requested about $26.8 billion, an increase of about $600 million over what it got in FY17. All of that increase, he said, will go to procure munitions to replace consumption rates and a dwindling stockpiles throughout the world. It is the procurement and RDT&E budget that he says will benefit most from the prioritization provided by the SPAR process. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Spain seizes Catalonia finances to block independence referendum Iran Press TV Wed Sep 20, 2017 06:09AM The Spanish government has taken control of Catalonia's finances in an attempt to block a banned independence referendum due to be held in the autonomous region early next month. The government has taken over the payment of essential services and public workers' salaries in Catalonia to prevent the money from being spent on the referendum. Catalonia's regional government challenged the measure in the country's Supreme Court on Tuesday, but according to a court spokeswoman, the move was "in force" and would not be suspended while judges rule on its legality. Catalonia and other Spanish regions pay taxes to Madrid and are given a quota to spend on essential services. The region, which is home to around 7.5 million people, receives about 1.5 billion euros ($1.8 billion) a month from the central government. The takeover of finances "means that from now on (Catalan leaders) no longer have their money," said a spokeswoman for Spain's Budget Ministry, adding that they would not have the right to allot any "extra expense" beyond those already foreseen. 'Taking away Catalonia's autonomy' Catalonia's vice president, Oriol Junqueras, has objected to the seizure of finances, saying it is practically a way of taking away the region's autonomy. He described the move as "a total irresponsibility." Junqueras further said the move was "unprecedented," and that it would lead "to an administrative collapse" in Catalonia. Under the measure, Catalonia will not be able to pay the salaries of about 170,000 employees easily. The Catalan government has to provide complete details of the employees' bank accounts and the number of sick leave days to Madrid to calculate the amount they should be paid. Junqueras, however, has suggested that the regional government may not provide that information. At a news conference on Tuesday, he said, "We will act with our usual normality." But the budget ministry spokeswoman warned that if the regional government refused to provide the information, that would mean that the Catalan government "is not cooperating, that they don't want the salaries of public workers to be paid" and that Madrid would "turn off the tap" of financing for the region. The Catalan government has said it has "all the resources to face our obligations." The region generates a quarter of its revenues from taxes that it collects itself as well as from university tuition fees. In defiance of authorities in Madrid, Catalan President Carles Puigdemont has set October 1 as the date for a referendum on independence. The wealthy region held a symbolic referendum back in November 2014, in which more than 80 percent of the 2.3 million people who cast ballots backed independence for Catalonia, according to Catalan officials. According to recent polls, about 41 percent of people in the region support independence. Spain police clash with protesters The region has recently been the scene of almost daily protests and clashes between police and pro-independence protesters. On Tuesday, clashes erupted between police and angry protesters in the Catalan city of Terrassa, after police raided the offices of Spain's biggest private delivery company Unipost for hidden ballot boxes. Protesters holding a referendum voting ballot and separatist flags were chanting "Out, out Spanish police." Raids, arrests Armed police forces have been busy raiding newspaper offices and other sites in Catalonia in recent days to search for election material, such as ballot boxes, voting papers, and campaign leaflets. Puigdemont, who faces criminal charges for organizing the referendum, has said there were over 6,000 ballot boxes ready for the vote. On Wednesday morning, police raided several government offices and arrested a top government official. They raided the local governmental offices of the economy, interior, foreign affairs, welfare, telecommunications, and tax, according to Catalan government sources. The sources said Catalonia's junior economy minister and the secretary general of the Catalan vice-presidency, Josep Maria Jove, had been taken into custody by Spanish police. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Trump Lawyer Says He And President Did Not Collude With Russia September 20, 2017 U.S. President Donald Trump's personal lawyer has said that he saw "not a hint" that Trump colluded with Russia during last year's presidential election. Michael Cohen issued a statement before a closed-door session he was scheduled to attend before the Senate Intelligence Committee on September 19 on the question of Russian interference in the election. The committee cited his preemption of that hearing in announcing that it was canceling the planned session. Cohen said a British intelligence agent's dossier that alleged he and Trump colluded with Russia during the election 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," he said. The dossier compiled by former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele alleged that Cohen acted as a liaison with the Russian government and secretly met with Kremlin officials in Prague in August 2016. But Cohen said, "I have never in my life been to Prague or to anywhere in the Czech Republic." Cohen said that the Russian meddling issue had been politicized "to discredit our lawfully elected president" and shame his supporters. He also said there was no link between an effort by Trump to launch a luxury Trump Tower in Moscow and the election. Cohen said the project proposal was terminated in January 2016, before the first Republican caucuses and primaries for choosing the party's candidate 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. Based on reporting by AP, AFP, and Reuters Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-lawyer-michael-cohen-says -did-not-collude-with-russia/28745779.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 Armenia May Scrap Accords On Normalizing Ties With Turkey, Sarkisian Tells UN RFE/RL's Armenian Service September 20, 2017 In his address to the United Nations General Assembly, Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian has said that Yerevan will declare two protocols aimed at normalizing relations with Turkey "null and void" if Ankara does not show any progress toward their implementation. "The leadership of Turkey are mistaken if they think that those documents can be held hostage forever and ratified only at the most opportune occasion from their very point of view," Sarkisian told the UN General Assembly in New York on September 19. The two protocols, signed by the Armenian and Turkish foreign ministers in Zurich in October 2009, would have established diplomatic relations between Ankara and Yerevan as well as reopened the countries' mutual border. But parliaments in both countries have failed to ratify the documents, Yerevan accuses Ankara of linking the ratification of the protocols to the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Meanwhile, Turkey says a ruling by Armenia's Constitutional Court had preconditions and restrictive provisions impairing the letter and spirit of the documents. Speaking at the UN General Assembly, Sarkisian denied the Turkish claim and said that Armenia "will declare those two protocols null and void since they continuously lacked any positive progress toward their implementation." "We will enter the spring of 2018 without those, as our experience has demonstrated, futile protocols," he added. On the conflict over Azerbaijan's breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh, Sarkisian called on Baku to "recognize and respect the right of the people of Artsakh to decide its own future through a free expression of will." In a February 2017 referendum organized by the separatists controlling Nagorno-Karabakh, the region's name was changed from the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic to the Republic of Artsakh. However, the two names are being treated as synonymous. Azerbaijan and Armenia have been locked in a conflict over Azerbaijan's breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh for years. Nagorno-Karabakh, populated mainly by ethnic Armenians, declared independence from Azerbaijan amid a 1988-94 war that claimed an estimated 30,000 lives and displaced hundreds of thousands of people. Internationally mediated negotiations with the involvement of the OSCE's so-called Minsk Group have failed to result in a resolution. The Minsk Group is co-chaired by France, Russia, and the United States. Sarkisian also accused Azerbaijan of committing "a number of war crimes against civilian population and the prisoners of war" in 2016. "Hate speech and 'Armenophobia' was made part and parcel of the Azerbaijan's state policy," he also said. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev is scheduled to deliver his address to the UN General Assembly later on September 20. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/armenia-turkey- azerbaijan-nagorno-karabakh-sarkisian -un-address/28746422.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 Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan Exchange Angry Diplomatic Notes Over Nazarbaev Meeting RFE/RL September 20, 2017 Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan exchanged pointed accusations and diplomatic protests after Kazakhstan's president met with a Kyrgyz presidential candidate, a meeting Bishkek said amounted to meddling in its internal politics. The dispute between the two Central Asian neighbors deepened on September 20, a day after Kazakh leader Nursultan Nazarbaev held a meeting with Omurbek Babanov. The meeting, which came just over three weeks before Kyrgyzstan holds an election to replace President Almazbek Atambaev, prompted an angry note from the Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry. "The Kyrgyz side considers the statements [made during the meeting] and the wide coverage of the meeting by the Kazakh side as an attempt to influence the choice of Kyrgyzstan's people and an interference into Kyrgyzstan's internal affairs," the ministry said. Kazakhstan responded hours later with a similarly pointed message expressing "extreme surprise" at Bishkek's statement. "The meetings of the head of state with prominent politicians and leaders of political parties of different countries at their request take place on a regular basis and fully comply with international practice," the Kazakh Foreign Ministry said. Babanov, who served as prime minister in 2011-12, is a rival to the candidate that Atambaev has endorsed, Sooronbai Jeenbekov, who himself stepped down as prime minister last month. During the meeting in Kazakhstan's largest city, Almaty, Nazarbaev, who has ruled since the Soviet era and is the singular politician in the country, "stressed the necessity to further strengthen ties between the two brotherly nations," according to the presidential office. "During the years of Kyrgyzstan's independence, I have always tried to work fruitfully with all your presidents," he told Babanov. "We will be continuing to effectively cooperate with a new president the Kyrgyz nation will grant the trust." Babanov was quoted as saying that when he was prime minister, Nazarbaev was "always providing us with all possible assistance." "We accept with joy the successful achievement of brotherly Kazakhstan," he added. Kyrgyzstan's Central Election Commission told RFE/RL it will examine the meeting in Almaty for possible legal violations. Meanwhile, Atambaev used his appearance before the United Nations General Assembly on September 20 to give veiled criticism of his Central Asian neighbors, as he extolled his country's political system. "Peace, harmony, and stability -- these are our main achievements of the last years. The country is changing before our eyes. Today, the Kyrgyz Republic is the first and the only country in post-Soviet Central Asia with parliamentary democracy," he said. He also appeared to poke at Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has pointed to two popular uprisings in Kyrgyzstan, and in other ex-Soviet republics, over the past 14 years, asserting they were fomented by the United States. "I am proud of my freedom-loving people, who have staged two national revolutions against dictatorial regimes over the last 12 years and have proven that the people are the only possible source of power in the Kyrgyz Republic," Atambaev said. With reporting by RFE/RL's Kazakh and Kyrgyz services Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/kyrgyzstan-kazakhstan- protest-nazarbaev-meeting-babanov/28746228.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 Uzbekistan's Mirziyoev Vows Focus On Bringing Prosperity, Improving Rights RFE/RL September 20, 2017 In his first address to the United Nations General Assembly, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev has pledged to focus his government on bringing greater prosperity and human rights to his nation and the Central Asian region. The Uzbek leader said on September 19 that his goal of improving the living conditions of citizens was what led him this month to allow the free float of the Uzbek currency while also reducing business taxes, expanding loans to businesses, and establishing free economic zones. "We proceed from one simple truth: the richer the people are, the stronger shall be the state," Mirziyoev said, according to an English-language translation of his remarks provided on the UN website. Mirziyoev said his government will work to create "a peaceful and economically prosperous Central Asia" that will be "a zone of stability, sustainable development, and good-neighborliness." He called the border treaty between Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan signed earlier this month a "breakthrough" and a "truly landmark event" that will help to achieve his larger goals for the region. "In a word, an absolutely new political atmosphere was created in the region in a short period of time," he said. Mirziyoev, Uzbekistan's prime minister for 13 years under autocratic President Islam Karimov, became acting president after Karimov's death was announced in September 2016 and was then elected in a tightly controlled vote in December. During Karimov's quarter-century rule, Uzbekistan was often at odds with its neighbors over border disputes, ethnic tensions, and economic spats tied to water distribution and energy transportation in the region. Mirziyoev said that another step to foster greater stability in the region was supporting efforts to start peace negotiations in neighboring Afghanistan. He said Uzbekistan will continue to contribute to the economic reconstruction of Afghanistan's transport and energy infrastructure that has been devastated during nearly 16 years of war. "I am convinced the Afghanistan must remain at the heart of the global agenda," he said. 'Government For The People' On the issue of human rights, where Uzbekistan continues to attract criticism from UN bodies and human rights groups, Mirziyoev claimed to have made progress over his year in office. He said his goal was to build "a democratic state and a just society" where "human interests come first." "We are deeply convinced that people must not serve the government bodies, rather government bodies must serve the people," he said. This policy is the reason Tashkent abolished the "outdated legacy of the past of exit visas, which were limiting the freedom of movement," he said. Mirziyoev also claimed to be making progress on abolishing child labor and forced labor and achieving an "independent judiciary," and said he wanted to reform the prison system. "Proceeding from the principles of humanism, many individual cases of detention of persons in custody have been reviewed," he said. People who were imprisoned because of extremist activities were "undergoing a social rehabilitation" aimed at allowing them to "return to a normal life," he said. Mirziyoev added that he believes that such rehabilitation and reeducation efforts should be the principal means of fighting terrorism around the world. "The aggravation of terrorist threats in the world, especially in recent years, indicates that the use of mainly forceful methods of counteraction does not justify itself," he said. "I believe that along with other factors, ignorance and intolerance are at the heart of international terrorism and extremism," he said. In particular, world leaders must focus on providing education and opportunities for young people under 30 years old, which are the group most often implicated in terrorist attacks, Mirziyoev said. Part of the education effort should be "communicating the truly humanistic essence of Islam" both to young people and the world at large, where intolerance of Muslims is growing, he said. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/uzbek-president- mirziyoev-vows-focus-bringing-prosperity- improving-rights/28745630.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 As a student of the American Civil War, I read with interest David Moore's letter published September 19. Very quickly I found that Mr. Moore's version of Civil War history reflected something I've heard from others...that the federal government was the aggressor and that the Confederacy was "just defending itself". This is just not true. Looking at a timeline of the Civil War, the Confederacy was formed in February, 1861 (secessions started in December, 1960) because seven states did not like the outcome of the 1860 election. Lincoln was inaugurated on April 4, 1861. Confederate forces (about 5,000-6,000 in number) fired on the federal post of Fort Sumter (defended by 85 federal troops), Charleston, South Carolina on April 12, 1861. Confederate artillery began firing at 4:30am. The federal garrison did not return fire until 7:00am...hardly a sign of federal aggression. April 15, 1861 Lincoln calls for 75,000 volunteers. May, 24, 1861 Union troops cross the Potomac River and occupy Arlington, Virginia. June 3, 1861 first skirmish between Union and Confederate troops near Philippi, Virginia (now in West Virginia). This was a Civil War. Families were divided and fought on both sides, especially in the states of Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia. At least two of Lincoln's brothers-in-law served in the Confederate army. Brothers Thomas and George Crittenden were generals in the Union (Thomas) and Confederate (George) forces. Paul Hinson, Oakland Saudi-Led Coalition Sends Artillery Reinforcements to Yemen Sputnik News 23:36 20.09.2017 The Saudi-led coalition has sent reinforcements with artillery and rocket launchers to the Yemeni province of Marib, a source familiar with the situation reported. MOSCOW (Sputnik) The coalition of mostly Persian Gulf countries led by Saudi Arabia has sent reinforcements to the Yemeni province of Marib, a military source told Sputnik. "The reinforcements, that have been delivered to Marib from Saudi Arabia via al-Wadia border crossing, include self-propelled artillery, rocket launchers, air defense systems, armored vehicles and various types of equipment," the source said. The source added that the reinforcements had also been received by the Yemeni Al Jawf province and by the eastern part of Sana province. The governmental forces have received artillery guns and four US surface-to-air missile systems Patriot, while the security forces personnel shall has been strengthened by two battalions from Persian Gulf countries. The situation in Yemen has been extremely unstable since 2015 when a civil war broke out. Internationally recognized government of President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi has been waging war against the Houthi movement backed by army units loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh. In March 2015, the Saudi-led coalition of mostly Persian Gulf countries launched airstrikes against the Houthis at Hadi's request. The conflict has since drawn attention of multiple human rights organizations around the world. More than five dozen human rights groups petitioned permanent representatives of member and observer states of the United Nations Human Rights Council demanding an independent probe into the matter. The Saudis allege the Houthis receive substantial backing from their Iranian rivals, the Coalition has the support from the US Navy, which is refuelling Saudi warplanes mid-air as they conduct bombing raids over Yemen. Also, US drone strikes have targeted terrorist elements in the country. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US Air Force Expands Fighter Fleet, Bombing Campaigns in Afghanistan Sputnik News 22:07 20.09.2017(updated 00:05 21.09.2017) The US Air Force has announced that they will be increasing their fighter capabilities in Afghanistan to bolster air power as part of the US's new strategy in the country's longest running war: to destroy terrorist networks in the Central Asian nation. The Air Force grew their fleet of F-16 Fighting Falcons from 12 multirole fighters to 18, Lt. Gen. Jeffrey L. Harrigan, commander of US Air Forces Central Command, told the Air Force Association's Air, Space and Cyber Conference Tuesday. "Our close-air support role continues and, as you look at the strategy coming forward, we're actually right now working with [Commander of US 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 noted. Harrigian said that the USAF will be focusing missions in the northeastern provinces of Afghanistan, "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," he added. It won't only be US ground troops that would be supported by the increased air power, Harrigian added. With more fighters, the USAF will be in a better position to support friendly Afghan forces as well. The majority of USAF missions in Afghanistan are drone-based. Harrigian said drone warfare would be optimized to "understand the enemy and then be in the position to take advantage of what we're seeing to pressure the enemy." In addition, the USAF has deployed an unknown number of KC-10 Extenders and KC-135 Stratotankers, mid-air refueling tankers, back to Afghanistan for the first time since 2012. The addition of six new fighters comes along with the Pentagon's announcement that 3,000 more troops will be deployed to augment the roughly 12,000 currently in Afghanistan. The increased military presence is part of US President Donald Trump's reinvigoration of military efforts in the country. "Obviously the Joint Chiefs will work through their plans and make proposals, but I think the guidance was pretty clear from the president last night, and we're going to go on the offensive and destroy these terrorist networks," Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson told Reuters after Trump's August speech. Trump's "conditions-based approach" to the war will involve bolstered efforts in the fights against terrorist groups entrenched in Afghanistan, such as the Taliban, al Qaeda, or Afghanistan's Daesh offshoot, Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K). The US military announced that in August, they dropped more than 500 bombs on Afghanistan, the highest amount since August 2012. The American war in Afghanistan enters its 16th year on October 7. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address DRAGON-17 Large-Scale Military Drills Start in Poland Sputnik News 13:45 20.09.2017(updated 15:43 20.09.2017) Some 17,000 soldiers and 3,500 vehicles are taking part in large-scale military drills DRAGON-17 that have started on Wednesday in Poland. WARSAW (Sputnik) The opening ceremony of the largest military exercises in Poland dubbed DRAGON-17 took place earlier on Wednesday at the training ground in Zegrze near Warsaw. According to the Polish Defense Ministry, some 17,000 soldiers and 3,500 vehicles will participate in the drills, which are expected to last until September 29. In addition to the country's own military, Poland's NATO allies from the United States, Lithuania, Latvia, the United Kingdom, Germany, Slovakia, Italy, Bulgaria, Romania, as well as Georgia and Ukraine which are seeking to join the alliance, are set to take part in the exercises. "All branches of the armed forces will be involved in these exercises. Coordination and cooperation with the navy and air force will also be practiced. Territorial defense troops participating in the exercises for the first time will defend runways and act as divisions that support the actions of other troops," Poland's Deputy Minister of National Defense Michal Dworczyk told reporters. DRAGON-17 drills partly coincide with the ongoing Russia-Belarus Zapad-2017 strategic military exercises that started last week and are set to be held through Wednesday. The exercises involve about 12,700 servicemen, including up to 5,500 from Russia and about 7,200 from Belarus. The Russia-Belarus drills have been highly criticized by a number of NATO states. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address One year on, UN officials take stock of efforts to address large movements of refugees, migrants 20 September 2017 United Nations officials today highlighted the need to continue working together towards more equitable ways to share the responsibility for refugees, as well as achieve safe and orderly migration, at an event to take stock one year after the international community agreed to find solutions to better manage human mobility. "I believe we can and must find a way through, based on a humane, compassionate, people-centred approach that recognizes every individual's right to safety, protection and opportunity," Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said at the General Assembly side event on refugees and migrants. Recognizing that the issue of large movements of refugees and migrants is too vast for any one country to handle on its own, the UN convened a meeting of world leaders in September 2016 with the aim of finding durable solutions. At the High-Level Summit on Addressing Large Movements of Refugees and Migrants, all 193 Member States came together around one plan, the New York Declaration, expressing their political will to save lives, protect rights and share responsibility on a global scale. Today's event provided an update on two key commitments of the Declaration the global compact on refugees, and the global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration. Mr. Guterres pointed to several priority areas for the year ahead as Member States work to advance the two compacts, including re-establishing the integrity of the refugee protection regime, developing national and international cooperation mechanisms that take human mobility into account, and greater accountability for the human traffickers and smugglers who profit from exploiting the despair of the most vulnerable. The Special Representative for International Migration, Louise Arbour, underscored that the ability to better manage human mobility rests on both compacts being widely-supported; human rights-centred, and with the needs of those most vulnerable firmly at their heart. Ms. Arbour, who is responsible for leading the follow-up to the migration-related aspects of the 2016 High-level Summit, urged that the global compact for safe, orderly and migration be grounded in reality. "The overwhelming majority of migrants move in a well-regulated fashion. Migration is a net positive to migrants and the communities from which they come and in which they settle." The crises that drove the adoption of the New York Declaration have not abated, High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi told the gathering. "And the need for international protection for those fleeing in search of safety is more compelling than ever." He noted that the root causes of refugee flows and the triggers of irregular migration are often intertwined, and in mixed migratory movements, refugees and migrants often face overlapping risks. "More safe and regular pathways for admission and the creation of a more tolerant and accepting environment, would bring important benefits for both groups," he stated. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Palestinian leader, at General Assembly, calls on 'duty-bound' UN to end Israeli occupation 20 September 2017 From the podium of the United Nations General Assembly Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas today called on the world Organization to face up to its responsibilities to end Israel's "relentless" occupation ensure the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. "The United Nations bears a legal, political, moral and humanitarian obligation to end this occupation and enable the Palestinian people to live in freedom and prosperity in their independent state of Palestine, with East Jerusalem as its capital, on the 4 June 1967 borders," he said. "We recognized the State of Israel on the 1967 borders, but Israel's continuous refusal to recognize these borders has put into question the mutual recognition we signed in Oslo in 1993," he added, referring to the accord providing for a two-state solution to the Middle East conflict with Israel and Palestine living side by side in peace within secure borders. He demanded that Israel commit to the borders of 1967 as basis for the two-state solution, urged those States that have not yet done so to recognize the State of Palestine, and called on the UN Security Council to approve full membership of the State of Palestine to the UN. "The path we have chosen as Palestinian and Arabs, and the path chosen by the world, is that of international law and international legitimacy," underscored Mr. Abbas. "I address the Israeli people, across the spectrum of their society and tell them: We want to live in peace," he stated. "Do not listen to those who try to convince you that peace between us is not possible." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Conflict prevention, migration and terrorism key concerns for EU and member countries at UN 20 September 2017 On the second day of the United Nations General Assembly's high-level debate, Donald Tusk, President of the European Council, underscored that the UN must rise to address many global challenges, including forced displacement and terrorism. Mr. Tusk said the European Union (EU) continues to receive people in need of protection. He echoed his appeal to the international community to take responsibility for refugee protection and irregular migration, underscoring the EU's support of the UN process to develop Global Compacts on Refugees and on Regular, Safe and Orderly Migration. "Your engagement is needed right now, both in terms of money for humanitarian assistance, and more resettlement for those displaced by conflicts in Syria, Yemen, Myanmar, and especially across Africa," he told the Assembly. In connection with the refugee crisis, Mr. Tusk urged a "crackdown on human smugglers that exploit vulnerable people and violate sovereign borders," and welcomed the International Criminal Court investigation on smugglers in Libya for crimes against humanity. Against the backdrop of repeated terrorist attacks, he stressed the need for the constant strengthening of the global fight against that scourge and violent extremism, including doing more on counter-radicalization. He reiterated his plea to the world's Muslim leaders to stand strong against Islamist extremism as a real support in fighting terrorism. "In short," the President said "we must be more determined than they are." In his address, the President of Finland called the Secretary-General's determination to reform the UN "laudable," spotlighting that transparency, accountability, efficiency and gender balance "should be the guiding principles of the UN system." Sauli Niinisto also welcomed the Secretary-General's focus on conflict prevention, advocating for the marginalized to be given a voice in peace processes. "Women, children and adolescents often pay the highest price in conflicts but they can also help to pave a way out of the crisis," he told the Assembly, while pointing to Finland's contribution in establishing a Nordic network of women mediators who provide inclusive and meaningful participation in all phases of peace processes. Pledging his support for UN peacekeeping reform, he drew attention to Finland's increased participation in UN police missions now through seven UN operations, including a specialized team on sexual and gender based violence in South Sudan. "It is my strong view that no UN peacekeeper nor any other UN personnel should be associated with misconduct of any shape or form. In particular, there must be 'zero tolerance' with regard to sexual exploitation and abuse," he stressed. Turning to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Mr. Niinisto called that country's nuclear weapons programme "a threat to global peace and stability," that must be stopped. While stressing the importance of the continued unity of the Security Council, he underscored: "Such behaviour cannot be tolerated by the international community." Before leaving the podium, Mr. Niinisto expressed his strong belief that global challenges and threats be addressed together by the world community. "Peace and security, human rights and development belong to all of us. Only together can we make this world a better place," he concluded. Also taking the podium, President Rumen Radev of Bulgaria spoke in depth about international peace and its links to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), telling the Assembly that the UN peace and security architecture, together with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, "have provided a solid foundation for achieving peace and prosperity." Mr. Radev stressed that Bulgaria supports a surge in diplomacy for peace that places prevention as an overarching priority. "Prevention and mediation are essential means of reducing human suffering, including in addressing the root causes of forced displacements, bringing humanitarian, development and peace-building efforts together," he elaborated. The President pointed out that armed conflicts in many parts of the world continued to undermine peace and human values, asserting that "protracted conflicts require a holistic UN response encompassing preventive diplomacy, mediation, peace-building and effective special political missions." Calling climate change "one of the biggest challenges of our time," he noted that the phenomenon not only impedes the well-being of countries, but also poses security threats to many of them. Mr. Radev wrapped up his address by drawing attention to the need for promoting equality, countering discrimination and ensuring respect for human rights as keys to achieving lasting peace and sustainable development, saying "we believe that the protection of human rights should be placed at the centre of all action undertaken by the UN." For his part, Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte pointed out that the problems confronting today's world, such as climate change, migration, terrorism and cybercrime, are by definition international. "No single country can tackle them in isolation. We need each other. [] In this turbulent world, the importance of the UN is growing every day, he told the Assembly. The Prime Minister said "cooperation is key" when it comes to preventing terrorism, and that the UN is the prime forum for international cooperation. As a good example of cooperation, he pointed to the Global Counterterrorism Forum, saying its work "is not high-profile most of it goes on behind the scenes but it saves many lives." Turning to conflict, Mr. Rutte flagged that not enough attention is being devoted to the early its early stages of development, saying "That has to change." He pointed to the MINUSMA peacekeeping mission in Mali where the Netherlands is using intelligence to carry out long-range reconnaissance work in anticipation of conflict instead of waiting for it to happen. Conflict prevention ties in with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which he calls "the ultimate prevention agenda" as "they address the drivers and root causes of instability and conflict." "Investing in human dignity, eradicating poverty, fostering climate resilience and promoting economic and social progress will reduce the incidence of conflict, instability and despair. Development and lasting peace all in one package," Mr. Rutte maintained. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Pentagon Chief Reaffirms US Commitment to Allies By Jeff Seldin September 20, 2017 The United States is working to strengthen its international alliances and partnerships, the country's top defense official said, describing the effort as critical to U.S. military strategy. "Americans have no God-given right to victory on the battlefield," Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told a conference just outside of Washington Wednesday, saying no nation can flourish on its own. "History is compelling on this point, that nations with allies thrive and those without allies decline. It's that simple," he said. The comments come a day after President Donald Trump told the United Nations General Assembly U.S. foreign policy was returning to the "founding principle of sovereignty." "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. Trump also irked some U.S. allies and partners with talk on possibly needing to "totally destroy" North Korea due to its nuclear and missile tests, and with talk of potentially pulling out of the nuclear deal with Iran. Mattis, in his speech at the Air Force Association's Air, Space and Cyber Conference, struck a different tone. "We must be willing to do more than to listen to our allies," the U.S. defense secretary said. "We must be willing to be persuaded by them." "Not all the good ideas come from the nation with the most aircraft carriers," he added. Mattis also emphasized the need for effective diplomacy, especially in confronting North Korea over its nuclear and missile programs. "It is still a diplomatically-led effort," he said when asked about North Korea. "But we must also recognize the somber reality that military options must be available to protect our allies and ourselves." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address India, Japan Expected to Increase Maritime Activity Aimed at China By Ralph Jennings September 20, 2017 India and Japan, anxious to keep Asia's dominant power Beijing in check, may send patrols into the contested South China Sea or sell arms to rival states following a pair of high-level meetings this month, experts say. Both Asian countries could sell or donate more weapons to China's rival maritime claimants, such as Vietnam, so they can build a defense against Beijing. Japan may also use coast guard or naval ships to patrol the sea to show it's open despite China's claim to some 90 percent of it. India will probably continue joint exploration with Vietnam for oil and gas under the 3.5 million-square-kilometer sea, analysts say. "Delhi and Tokyo have both been stepping up their capacity-building efforts in the region, with Japan focused mainly on providing patrol vessels and training for Southeast Asian states and India selling arms to and training the Vietnamese navy," said Gregory Poling, director of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative of the American think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies. Two High-Level Talks in a Week Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met counterpart Narendra Modi in India Sept. 13-14 to discuss "enhancing maritime security cooperation," according to a foreign ministry statement from Tokyo. On Monday their foreign ministers met at the United Nations with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to talk about freedom of navigation and respect for international law, the Indian external affairs ministry spokesman said. Analysts understood both discussions to be aimed at China, including its expansion in the contested sea since 2010. Neither India nor Japan claims the South China Sea, but the two have warily eyed China's ascent to being the largest economy and military power in Asia. And despite the meeting with Tillerson in New York, the U.S. government is seen as preoccupied by the militarization of North Korea. Arms for China's Smaller South China Sea Claimants Japan as well as India could sell more weapons to the four Southeast Asian states whose coastal waters overlap China's claim to the sea, analysts say. Japan indicated in January it would give Vietnam six patrol boats to help with maritime security. Vietnam has clashed three times since the 1970s with Chinese vessels. In August last year, Japan began giving the Philippines 10 coast guard boats through a soft loan agreement. India has talked to Vietnam about supplying it BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles, which are co-developed with Russia, among other missiles, leading a state-backed Chinese media outlet earlier this year to accuse India of causing trouble. India in September 2016 offered Vietnam a $500 million line of credit to buy defense hardware, including patrol boats. Sending Patrol Missions into the Disputed Sea Japan may test China with low-key patrols of the sea, said Le Hong Hiep, research fellow with the ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore. In May it sent an Izumo helicopter-carrying warship into the sea for port visits in Southeast Asia en route to joint exercises with the United States. "What they have done is they send a ship to Gulf of Aden and on the way back they do kind of patrol in the South China Sea and do port calls to Vietnam, et cetera," Le said. "But they do not intentionally design any kind of (freedom of navigation) program in the South China Sea as it may provoke China. "But in the future I'm not sure, because Japan obviously has some interest in containing China's ambitions in the South China Sea as well," he said. Patrols would show the sea, also packed with fisheries, is open to other countries despite Beijing's claim of sovereignty to the waterway off its south coast. China has strengthened control and angered rival claimants by using landfill to build artificial islands ready for combat aircraft and radar systems. Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan, Vietnam and the Philippines claim all or part of the same sea. India and Japan might patrol the sea together with coast guard ships, said Andrew Yang, secretary-general of the Chinese Council of Advanced Policy Studies think tank in Taiwan. They would occasionally send naval vessels, he added. "Maybe they will increase the momentum of their joint activities in order to demonstrate that Japan and India are closely cooperating in terms of regulating the so-called rule-based behavior in the South China Sea and the region," Yang said. India's Overtures in Southeast Asia India, as part of a fast-growing trade and investment relationship with Vietnam, can further assert itself in the South China Sea by working with Vietnamese firms on exploration for oil and gas, Le said. For the past three years, the overseas subsidiary of India's government-run ONGC has worked with PetroVietnam Exploration Production Corporation to search for oil and gas in the South China Sea. That cooperation helps Vietnam improve its "bargaining power" with China, Le said. Since losing a world arbitration court verdict over its claim to the South China Sea last year, China has sought favor with Southeast Asian countries through economic aid and investment. Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines are accepting China's overtures -- along with the same from other major nations. The Philippines, for example, welcomes Japanese aid because the public and the China-friendly government have long trusted Tokyo, said Maria Ela Atienza, political science professor at University of the Philippines Diliman. Filipinos know less about India, she said, but Japan could bridge the gap. "At least people are not so aware of possible positive relations with India," Atienza said. "But if it's an alliance, maybe if Japan can vouch for India, perhaps that can build confidence in terms of the partnership." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Kenya's Supreme Court Blames Electoral Commission for Nullified Poll By Jill Craig September 20, 2017 The roads around Kenya's Supreme Court were cordoned off Wednesday, and police dispersed protesters from the ruling and opposition parties who had gathered outside. Inside, justices spent more than seven hours explaining why they decided that results of the country's August 8 presidential election would be nullified, putting much of the blame upon the country's electoral commission, known as the IEBC. Justice Philomena Mwilu was one of three justices to explain why she voted in favor of the petition, filed by Raila Odinga's opposition coalition, which challenged incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta's win. "We find that the 2017 presidential election was not conducted in accordance with the principles laid down in the constitution and the written law on elections ... in that it was neither transparent nor verifiable. On that ground alone and on the basis of the interpretation we have given to Section 83 of the Elections Act, we have no choice but to nullify it," said Mwilu. Mwilu said the IEBC refused a court order demanding it open its computer servers. As a result, she said, justices had no choice but "to accept the petitioner's claims that the IEBC's IT system was infiltrated and compromised and the data therein interfered with, or IEBC's officials themselves interfered with the data or simply refused to accept that it had bungled the whole transmission system and were unable to verify the data." In Kenya's electoral system, official tally forms were to be sent from all 291 constituencies and 40,883 polling stations to the national tallying center. These paper forms were to back up the electronic tally that was also sent to the center. The justices took issue with the fact that the IEBC announced official results before about a quarter of these paper forms had been received. In his comments, Chief Justice David Maraga said many of the constituency level forms were incomplete, often lacking required signatures or IEBC features. "As we have noted, out of 291 forms, 56 from that random sample, no, no, 56 did not have the watermark features, while one did not bear the serial numbers, and a further five were not signed at all," said Maraga. "And two were only stamped by the returning officers, but not signed. In addition, two forms were not signed by the agents." According to Nairobi-based writer and political analyst Nanjala Nyabola, these procedures are important because they were put into place due to other electoral crises over the years. And, she says, the judges understand these implications. "They are not merely technicalities but they are things that are protected and enshrined in law," said Nyabola. "They [justices] were saying to the IEBC, you do not get to pick and choose which parts of the law you obey because if we allow you to do that, what is to stop the next commission, the next individual, the next institution from doing the same thing?" The IEBC announced that a meeting scheduled Wednesday with officials from the Jubilee ruling party and NASA opposition coalition would be postponed to a later date to allow the parties to consider the court's judgment and "inform discussions on preparations for fresh polls." Currently, the re-run election is scheduled for October 17, but the opposition is pushing for a later date. The constitution dictates the poll take place within 60 days of the Supreme Court's ruling, which is October 31. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Cancel Air Force One?? Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump Boeing is building a brand new 747 Air Force One for future presidents, but costs are out of control, more than $4 billion. Cancel order! 8:52 AM - 6 Dec 2016 "The plane is totally out of control. It's going to be over $4 billion for Air Force One program and I think it's ridiculous," Trump elaborated in brief comments to reporters at Trump Tower. "I think Boeing is doing a little bit of a number. We want Boeing to make a lot of money, but not that much money." The source of Trump's $4 billion cost estimate was not immediately apparent, though a Government Accountability Office report from March 2016 priced it at roughly $3.2 billion. Operations and maintenance are an inherent part of any such program. Canada was in line to buy the F-35, but then realized that they would actually had to operate the things, and had sticker shock. Malaysia bought a bunch of MiG-29s without a service contract, to save money, and they soon turned into hangar queens. So what does he propose: 1 - the existing VC-25s are about to time out 2 - the 747 is the only US airframe big enough to carry all the needed people and gear 3 - I assume he is not proposing to buy A380s from Europe 4 - maybe the USAF just buys Trump One, and not even repaint it ?? If this has been thought through, rather than just stray voltage to keep everyone confused and distracted, maybe he is proposing to cut back on the size of the presidential travelling staff or the accompanying press pool - this would match his governing style of ditching the press pool and running the world from his twitter account without staff help. This is a stunt, not policy - it is a standard gimic of incoming reformers to dump trappings of power. Pope Francis decided not to wear the Papal red shoes, etc -- but Air Force One is not a gimic, it is part of running the Free World. Air Force requirements demand four engines and accommodations for an entourage of 70-plus passengers. On 07 February 2017 Wright Williams & Kelly, Inc. (WWK) aerospace and defense team identified concepts and pathways to save the Trump Administration $2 billion without compromises to the core mission or critical capabilities. The report focused on the B-21 and 737. It did not rule out the Boeing 767, nor foreign airframes built by Airbus, Bombardier or Embraer. Russian and Chinese alternatives were not candidates. WWK suggested the penny-wise option is a fleet of presidential 737s. Because of their reduced passenger capacity, the 737 would require additional aircraft to carry government and military support staff as well as members of the press. Trump is no stranger to executive travel. The billionaire real estate magnates custom-tailored Boeing 757-200, known as Trump Force One, featured prominently in the campaign leading up to the November presidential election. They were close to signing a $4.2 billion deal to have a new Air Force One, Trump said at a rally on 18 February 2017 in Florida. Can you believe this? I said, No way. I said, I refuse to fly in a $4.2 billion airplane. I refuse. Instead, Trump said, we got that price down by over $1 billion, and I probably havent spoken, to be honest with you, for more than an hour on the project. I got the generals in, who are fantastic. I got Boeing in. But I told Boeing its not good enough. Were not going to do it. The price is still too high. The Air Force cant account for $1 billion in savings that President Donald Trump said he had negotiated for the new Air Force One. To my knowledge I have not been told that we have that information, Colonel Pat Ryder, an Air Force spokesman, told reporters 22 February 2017 when asked how Trump had managed to reduce the price for the new presidential plane. I refer you to the White House, Ryder said. A White House spokesman didnt respond to repeated inquiries about Trumps comments. Presidential Aircraft Recapitalization (PAR) VC-XX Defense Secretary Jim Mattis directed 27 January 2017 reviews of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program and the Presidential Aircraft Recapitalization program. Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. Jeff Davis said the purpose of the reviews is to inform programmatic and budgetary decisions, recognizing the critical importance of each of these acquisition programs. On 12 September 2016 the Air Force announced that the Government intended to solicit and award a sole source contract modification to The Boeing Company for Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) activities for the Presidential Aircraft Recapitalization (PAR) Program. This notice was originally identified as FA8625-15-C-6599. The contract was awarded in Fiscal Year 2016, therefore the number was changed to FA8625-16-C-6599. The purpose of EMD was to complete detailed design, modification, test and fielding of two aircraft which will provide Presidential worldwide airlift support starting in the 2024 timeframe. The Justification and Approval in accordance with FAR 6.302-1 "Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements". The scope of this effort includes the modification by Boeing to the already-Federal Aviation Administration certified Boeing 747-8 aircraft to meet presidential operational requirements. The modifications to the 747-8 aircraft will include electrical power upgrades, a mission communication system, a medical facility, executive interior, a self-defense system, and autonomous ground operations capabilities. On 28 January 2015, Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James, in coordination with the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Frank Kendall, announecd that the Boeing 747-8 would serve as the next presidential aircraft, commonly known as Air Force One. The 787-8 variant has an overall length of 250 feet 2 inches, much larger than the existing VC-25 which is 195 feet, 8 inches long. The decision, made official through a Determinations and Findings document, authorized the commercial aircraft purchase by other than full and open competition. This decision, in conjunction with the notification of the Air Force's intent to award a sole source contract to Boeing for the modification of the 747-8, allowed discussions with Boeing that are likely to lead to a contract for the aircraft platform as well as the modifications necessary to missionize the aircraft. The PAR program will replace the VC-25A in the 2024 time frame through a highly tailored acquisition program. Parts obsolescence and diminishing sources for replacement parts are driving increased costs and increasing out of service times for heavy maintenance to maintain Federal Aviation Administration airworthiness standards. That time has already grown to well over a year per heavy maintenance cycle, significantly limiting availability for presidential support. The PAR program requirements are documented in the capability development document, which was approved in November 2014. The acquisition strategy to replace Air Force One was approved by the undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics on Sept. 4, 2015. The United States Air Force initiated market research in January 2009 to identify potential sources that possess the expertise, capabilities, and experience to meet the requirements of the next generation Presidential fixed-wing aircraft. The current VC-25 Air Force One, based on the 747-200 airframe, was purchased in 1987 and delivered in 1990 with a 30 year design life. As 747-200s have been retired from airline service, parts and maintenance are becoming increasingly expensive. The Air Force conducted an Analysis of Alternatives to examine if it would be more cost effective to maintain the current Air Force One, or to buy a new aircraft. Given the diminishing parts supplier base, increasing maintenance time, and system upgrades that would be necessary to meet future air traffic control requirements, it was found that replacing the VC-25 was the most cost effective option. The PAR aircraft would be a new-build, commercial derivative, wide-body aircraft, uniquely modified to meet the current and projected requirements for the worldwide transportation of the Office of the President. Modifications regarding passenger communications, information systems, interior work & rest environment, and aerial refueling must be accomplished before delivery of the aircraft. The delivery of the first operationally capable aircraft is required in FY17, with delivery of the second and third aircraft in FY19 and FY21, respectively. The PAR aircraft must maintain the highest possible mission capable rate. The PAR aircraft will provide the President of the United States, staff, and guests with safe and reliable air transportation with the appropriate level of security and communications capability. Mission communications must provide secure, interoperable command, control, and communications, using net-centric architectures. The PAR aircraft will be uniquely configured to meet the requirements for the President of the United States to execute Constitutional roles of Commander of the Armed Forces, Head of State, and Chief Executive worldwide while airborne. Aircraft modifications could include interior access provisions, enhanced electrical power generation, provisions for self-sufficient baggage loading and passenger boarding, secure and non-secure passenger communications, information systems, interior work and rest environment. An open systems architecture design approach for any structural and system modifications to the basic aircraft is desired. The interior must provide a work and rest environment suitable for the President, guests, and traveling staff. The interior configuration must provide the President with ample work and conference areas (including sleeping, lavatory, shower, and dressing areas). The interior must be accessible to the physically impaired. The interior must be configured with galleys that provide the aircrew with the capability to prepare, serve, and store food and beverages. It must also provide for housekeeping and waste disposal. The PAR aircraft must be capable of inter-continental range when departing from Joint Base Andrews, and must have the capability to operate from regional airfields. Mission communications, data, voice, and video, must provide secure and interoperable command, control, and communications using net-centric architectures. Extensive structural and system modifications to the basic aircraft might be required to allow for self-sufficient operations at airfields with minimal or no ground support equipment and for access to baggage and equipment storage areas while in-flight. The modified aircraft will be Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certified, and will meet projected aviation requirements to conduct worldwide flight operations in all civil and military airspace as defined by the FAA, International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), and Department of Defense (DOD). Given that time frame, it is possible that the options for commercially-derived widebody aircraft could be limited to the Boeing 747-8I and (Airbus) A380. Airbus confirmed that it submitted data about the A380, A340 and A330 as part of an analysis of alternatives. Market research determined there were two four-engine platforms that could meet the requirements; the 747-8 manufactured by Boeing in the state of Washington, and the A380 manufactured by Airbus in Toulouse, France. Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James said The presidential aircraft is one of the most visible symbols of the United States of America and the office of the president of the United States... The Boeing 747-8 is the only aircraft manufactured in the United States (that), when fully missionized, meets the necessary capabilities established to execute the presidential support mission, while reflecting the office of the president of the United States of America consistent with the national public interest. The Air Force awarded a sole source contract to The Boeing Company for the Presidential Aircraft Recapitalization (PAR) Program. The scope of the effort included the management, design (to include any necessary studies or analyses), integration, modification (including but not limited to structural modifications), test/verification, certification, pre-operational support, and training to deliver up to three Boeing 747-8 aircraft to be Presidential ready. This effort entails a highly complex integration of extensive modifications and numerous subsystems which must seamlessly interface with each other and the 747-8 commercial aircraft systems in order to meet the Presidential "no fail" mission. As the designer and manufacturer of the commercial 747-8 aircraft, The Boeing Company has the unique capability to perform necessary tasks to provide a Presidential aircraft. Boeing is also uniquely capable of satisfying all Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification requirements with the highest confidence to meet the established program operational need date. This unique capability is based on Boeing's exclusively private development of the aircraft and sole ownership of the 747-8 aircraft stress, loads, and aero design data. Boeing declined to sell or otherwise provide the United States Government or other contractors the license rights needed to conduct an adequate competition or to provide additional engineering services in lieu of data rights. The nature of the effort needed to meet PAR Program requirements is such that a non-Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) attempting the extensive modifications required for a Boeing 747-8 aircraft to meet PAR Program requirements would face significant challenges in securing required FAA Supplemental Type Certificates (STC) without availability of OEM technical data and technical support. Without the OEM's technical data and technical support, a non-OEM would be responsible for generating and recreating basic aircraft technical design data. The FAA would require a significant amount of proof in terms of data development, compliance methodology, and reverse-engineering type design data needed to substantiate and certify the modifications required for the PAR Program. Non-OEM reverse engineering type design data introduces significant cost and schedule risk into this program, which would jeopardize having an initial operating capability by 2023. The Air Force awarded a contract modification to Boeing 15 July 2016 to continue risk reduction activities for the Presidential Aircraft Recapitalization program, which will field the next Air Force One. Future modifications will be made to this contract to purchase the commercial 747-8 aircraft, as well as to design, modify and test those aircraft to meet the presidential mission. These efforts are another step in a deliberate process to control program risk and life cycle costs. This contract modification provides for risk reduction activities needed to address PAR sustainment requirements and costs and are additional to those initially awarded on Jan. 29. These activities will most notably focus on the system specification, environmental control system, aircraft interior, electrical and power system, and sustainment/maintenance approaches. They will aid in further defining detailed requirements and design trade-offs required to support informed decisions that will lead to a lower risk engineering and manufacturing development program and lower life cycle costs. The information from these studies is essential for us to make informed decisions on the design and modifications to the 747-8 aircraft, which will have long-term impacts to sustainment costs of the next Air Force One, said Col. Amy McCain, the PAR program manager. All of the different modifications to the aircraft need to work together seamlessly. As we understand more about how to meet the detailed requirements, we can make deliberate choices to lower the cost and risks to the program. The Air Force will award the majority of the program on a separate contract action after the results of the risk reduction activities are known. The US Air Force proposed in July 2017 to buy two 747-8 aircraft left out in the cold by a bankrupt Russian firm for Air Force One. The jets were ordered from Boeing by Transaero in 2013 but were never delivered. Boeing was going to make four jets for the Russian airliner, but stopped when the company ended up going under in 2015. The USAF agreed to terms to buy the Russian planes for just $390 million. The list price of the jets was $1.5 billion, according to Flight Global. The sticker price for each 747-8 runs about $386 million, meaning that if USAF awards the $390 million contract for the two jets, the White House will be paying about 50 percent of the jets retail value. The pair of aircraft are currently stored at a boneyard in the Mojave Desert, Defense One noted. Hundreds of old aircraft sit with their engines shrinkwrapped in anticipation of one day returning to flight" in aircraft limbo at the site, the news outlet added. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev gave the green light in October 2015 to begin bankruptcy proceedings for Transaero airlines, according to sources cited by online newspaper. Negotiations on a takeover of Russia's second-biggest carrier by Aeroflot had been deadlocked. According to sources, Aeroflot took a hard line refusing the Transaero consolidation. There weare two considerations: first, who will inherit Transaero's [$4 billion] debts and how much of them, second, how it will affect the airline's smaller creditors, the passengers and airline employees. On 17 July 2018 the Boeing Co., Seattle, Washington, was awarded a firm-fixed-price undefinitized contract modification (P00032) to the previously-awarded contract FA8625-16-C-6599 for engineering and manufacturing development, to include detailed design, modification, testing, certification, and fielding of two presidential, mission-ready 747-8 aircraft. Work will be performed in San Antonio and is expected to be completed by December 2024. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Fiscal 2018 research and development funds in the amount of $64,000,000 are being obligated at the time of award. The total value of all contract actions for the program is $3,900,000,000. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity. On 18 February 2017 Trump had reacted to the proposed $4.2 billion deal for a new Air Force One, saying. Can you believe this? I said, No way. I said, I refuse to fly in a $4.2 billion airplane. I refuse. Instead, Trump said, we got that price down by over $1 billion..." The $3.9 billion value fo the final contract is indistinguishable from the original $4.2 billion, and is surely not a billion less. Such a deal!! In mid-2018 it was reported that Trump had one specification for the new planes that would undo nearly six decades of tradition. Trump wanted a new paint job in a patriotic color scheme, including red, white, and blue. Trump believed Air Force Ones signature robins-egg blue color scheme, designed by President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jackie Kennedy in 1962, needed to looks more American. He did not think the current color scheme (technically luminous ultramarine) represented America. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address National Guard Plans Relief Efforts as Hurricane Maria Slams Puerto Rico By Army Sgt. Juanita Philip and Sgt. 1st Class Jessica Barnett National Guard Bureau ARLINGTON, Va., Sept. 20, 2017 National Guard troops and members of federal agencies throughout the Caribbean region are hunkering down and making disaster relief preparations as Hurricane Maria made landfall today in Puerto Rico as a Category 4 storm, with winds of 150 mph, weather officials said. With Maria following a similar path as Hurricane Irma, the U.S. Virgin Islands National Guard is once again preparing for another massive storm; this one, coming at St. Croix instead of St. Thomas and St. John. Joint operations center personnel have spent the last 48 hours preparing for the second natural disaster in two weeks. "We spent the last 48 hours coming up with a good bed-down plan for [Virgin Islands National Guard] forces and any [Emergency Management Assistance Compact] forces still on the ground," said Army Maj. Ryan Barry, acting joint operations center battle captain for the night shift. Making Preparations "We are adapting a forward posture to ensure that the people of the Virgin Islands are taken care of," Barry added. He spoke about the amount of responsibility to account for personnel this time around because of increased personnel at the Estate Bethlehem Military Compound. "We also have an increased amount of [Federal Emergency Management Agency] and other civil agencies personnel bedding down with us," Barry said. "We also are getting accountability of everybody," he said, "making sure we know where they're sleeping, how they're posturing and taking care of them, so right after the disaster, we can push into the community and start relief efforts." Earlier, Maria made landfall on the nearby island of Dominica as a Category 5 storm with 160 mph winds, causing widespread damage. The storm is heading along a path similar to the devastating Hurricane Irma. Weather models predicted Puerto Rico would receive 20-25 inches of rain and 6 to 9 feet of storm surge, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "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." Communities in the U.S. Virgin Islands are still reeling from devastation caused by Hurricane Irma two weeks ago, creating a major concern for loose debris, which can become extremely dangerous projectiles. Residents on both islands quickly switched from recovery efforts back to preparations against impending flooding and disparaging winds. Puerto Rico reports about 63,500 people are still without power and another 200 are still in shelters on the island. "This is going to impact all of Puerto Rico with a force and violence that we haven't seen for several generations," said Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosello Nevares. "We're going to lose a lot of infrastructure in Puerto Rico. We're going to have to rebuild." Many people who sought shelter in Puerto Rico from harder-hit islands nearby are unfortunately seeking shelter once more. President Donald J. Trump declared a state of emergency for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands Sept. 18. Air operations there have ceased and all airports have closed. Relief Efforts Aircraft and nonessential personnel are being relocated off the islands to posture for relief efforts once operations are able to resume. A number of personnel will remain behind to provide initial response. Two UH-60 Black Hawk medevac helicopters from the Kentucky Army National Guard and another four from the Tennessee Army National Guard operating out of St. Croix are sheltered in Puerto Rico. About 430 Virgin Islands National Guardsmen are still called up and another 390 brought in from other states for support will shelter in place to help in first response. A select number of National Guardsmen on the ground via an Emergency Management Assistance Compact have been relocated to Homestead Air Reserve Base, Florida, for the time being. The U.S. Virgin Islands welcomed a Joint Incident Site Communication Capability team from the New York National Guard Sept. 19. The team will assist in communications support for first responders and other government agencies after the storm. U.S. Virgin Islands Gov. Kenneth Mapp signed mutual orders of understandings with Puerto Rico and New York for Military Police support. Puerto Rico has slightly more than 500 guard members reporting for duty. In preparation, the Puerto Rico National Guard is supporting the relocation of Virgin Islands residents. A barge was received in San Juan from New Jersey carrying a supply of water, cots and generators. Overall, three Air National Guard C-130 Hercules transport aircraft are on standby at San Juan, Puerto Rico, for St. Thomas evacuation operations. A mobile kitchen trailer and 15 service members are set to deploy to St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, post-landfall. Eleven pallets of food and water have also been arranged post landfall from Kentucky. St Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, is set to receive two Joint Incident Site Communications Capability systems; one each from the Maine National Guard and the New York National Guard. More than 200 guard members have been called from multiple states to provide hurricane relief efforts to the U.S. Virgin Islands once air operations commence. Barnett is with the 105th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment and reported from Arlington, Va.; Philip is with the 51st Public Affairs Detachment and reported from the U.S. Virgin Islands NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Army, sister services ready to respond as Hurricane Maria makes landfall in Puerto Rico By Marine Corps Sgt. Ian Leones, U.S. Marine Corps Forces, South September 20, 2017 SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- U.S. service members with Joint Task Force Leeward Islands moved their aircraft from San Juan to Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, on Monday so they can continue their humanitarian assistance and disaster relief mission once Hurricane Maria passes. At the request of partner nations, JTF-LI deployed aircraft and service members to areas in the eastern Caribbean Sea affected by Hurricane Irma. The task force is composed of Marines, Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen, and represents U.S. Southern Command's primary response to Hurricane Irma. The task force is operating two water purification sites in St. Martin to provide potable water to communities on the island impacted by Hurricane Irma. Supporting the mission are JTF-LI's aviation assets located in Puerto Rico. "With Hurricane Irma, we watched it move through the Caribbean Sea and the Leeward Islands, and were tasked with providing support to the countries affected by the hurricane," said Marine Corps Maj. Matthew J. Weaver, commander of the task force's Marine aviation element. The aircraft include Marine Corps CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters and Army UH-60 Black Hawk and CH-47 Chinook helicopters. They were positioned in Puerto Rico to provide the task force with lift capability as needed. "We can provide a well-rounded lift package that covers everything from medical evacuations, heavy lift and general lift support," said Army Lt. Col. Dave Morgan, commander of the task force's Army aviation element. The helicopters and crew were provided by the Corps' Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Southern Command and the Army's 1st Battalion, 228th Aviation Regiment, Joint Task Force Bravo, both located at Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras. The two units began training before the hurricane in order to provide a joint ability for this type of operation. "Back in Soto Cano, we started with integration of our manning and maintenance, cross-talking in airspace, and going over differences in tactics, techniques and procedures," said Army Maj. Jake Yanko, the operations officer for the task force's Army aviation element. "We expect to do a lot of multi-ship flying for all of our humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts." During the next few days, JTF-LI's priority will be to ensure that the entire force, including aviation assets, is safe from the storm. "Now we have Hurricane Maria bearing down on Puerto Rico," Weaver said. "Our next step is to get our aircraft to a safer place, so we can return quickly and provide the same support to the countries in need." Although the helicopters will leave San Juan, the task force will remain in Puerto Rico to continue to monitor communications, accurately track people and gear, and maintain command and control during the storm. Following Maria's passing, the task force is poised to resume relief operations as soon as possible. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Lukashenka Says Russian Troops Will Go Home After Zapad Drills RFE/RL September 20, 2017 Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka observed joint military exercises with Russia on their final day and said that all Russian troops in his country for the Zapad 2017 drills would go home after their conclusion. Lukasahenka watched a portion of the exercise on September 20 near the central city of Barysau. The war games in Belarus and parts of western Russia have caused concern in neighboring NATO nations already wary of Moscow's intentions after its seizure of Crimea and military interference in eastern Ukraine. Lukashenka reiterated that the maneuvers pose no threat to any country and that the Russian troops in Belarus for Zapad will not remain, remarks that appear aimed both to soothe the West and show Belarusians that there is no creeping Russian occupation. "We are not planning to attack any country such as Germany, Poland, the Baltic states, or our beloved Ukraine," Lukashenka said. "But as they say it in Russian, if someone hits us in the muzzle we will answer back." He said that all the goals of the exercises were achieved, without going into detail. Asked why he and Russian President Vladimir Putin observed the drill separately, Lukashenka quipped: "If a mortar strikes in one place, two [persons] are gone in an instant," Putin observed the exercise at a training ground in Russia's Leningrad Oblast on September 18. The exercise came at a time of severe tension between Moscow and the West. Belarus is closely allied with Moscow but Lukashenka has sought to improve ties with the West -- strained by his authoritarian rule and poor human rights record over more than 22 years in power -- to balance out Russia's strong influence over his far smaller country. Russia and Belarus said the Zapad maneuvers involved about 12,700 troops in the two countries combined, but Western officials have said the true number could be up to about 100,000. "Even as we speak, around 100,000 Russian troops are engaged in offensive military exercise Zapad 2017 on the borders of the Baltic States, Poland, and even in the Arctic," Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite said in her speech to the UN General Assembly on September 19. "The Kremlin is rehearsing aggressive scenarios against its neighbors, training its army to attack the West," she said. "The exercise is also part of information warfare aimed at spreading uncertainty and fear." Putin's spokesman has accused the West of "whipping up hysteria" over Zapad, which is held every four years in rotation with drills in other parts of Russia. Western governments have responded to Russia's 2014 seizure of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and backing of separatists in eastern Ukraine with several waves of economic and other sanctions targeting Moscow. NATO has also bolstered its presence in its easternmost member states that were dominated by Moscow during the Cold War and remain concerned about the Kremlin's intentions in the region. Belarus borders Ukraine as well as NATO members Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia. The drills were also held in Russia's western Leningrad region and the western exclave of Kaliningrad, which lies between Poland and Lithuania on the Baltic Sea. With reporting by BelaPAN, BelTA, Reuters, and tut.by Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-zapad-lukashenka -russian-troops/28746977.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 Chinese naval hospital ship Peace Ark to offer free medical services in Sierra Leone People's Daily Online (Xinhua) 10:38, September 20, 2017 The Chinese naval hospital ship Peace Ark on Tuesday arrived at the shores of Sierra Leone, with a mission to deliver free medical services to 2,000 people within eight days till September 26. At the ceremony held in the conference room of the ship which arrived at Freetown on Tuesday morning, Task Group Commander Guan Bailin reflected on the importance of the diplomatic relations between China and Sierra Leone, stating that their mission to offer free medical service to Sierra Leone is geared towards enhancing the cooperation between the two countries. He disclosed that Peace Ark was commissioned in 2008 and has traversed 31 countries, providing free medical services where they arrived, adding that "this is the first time the ship has visited West Africa." The naval commander recounted the contributions of China to the development of Sierra Leone and the cooperation between the two countries since the establishment of diplomatic relationship in 1971, reiterating the medical assistance China provided to Sierra Leone during the Ebola crisis in 2014, among others. Sierra Leone's Vice President Victor Bockarie Foh welcomed the team. "China has made its presence in Sierra Leone in terms of development. We are grateful for all the contributions China has made to Sierra Leone since we established diplomatic relationship in 1971," he said. "We have made to climb the ladder with the help of China in a win-win situation. The contribution of China in the (medical) sector is so profound and we are very much grateful for that. I believe your medicine would help the people," Victor Bockarie Foh added. The ceremony was climaxed with a tour of the facility by the Vice President, the Chinese Ambassador to Sierra Leone Wu Peng, the media and other dignitaries from various institutions. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Merkel slams Trump's threat to 'destroy' North Korea Iran Press TV Wed Sep 20, 2017 07:56PM German Chancellor Angela Merkel says US President Donald Trump's threat to "totally destroy" North Korea is wrong, citing economic pressure and diplomacy as the only "appropriate" ways to resolve the conflict. "I am against such threats," Merkel told the Deutsche Welle channel. "We consider any form of military solution as totally inappropriate and we insist on a diplomatic solution." "From my point of view sanctions and their implementation are the right answer. But I consider everything else concerning North Korea as wrong," she added. "And that is why we clearly disagree with the US president." The German chancellor made the remarks in reaction to Trump's debut speech at the United Nations General Assembly, where he said Tuesday that the US was ready to destroy the North to resolve the ongoing standoff over the country's ballistic missile and nuclear weapons program. "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," he said. "It is time for North Korea to realize that its denuclearization is its only responsible future," he added. The Trump administration has been pushing for greater international pressure on North Korea through the UN and by pressuring China, Pyongyang's main trade ally. The pressure peaked in early September, when the North announced that it had successfully exploded a hydrogen bomb, its sixth overall thermonuclear test. The UN Security Council adopted new sanctions against the North as a result, a move that Pyongyang warned would not go unanswered. Germany's role Merkel said in her interview that Germany's strong ties China, Japan, South Korea and the United States puts it among the few countries that could actually help resolve the North Korea crisis. "Even if this conflict is far away from Germany, it is one that also affects us," Merkel said. "That is why I am prepared, as is the foreign minister, [Sigmar Gabriel], to assume responsibility here." Gabriel told Monday's edition of the Bild daily that the world had to wait for the sanctions against North Korea to work. He also noted that military action was not going to succeed and "a security guarantee other than the nuclear bomb" was needed. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Seoul: North Korea must take Trump's threat seriously Iran Press TV Wed Sep 20, 2017 08:19AM South Korea says North Korea must take seriously a recent threat by US President Donald Trump that the US would "totally destroy" the country if it is forced to. In speech to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, Trump threatened that if the US "is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea." The office of South Korean President Moon Jae-in said in a statement on Wednesday that the warning "reaffirmed that North Korea should be made to realize that denuclearization is the only way to the future through utmost sanctions and pressure." A spokesman for Moon, Park Soo-hyun, said Trump's speech "clearly showed how seriously the United States government views North Korea's weapons program as the president spent an unusual amount of time discussing the issue." Moon, who came to power on a platform of engagement with Pyongyang, changed his mind after the North launched its sixth and largest nuclear test on September 3, saying time was not right for dialog. The South Korean president is due to meet Trump in New York later on Wednesday. Japan welcomes Trump's 'all options' stance Another US ally, Japan, has also welcomed Trump's speech and praised his stance on North Korea. Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said on Wednesday that Tokyo appreciated "President Trump's stance of announcing all options are on the table." "We would like to continue our cooperation in security matters between Japan and the US as well as among Japan, the US, and South Korea," he added. On Tuesday, Japan deployed an additional missile defense system on its northern island of Hokkaido, days after the North launched a missile over the island country. Pyongyang has threatened to "sink" Japan and said it would not halt its nuclear and missile tests until achieving military "equilibrium" with the United States. China calls for peaceful resolution China, North Korea's only regional ally, has, meanwhile, called for a peaceful resolution of the growing tensions. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Wednesday that UN resolutions were clear that the Korean Peninsula issue should be resolved through peaceful and diplomatic means. Wang told his French counterpart on the sidelines of a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly that it is incorrect to say Beijing has not been doing enough to stop the North Korean nuclear weapons programs. Trump has formerly accused China of doing "nothing" about Pyongyang. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address India to Investigate Pakistan's Alleged Role in DPRK Nuclear Program Sputnik News 23:58 19.09.2017(updated 02:52 20.09.2017) The Indian Ministry of External Affairs has announced that they will be conducting an investigation into potential links between India's rival Pakistan and the North Korean nuclear programs, promising to "hold accountable" those who have assisted North Korea's nuclear ambitions. 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," according to Foreign Ministry spokesman Raveesh Kumar on Monday. While Kumar did not directly name Pakistan in his comment, he did say that he was "giving you enough material to try to figure out what we are talking about." Pakistan, a nuclear power, has been accused on many occasions of assisting North Korea in its nuclear ambitions. In 2004, Abdul Qadeer Khan, the founder and chief scientist of Pakistan's nuclear program, claimed that he had sold nuclear secrets to North Korea, Libya, and Iran. Islamabad claimed that Khan was acting alone and arrested him, but Pakistani nuclear physicist Pervez Hoodbhoy told Germany's Deutsche Welle that was impossible. "[the nuclear materials were stored at] a high-security installation in Pakistan and guarded with very fearsome amount of policing and military intelligence surrounding it," Hoodbhoy said earlier in September. "Moreover, the centrifuge weighs half a ton each and it is not possible that these could have been smuggled out in a matchbox, so certainly there was complicity at a very high level." India and North Korea once enjoyed a close trade relationship, but that has since ended as New Delhi further enmeshes itself in the US bloc. India has banned all trade to and from North Korea with the exception of food and medicine. In 2016, India was North Korea's third largest trade partner after China and North Korea, with a nearly $200 million trade partnership. India also set up a joint research program into rocket technology at the Dehradun-based Center for Space Science and Technology in Asia and the Pacific. The program, which featured dozens of top-level North Korean scientists, was shuttered when the UN said it could help North Korea gain the expertise to build nuclear and ballistic missiles. The comment came after a meeting with her American and Japanese counterparts, the US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Japan's Foreign Minister Taro Kono. The meeting took place at the United Nations General Assembly session. The foreign ministers discussed numerous issues along with proliferation. "Three broad issues were discussed maritime security, connectivity, and [nuclear] proliferation," said Kumar. "We have spelled out what these heads mean on security the ministers emphasized the need to ensure freedom of navigation respect for international law and peaceful resolution of disputes." Freedom of Navigation refers to the international law that vessels flying the flags of sovereign states are not to be unduly harassed in international waters. It usually refers to the disputed South China Sea, which Beijing claims is Chinese territory. The US maintains a major naval presence in the South China Sea to enforce Freedom of Navigation, and thus reject Chinese claims there. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran unmoved by threats, intimidation: President Rouhani IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency New York, Sep 20, IRNA -- President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday said Iran never tolerates threats from anyone and that the new US administration only destroys its own credibility, if it violates its international commitments. He made the remarks while addressing the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly. The full text of President's address before the United Nations General Assembly follows: In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful Mr. President, Mr. Secretary-General, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, I wish at the outset to congratulate your election to the Presidency of the General Assembly and Secretary-General Guterres' election to his high office and wish him every success in his crucial responsibilities. Four months ago, over 41 million peopleconstituting 73% of Iran's total eligible voterscame to the polls in the country's 12th presidential election and once again expressed confidence in my platform, which calls for moderation and respect for human rights and prosperity and economic revitalization at home, and constructive engagement around the world. Their vote manifested the maturity of the electorate in a society that has experienced free and democratic governance for only four decades. This was not merely a vote for a president, but a huge political investment by our population; a resilient people who truly constitute our most reliable asset. Human and citizens' rights, along with the quest for justice and Islamic values, have constituted the most pivotal demands of the Iranian people in over 150 years of struggle, and particularly in the Islamic Revolution of 1979. In its first term, while pursuing nuclear negotiations internationally, my government focused at home on the deliberation and articulation of citizens' rights leading to the promulgation of "The Charter of Citizens' Rights" and its issuance for implementation. Adoption of this Charter conformed to the demands of a people who rose against dictatorial regimes, aspiring to restore their rights and human dignity 111 years ago in the Constitutional Revolution, and again in the Islamic Revolution 39 years ago. Ladies and Gentlemen, I declare before this august global assembly that moderation is the inclination as well as the chosen path of the great Iranian people. Moderation seeks neither isolation nor hegemony; It implies neither indifference, nor intransigence. The path of moderation is the path of peace; but a just and inclusive peace: not peace for one nation, and war and turmoil for others; Moderation is freedom and democracy; but in an inclusive and comprehensive manner: not purporting to promote freedom in one place while supporting dictators elsewhere; Moderation is the synergy of ideas and not the dance of swords; And finally, the path of moderation nurtures beauty. Deadly-weapons exports are not beautiful; rather, peace is. We in Iran strive to build peace and promote the human rights of peoples and nations. We never condone tyranny and we always defend the voiceless. We never threaten anyone; but we do not tolerate threats from anyone. Our discourse is one of dignity and respect, and we are unmoved by threats and intimidation. We believe in dialogue and negotiation based on equal footing and mutual respect. In today's globalized world, peace, security, stability and the progress of all nations are intertwined. It is not possible that a rogue and racist regime trample upon the most basic rights of the Palestinians, and the usurpers of this land enjoy security. It is simply impossible for anybody to aspire to attain long-term stability, prosperity and development, while Muslims in Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Bahrain, Afghanistan, Myanmar and so many other places live in misery, war and poverty. Mr. President, Throughout its history, Iran has been the bastion of tolerance for various religions and ethnicities. We are the same people who rescued the Jews from Babylonian servitude; opened our arms to welcome Armenian Christians in our midst, and created the "Iranian cultural continent" with a unique mix of diverse religions and ethnicities. I represent the same Iran that has historically assisted the oppressed: centuries ago, we supported the rights of the Jewish people and today we insist on the restoration of the rights of the Palestinian people. Iran is still the same country: supporting justice and seeking tranquility. Today, we are on the frontlines of fighting terror and religious extremism in the Middle East; not for sectarian or ethnic reasons, but for an ethical, humanitarian and strategic one. Iran does not seek to restore its ancient empire, impose its official religion on others, or export its revolution through the force of arms. We are so confident in the depth of our culture, the truth of our faith and tenacity and longevity of our revolution that we will never seek to export any of them in the way neo-colonialists do, with the heavy boots of soldiers. To promote our culture, civilization, religion and revolution, we enter hearts and engage minds. We recite our poetry and engage in discourse on our philosophy. Our ambassadors are our poets, our mystics and our philosophers. We have reached the shores of this side of the Atlantic through Rumi and spread our influence throughout Asia with Saadi. We have already captured the world with Hafez; we therefore are in no need of new conquests. Excellencies, The call of moderation is from a nation that has been committed to it. We are not preaching moderation, but practicing it. The JCPOA is a case in point. The deal is the outcome of two years of intensive multilateral negotiations, overwhelmingly applauded by the international community and endorsed by the Security Council as a part of Resolution 2231. As such, it belongs to the international community in its entirety, and not to only one or two countries. The JCPOA can become a new model for global interactions; interactions based on mutual constructive engagement between all of us. We have opened our doors to engagement and cooperation. We have concluded scores of development agreements with advanced countries of both East and West. Unfortunately, some have deprived themselves of this unique opportunity. They have imposed sanctions really against themselves, and now they feel betrayed. We were not deceived, nor did we cheat or deceive anyone. We have ourselves determined the extent of our nuclear program. We never sought to achieve deterrence through nuclear weapons; we have immunized ourselves through our knowledge and more importantly the resilience of our people. This is our talent and our approach. Some have claimed to have wanted to deprive Iran of nuclear weapons; weapons that we have continuously and vociferously rejected. And, of course, we were not and are not distressed for forgoing an option that we in fact never sought. It is reprehensible that the rogue Zionist regime that threatens regional and global security with its nuclear arsenal and is not committed to any international instrument or safeguard, has the audacity to preach peaceful nations. Just imagine for a minute how the Middle East would look had the JCPOA not been concluded. Imagine that along with civil wars, Takfiri terror, humanitarian nightmares, and complex socio-political crises in West Asia, that there was a manufactured nuclear crisis. How would we all fare? I declare before you that the Islamic Republic of Iran will not be the first country to violate the agreement; but it will respond decisively and resolutely to its violation by any party. It will be a great pity if this agreement were to be destroyed by "rogue" newcomers to the world of politics: the world will have lost a great opportunity. But such unfortunate behavior will never impede Iran's course of progress and advancement. By violating its international commitments, the new U.S. administration only destroys its own credibility and undermines international confidence in negotiating with it, or accepting its word or promise. Ladies and Gentlemen, Four years ago, the Islamic Republic of Iran sponsored the initiative of the World against Violence and Extremism (WAVE) in this Assembly. We consider dialogue and negotiations based on a positive-sum paradigm as the only path towards the resolution of global and regional crises. We have made a conscious decision to strengthen relations with our neighbors and the region, and to enhance cooperation with all friendly countries. It is impossible to navigate through the complex and dangerous challenges in this turbulent transitional global phase without expanding interactions and exchanges and institutionalizing dialogue between nations and states. The ignorant, absurd and hateful rhetoric, filled with ridiculously baseless allegations, that was uttered before this august body yesterday, was not only unfit to be heard at the United Nations which was established to promote peace and respect between nations but indeed contradicted the demands of our nations from this world body to bring governments together to combat war and terror. I wish to underscore here that the defense capabilities of the Islamic Republic of Iran, including our missiles, are solely defensive deterrents for the maintenance of regional peace and stability and the prevention of adventurist tendencies of irrational aspirants. We cannot forget that civilians in many of our cities became the targets of long-range missile attacks by Saddam Hussein during his 8-year war of aggression against us. We will never allow our people to become victims of such catastrophic delusions again. Instability and extremist violence have only been exacerbated in our region through the military interventions of extra-regional actors the same powers that try to sell ever more of their deadly weapons to other states by accusing Iran of fomenting instability. I want to emphasize that foreign intervention and the imposition of alien wishes on the people of the region will only widen and deepen the crises in our region. The crises in Syria, Yemen and Bahrain do not have military solutions and can only be resolved through cessation of hostilities, and the acceptance of the will and wishes of the populaces. The United States Government should explain to its own people why, after spending billions of dollars of the assets of the people of America and of our region, instead of contributing to peace and stability, it has only brought war, misery, poverty and the rise of terrorism and extremism to the region. Ladies and Gentlemen, Over the past 4 years, Iran's economy demonstrated that it has unparalleled potential for expansion and growth. Economic sanctions not only did not impede Iran, but instead solidified popular resolve to enhance domestic production. Achieving the highest global growth rate last year proved that Iranian economy can become the most vibrant emerging economy within the next twenty years, with a trillion-dollar growth potential. Our strategic choice for achieving such sustainable and balanced growth is extensive global partnership. We are of the firm belief that development and security can only grow together, and common interests can bind us regionally and globally to guarantee both regional and global security. Iran, enjoying the world's largest gas and oil reserves, is prepared to engage in long-term cooperation to advance global energy security. We are eager to expand international transit corridors through joint ventures in sea, rail and road infrastructure projects. Our achievements in enhancing economic infrastructures in the fields of a nation-wide gas pipeline, national electricity grid, and rail and road transport, have made it possible for various industries to produce at lower cost, with easy access to national and regional markets. With the current conducive legal environment, many delegations of foreign investors have come to Iran, leading to an ever-increasing number of investments, joint ventures and financing agreements in various fields. It is the policy of my government to continue to steadily enhance the entrepreneurial environment, protect intellectual property rights, continuously improve corporate governance, and engage in a robust campaign against money-laundering in order to enhance a conducive legal climate for business and economic investments in various fields, particularly in knowledge-based enterprises. The Iranian nation is resolutely determined to build a free and advanced Iran and participate in the development of a secure and stable region based on ethics and respect for international law. In this endeavor, we welcome the participation and cooperation of all investors, intellectuals and innovators from across the globe. From this global podium, and as the representative of the people of Iran who are world-famous for their hospitality I invite all those who seek peace, security and progress through partnership and cooperation among nations to visit Iran and join us in building this future of hope. Ladies and Gentlemen, If we truly believe in our collective decision four years ago here in this General assembly to make a WAVE a World Against Violence and Extremism we can turn the discourse of imposition, unilateralism, intimidation and war into the logic of dialogue, synergy and peace so that moderation can become the dominant voice across the globe. I thank you for your attention. **1394 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iranian President Slams Trump's UN Speech, Calling It 'Ignorant, Absurd, Hateful' Golnaz Esfandiari September 20, 2017 Iran's president has lashed out at U.S. President Donald Trump, calling his UN speech "ignorant, absurd, and hateful rhetoric" and saying that Tehran would not be the first to abandon the landmark nuclear deal. Speaking one day after Trump blasted Iran as a "murderous regime" that was "undermining peace throughout the Middle East," Rohani said his country is a peaceful one that has chosen the path of moderation and does not seek to restore its ancient empire. Rohani's comments on September 20 were the latest escalation in a war of words between Washington and Tehran, a fight that has largely focused on the 2015 nuclear deal and Iran's missile tests. Rohani told the United Nations that Tehran was not seeking to spread its influence, saying that his country has already conquered the world through its culture and poetry. "Iran does not seek to restore its ancient empire, impose its official religion on others, or export its revolution through the force of arms," he said. "We have reached the shores of this side of the Atlantic through Rumi and spread our influence throughout Asia," Rohani said, referring to the 13th-century mystic writer whose Persian-language poems are widely read in the West. "We, therefore, are in no need of new conquests," he said. Rohani praised the 2015 deal, which curtailed Tehran's nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of punishing economic sanctions, calling it "a new model for global interactions." He said the deal, which was adopted by the Security Council, was "overwhelmingly applauded by the international community." "As such, it belongs to the international community in its entirety and not only to one or two countries," he said. The Trump administration has repeatedly accused Iran of violating the spirit of the deal. "I declare before you that the Islamic Republic of Iran will not be the first country to violate the agreement, but it will respond decisively and resolutely to its violation by any party," Rohani said, without elaborating on Iran's response. Rohani said that if Trump pulled out of the deal, it would destroy U.S. credibility. "It will be a great pity if this agreement were to be destroyed by 'rogue' newcomers to the world of politics. The world will have lost a great opportunity," he said. Earlier in the day, Trump told reporters that he had reached a decision on whether the United States will remain a party to the nuclear accord, but he did not elaborate. "I have decided. I'll let you know what the decision is," he said. Two of Trump's top diplomats have suggested that Washington was not imminently planning to pull out of the deal. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that changes would need to be made before the Trump administration would continue supporting it. "If we're going to stick with the Iran deal, there has to be changes made to it. The sunset provision simply is not a sensible way forward," he told Fox News on September 19. But Rohani told reporters on the sidelines of the UN summit that the deal cannot be renegotiated. "It is an agreement that took over two years of negotiation over every single word and every single sentence," he said. "We were able to agree on mutually acceptable dates and deadlines, so this agreement is not something you can touch. If you take out a single brick, the entire building will collapse," Rohani said. The Iranian president also ruled out talks with Washington on renegotiating the agreement. "An American government that chooses to trample on her legal and legitimate international commitments, a conversation with such a government would be a waste of time," he told reporters on September 20. With reporting by Reuters and AFP Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-rohani-trump-speech-ignorant- absurd-hateful/28746986.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 Israeli Leader Vows To Keep Iran From Establishing Military Bases In Syria September 20, 2017 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he will prevent Iran from establishing military bases in Syria and demanded changes to the Iran nuclear deal in an address before the United Nations General Assembly. Iranian-backed militia and military advisers have been fighting on the side of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the country's six-year civil war, and Israeli leaders have recently charged that Tehran is now moving to establish a permanent presence there. Netanyahu said on September 19 that Tehran was trying to lower what he called an "Iranian curtain" across the Middle East, "from the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean." "We will act to prevent Iran from establishing permanent military bases in Syria for its air, sea, and ground forces," Netanyahu said. "Israel will defend itself with the full force of our arms.... Those who threaten us with annihilation put themselves in mortal peril." On the 2015 nuclear deal, Netanyahu said, "change it, or cancel it. Fix it, or nix it." The Israeli leader in particular took aim at the deal's "sunset" clauses, which allow restrictions imposed on Iran's nuclear activities such as uranium enrichment to expire after 10 years in 2025, echoing a criticism made on September 19 by the United States. Israel has maintained that once the restrictions expire in 10 to 15 years, Tehran will be in a position to quickly resume work on developing an atomic weapon. Netanyahu addressed his strongest words to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, an avowed foe of Israel, and appeared to avoid criticizing the more moderate Iranian President Hassan Rohani. He also sought to draw a line between Tehran's government and its citizens, saying in Persian to the Iranian people, "You are our friends." "One day, my Iranian friends, you will be free from the evil regime that terrorizes you.... And when that day of liberation finally comes, the friendship between our two ancient peoples will surely flourish once again," he said. Iranian leaders did not immediately respond to Netanyahu's address. Based on reporting by AP, AFP, and Reuter Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/israeli-leader- netanyahu-vows-keep-iran-establishing- military-bases-syria-/28745654.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 An escaped Nebraska inmate was captured Thursday north of Council Bluffs, one day after he overpowered a sheriff's deputy and stole the deputy's car and service weapon, authorities said. Pottawattamie County sheriff's deputies found Eric G. Scott east of Interstate 29 in a rural area after a resident reported seeing a man walking there who looked like the escaped prisoner. Sheriff Jefferey Danker said Scott still had a handgun in his possession when deputies apprehended him just after noon. Around 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, Scott managed to break free from his leg irons in the back seat of an unmarked Dodge County government car while a deputy was driving him to the county jail in Fremont, County Attorney Oliver Glass said. The cruiser did not have a cage, Glass said. Scott wrapped the 18- to 20-inch shackle chain around the deputy's neck and forced him to pull off U.S. 77 onto a gravel road in Saunders County, said Saunders County Sheriff Kevin Stukenholtz. "The deputy had the wherewithal to throw (his handgun) out the window," Glass said. "Of course, Eric found it." When the car stopped near county roads 14 and H, the inmate got the deputy out and used the deputy's handcuffs to bind him before Scott drove off, Stukenholtz said. Doctors evaluated the deputy at a hospital, but he mostly had a sore neck, Glass said. "Im just glad he didnt get any more hurt than he did," he said. Police found the unmarked car around 7 p.m. Wednesday in the parking lot of Nebraska Furniture Mart in central Omaha. Dawn-Renee Smith, spokeswoman for the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services, said Scott was picked up at the State Penitentiary in Lincoln on Wednesday and was in Dodge County's custody at the time of the escape. All prisoners are strip-searched by staff before being taken to court, then turned over to the law enforcement agency to be transported, Smith said. The transporting agency's officers apply their own restraints. Scott was a month away from finishing a two- to four-year prison sentence for fifth-offense DUI, but faced five new felony charges in Dodge County, including three child sex-assault charges, two of which carry 20-year to life terms. Scott was set for a preliminary hearing on the charges at 1 p.m. Thursday in Fremont. Trump Says He's Decided Whether US Should Stay in Iran Nuclear Deal By VOA News September 20, 2017 U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday he has made a decision on whether to pull the United States out of the 2015 international pact curbing Iran's nuclear weapons development. Trump declined to say what his decision is, but the U.S. rift with Iran took center stage at the United Nations General Assembly, a day after he denounced Tehran as "an economically depleted rogue state whose chief exports are violence, bloodshed and chaos." Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, in his speech Wednesday, told the annual gathering of world leaders at the 193-nation organization that Tehran does not tolerate threats from anyone and was unmoved by Trump's complaints. Rouhani called them "ugly, ignorant words." In an apparent reference to the U.S. leader, Rouhani said "destruction" of the nuclear deal "by 'rogue' newcomers to the world of politics will never impede Iran's course of progress and advancement. "Iran won't be the first country to violate the agreement," Rouhani said, "but it will respond decisively and resolutely to its violation by any party. By violating its international commitments, the new U.S. administration only destroys its own credibility for future negotiations." Iran Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, in a Twitter remark, called Trump's claims on Tuesday an "ignorant hate speech" that belonged "in medieval times not the 21st-century U.N." Trump strongly signaled this week he could pull the U.S. out of the pact, calling the deal brokered by former U.S. President Barack Obama and five other world powers China, Russia, Britain, France and Germany "an embarrassment to the United States." The Trump administration has twice certified that Iran is in compliance with the agreement, but is facing a new assessment deadline in mid-October. In his maiden U.N. speech, Trump told world leaders, "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." Speaking at the Hudson Institute in Washington, General John Hyten, the head of U.S. Strategic Command, confirmed Wednesday that Iran is operating under the nuclear agreement. "But at the same time, they are rapidly, rapidly deploying and developing a whole series of ballistic missiles at all ranges," he added. Hyten said Iran was testing these missiles to "challenge the United States and our allies somewhere down the road." Parties to meet If the U.S. were to withdraw, the deal could collapse. The other signatories to the deal have continued to support it and shown no inclination toward renegotiation. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told Fox News, "We do need the support, I think, of our allies, our European allies and others, to make the case as well to Iran that this deal really needs to be revisited." The U.N. nuclear watchdog agency says its inspectors have found Iran in technical compliance with the restrictions imposed on its nuclear program, while U.S. officials say Tehran's ballistic missile tests and military adventures in the Middle East breach the "spirit" of the deal. After Rouhani's speech, the parties to the nuclear deal will meet, the first encounter between Tillerson and Iran Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. In a Twitter remark Tuesday, Zarif called Trump's Iran remarks an "ignorant hate speech" that belonged "in medieval times - not the 21st-century U.N." Numerous other world leaders are set to address the General Assembly on Wednesday, including British Prime Minister Theresa May, Italian President Paolo Gentiloni, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko. Meanwhile, Trump is staying in New York for meetings with other world leaders on the sidelines of the U.N. gathering, meeting with May, Abbas, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Jordan's King Abdullah and a group of African leaders. Trump on North Korea In his speech Tuesday, Trump vowed to "totally destroy North Korea" if Pyongyang attacks the U.S. or its allies. The U.S. leader spelled out his "America first" agenda that did not reject U.S. involvement in global affairs, but emphasized the "sovereignty" of individual countries. "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. Ahead of his Wednesday meetings, Trump attacked his 2016 Democratic presidential challenger, former U.S. secretary of state Hillary Clinton, and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, for their roles in North Korea's nuclear weapons development. "After allowing North Korea to research and build Nukes while Secretary of State (Bill C also), Crooked Hillary now criticizes," Trump said on Twitter. In a second tweet, Trump said, "Big meetings today at the United Nations. So many interesting leaders. America First will MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!" First lady Melania Trump is speaking at a luncheon for spouses of world leaders. In prepared remarks, she is saying that children are often "hit first and hardest in any country"' when it comes to drug addiction, bullying, poverty, disease, trafficking, illiteracy and hunger. "We need to step up, come together, and ensure that our children's future is bright," she says. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Critics of Iran Nuclear Deal Debate the Way Forward By Daniel Schearf September 20, 2017 During his speech Tuesday to the U.N. General Assembly, U.S. President Donald Trump made his disdain for the nuclear agreement with Iran absolutely clear. "The Iran deal was one of the worst and most one-sided transactions the United States has ever entered into," 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." On the sidelines of the UNGA, some prominent critics of the Iran nuclear deal endorsed his position Tuesday, debating how best to move forward to prevent Tehran from becoming a nuclear weapons state, while underscoring concerns about Tehran's links with North Korea. Participants in the United Against Nuclear Iran conference (UANI) agreed they see flaws in the 2015 deal, which offered incentives to Iran in return for guarantees that it would not develop nuclear weapons. But speakers disagreed on whether the United States should attempt to renegotiate and expand the deal negotiated under former President Barack Obama, or scrap it altogether. Imperfect, yet valuable Former U.S. Ambassador Bill Richardson said that according to the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United States and other experts, Iran is largely complying with the nuclear deal. "It's not perfect, but I think we should retain that," he said. Richardson, also a former member of Congress and governor of Arizona, is well-known for his role as a U.S. diplomatic envoy on missions to North Korea, Afghanistan, Iraq and other countries during the 1990s assignments that earned him three nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize. He cited the current threat posed by North Korea's nuclear and missile activity in his comments about the Iran agreement. "We can't afford to have a nuclear Iran and a nuclear North Korea. Both of them, by the way, are working together," Richardson said. "So, I think it's important that we dramatically increase our commitment to get Iran to be more responsive on issues like terrorism. It's going to be hard." Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, the brother and son of two former U.S. presidents, agreed it was probably best to use the 2015 deal for leverage over Iran, but to enforce it more rigorously. "These technical defaults are serious. The idea that you call something technical when it's a violation of the agreement there needs to be consequences," Bush told the UANI conference. "So I don't know what kind of leverage we would necessarily have if we get out of the agreement right now." Critical of Obama Bush, a former presidential candidate himself until Trump secured the Republican Party's nomination last year, criticized Obama's handling of the nuclear deal with Iran, and said Trump found himself in a tough position when he took over the White House this year. "He was left a really difficult circumstance, because all of the benefits are front-loaded for Iran and all the possible benefits for the rest of the world, the United States, are theoretically at the end, maybe," Bush said. "And so, getting out of this agreement, we lose some of our leverage." The U.S. is set to decide in October whether to recertify Iran's compliance with the deal, which was signed by the U.S., the European Union, China and Russia. The pact is known officially as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. If the United States fails to recertify Iran next month, another question would arise: whether Washington should withdraw from the agreement altogether. Supporters of the JCPOA argue that the 2015 deal was the best possible arrangement that the world powers could get Tehran to agree to, in order to prevent it from becoming a nuclear weapons state. Many fear pulling out of the agreement would lead to Iran's quick development of nuclear weapons, and most likely result in a military conflict, with unpredictable consequences. Another former U.S. ambassador to the U.N., John Bolton, disagreed. If Trump does not recertify Iran's compliance by mid-October, Bolton said, "the president has a subsequent decision [about] whether to pull out of the deal entirely. I think he should. I think we should abrogate the deal." "I think the argument that you don't certify, but stay in, is a kind of one-shoe-on, one-shoe-off foreign policy," Bolton continued. "It may suit a 5-year-old; it doesn't suit the United States." Pyongyang-Tehran cooperation Bolton, widely viewed as a foreign policy hawk, said the Iranian deal was too similar to failed deals with North Korea, and the evidence of past nuclear cooperation between Pyongyang and Tehran did not bode well. The UANI conference took place near the United Nations, where Trump lambasted the two "rogue states" in his first speech before the General Assembly. Trump called the Iranian government a "corrupt dictatorship" whose chief exports are violence, bloodshed and chaos, and he blasted North Korea as a "depraved regime" responsible for the starvation deaths of millions of its people as well as imprisonment, torture, killings and kidnappings. "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," said Trump, who threatened to "totally destroy North Korea" if the U.S. or its allies were forced to defend themselves. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ankara Increases Pressure on Iraqi Kurds Before Independence Vote By Dorian Jones September 19, 2017 Around 100 Turkish tanks and armored vehicles are massed on the Iraqi-Kurdish border, ostensibly for military exercises, that coincide with a hardening of Ankara's 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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Turkey may impose bans on Iraqi Kurdistan if referendum held: Erdogan Iran Press TV Wed Sep 20, 2017 08:39AM Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has threatened Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region with sanctions in case it goes ahead with plans to hold an independence referendum. Speaking to reporters outside his hotel in New York, where he is attending the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) meeting, on Tuesday, Erdogan said his cabinet was due to discuss possible sanctions on the Iraqi Kurdistan when it convenes on Friday, state news agency Anadolu reported. "As the national security council, we will advise the government on our decision. With it, the cabinet will meet and discuss this. It will both evaluate this and put forth their own stance on what kind of sanctions we can impose, or if we will, but these will not be ordinary," the Turkish president said. "We will announce our final thoughts on the issue with the cabinet meeting and national security council decision," Erdogan said. "I think it would be better if they saw this." Addressing world leaders at the UNGA on Tuesday, Erdogan cautioned that the upcoming referendum in northern Iraq could lead to new conflicts in the Middle East, without elaborating. Echoing Erdogan, Turkish Defense Minister Nurettin Canikli reiterated Ankara's opposition to the planned Kurdish vote during a Tuesday speech in the capital Ankara, warning that the disintegration of Iraq could lead to fresh conflicts. Canikli described the upcoming referendum as a major risk for Turkey and underlined Turkey's determination to take "every step" to thwart any similar measure in its southeast Kurdish areas. "A change that will mean the violation of Iraq's territorial integrity poses a major risk for Turkey," Canikli said. "The disruption of Syria and Iraq's territorial integrity will ignite a bigger, global conflict with an unseen end." The Kurdish independence vote is also opposed by Iraq's national government and Iran, as well as other countries. Turkey enjoys strong trade ties with Iraq's Kurdish Regional Government, which pumps hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil per day through Turkey and has approved plans for Russian oil giant Rosneft to invest in pipelines to export gas to Turkey as well as Europe. But Ankara strongly opposes independence for the region. Turkey even started drills across its southern border on Tuesday. The Iraqi Kurds plan to hold a referendum on September 25 in three provinces that make up their region, as well as in disputed areas that are controlled by Kurdish forces but are claimed by Baghdad, including the oil-rich Kirkuk Province. Baghdad has censured the upcoming vote as unconstitutional, urging the Kurdish leadership to drop the plan. On Monday, Iraq's top court temporarily suspended the Kurdish independence referendum, saying it "issued a national order to suspend the referendum procedures... until the resolution of the cases regarding the constitutionality of said decision." Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi also formally asked the Kurdish officials to halt the process. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Will Kurdish Vote Trigger Yet Another War in Iraq? By Jamie Dettmer September 20, 2017 It is rare for the United States and Iran to agree on anything but this week both Washington and Tehran have been scrambling to try to dissuade the president of Iraqi Kurdistan, Masoud Barzani, from holding a referendum on independence. Their vehement opposition to an independence vote partly stems from their concerns about each other. Tehran worries that an independent Iraqi Kurdistan will cleave ever closer to America and the West, while Washington is anxious that the referendum will trigger war between Iraq's Shi'ite militias and the Kurds, a conflict that would likely end up splintering Iraq, which the United States has spent considerable effort trying to bolster, and distract from the U.S. priority of defeating the Islamic State terror group. Their efforts along with the wider international community to get the vote postponed appears destined to fail. Barzani remains defiant. The Kurds, after more than a century of conflict with neighbors, mass atrocities and genocide, feel this is their moment and all the main parties in Kurdistan are backing the referendum. It will be hard if not impossible for Barzani to halt the plebiscite now. At first glance war appears in the offing. Tensions are building fast with mounting concerns that the referendum will lead to a new spiral of violence in Iraq even before the country has finally rid itself of Islamic State. Iran along with Turkey, which worries the vote will encourage their own separatists Kurds threatened this week to launch a blockade of Iraqi Kurdistan, if the referendum happens. To add emphasis to the warning, Qais al-Khazali, leader of a pro-Iranian Shi'ite militia, posted a photograph of himself Monday visiting Kirkuk. Last week, he said his militiamen would regard the Kurdish peshmerga an "occupation force" in the event the Kurds formally annex the oil-rich province and city of Kirkuk. Other Shi'ite paramilitaries have issued similar dire warnings, including the leaders of Imam Ali Division, who have hinted Tehran has given them the go-ahead to attack. "Kirkuk belongs to Iraq," Abu Azrael, spokesman for the faction, said earlier this month. "We would by no means give up on Kirkuk even if this were to cause major bloodshed," he said. To add to the worrying picture, on Monday Ali Shamkhani, secretary-general of the Iranian national security council, said not only would Iran impose a blockade on Iraqi Kurdistan. "Iran would then prepare itself to enter areas deeper than the border in response to anti-security actions," he told the state-owned IRNA news agency. Turkey Turkey is also flexing its military muscle, holding previously unannounced military exercises on the border with the Kurdish Autonomous Region. So come the vote on September 25, will Iraq be plunged deeper into turmoil, distracting the country and the international coalition from the war against Islamic State? The best hope to avert a war partly rests with Tehran, say analysts. And Barzani can help with that. Careful approach No one doubts the Kurds are playing with fire but statements this week from Kurdish leaders suggest they will be highly cautious on how they proceed after the vote, including avoiding a formal declaration of independence. "While the referendum could generate the momentum for Kurdish independence, as well as formalize the process, it will have no immediate administrative and organizational impact, since the vote will not be legally binding," according to analyst Ranj Alaaldin. What to expect? Whether serious fighting begins the day after next week's referendum no one doubts a majority of the Kurds will back independence will depend on the restraint of the governments in Baghdad and Tehran, and that in turn will hinge, analysts say, on whether the Kurds announce an independent state immediately and move to annex disputed territories such as Kirkuk. This week the KRG government has gone out of its way to frame the vote as part of the process towards independence, hinting the referendum will mark the start of likely lengthy negotiations with Baghdad as well as talks with minority groups of Christians and Turkmen. Kurdish officials say they have increased the territory under their control by as much as 40 percent in the fight against IS, much of it where large numbers of non-Kurds live, such as Kirkuk province. And this newly seized territory could turn into an effective bargaining chip in any future talks. Speaking earlier this week, Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani, the nephew of the president, used mollifying language, saying, "the referendum will not define the boundaries of the Kurdistan region." He added: "This can only be achieved through serious dialogue with Baghdad." The military strength of the Kurds will be another factor shaping the response to the vote by Iran and Baghdad's. "Iran, federal Iraq forces and Iranian-backed Shi'ite militias are unlikely to seriously threaten the well-prepared Kurdish defenses," predicts analyst Michael Knights of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, a U.S.-based policy research group. The Kurds have been preparing themselves militarily for confrontation with Shi'ite militias for months. For reporters covering the military campaign by Iraqi security forces and the Kurdish peshmerga to oust Islamic State from Mosul and surrounding towns, it was instructive last year to see how focused the Kurds were also on building new border defenses. As the peshmerga struggled to oust IS militants from Bashiqa, a town near Mosul inhabited mostly by Yazidis and Shabaks, Kurdish engineers were busy at the same time constructing massive dirt berms and barracks, undistracted by intense fighting nearby. Strong defenses and talk about negotiations may well limit any post-vote violence. "This dynamic will drive Baghdad to kick the can down the road by offering new negotiations," forecasts Knights. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Aung San Suu Kyi appeals to int'l community to help Myanmar find peace People's Daily Online (CRI Online) 09:40, September 20, 2017 The State Counsellor of Myanmar Aung San Suu Kyi is calling for international support to bring peace back to her country as Rakhine state in the north has been besieged by violence. But there also comes a warning that too many cooks may spoil the broth. In her first speech since the outbreak of violence in Rakhine State, the country's de facto leader acknowledged the world's concerns with regard to the situation. "It is not the intention of the Myanmar government to apportion blame or avoid responsibility. 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...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 and justice," said Aung San Suu Kyi. The violence erupted in Rakhine state late last month after terrorists attacked police outposts. UN figures show the unrest since then has forced about 400,000 local Muslims to flee to neighboring Bangladesh. There are also reports of Myanmar government forces committing arson, illegal arrests and torture in local Muslim villages when carrying out clearance operations against the Muslim militant group "Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army," which has been declared a terrorist group by the Myanmar government. But in Tuesday's speech, Suu Kyi stressed that there had been no armed clashes nor clearance operations since Sep 5. She also said the government is ready to start verification of refugees in Bangladesh at any time to pave way for a repatriation process. Addressing diplomats from more than 90 countries in Myanmar's capital city of Naypyidaw, the State Counsellor also invited the international community to help her country restore peace. "We would like you to join us in a positive, constructive way to find new paths towards peace and stability, towards harmony. We would like you to think of our country as a whole, not just as little afflicted areas; it is as a whole only that we can make progress," said Aung San Suu Kyi. But Denzel Abel, Senior Advisor of the United Nations' human settlements program UN-Habitat Myanmar, cautions that too much external involvement may not be a good idea. "People are trying to internalize it, but at the same time it's better, as we spoke before with the Bangladeshi side, we have to get together to try to draw down the tension and see what is actually happening so that we can find the solution because if outsiderstoo many people come in, too many cooks spoil the broth," said Abel. Foreign ministers attending the ongoing United Nations General Assembly in New York are also scheduled to hold a meeting to discuss the Rakhine issue later. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN agency warns Rohingya Muslim refugees 'at mercy' of traffickers Iran Press TV Wed Sep 20, 2017 03:55PM The International Organization for Migration (IOM), a subsidiary agency of the United Nations, has warned about the plight of Rohingya Muslim refugees fleeing violence in Myanmar, saying they are "at the mercy" of human traffickers in Bangladesh and other areas. Chris Lom, the IOM Asia-Pacific spokesman, said on Wednesday from Bangladesh, where 422,000 Rohingya have arrived from Myanmar since violence erupted three weeks ago, that members of the persecuted community were in a tragic situation and could end up in the hands of everyone who offered them money or a better life in other countries. "Most have no money, no food, no clean water, no shelter and don't speak the language," said Lom, adding, "That leaves them potentially at the mercy of anyone offering help and they may end up as victims of trafficking." Smuggling desperate Rohingya refugees to places such as Thailand and Malaysia has been a major issue in the past in Bangladesh. Many refugees have ended up abandoned at sea by smugglers, especially after Thai authorities launched a crackdown in 2015. Refugees arriving from Myanmar have built unofficial shelters around two government-run camps in southeastern Bangladesh. The IOM said the dire situation had exposed refugees, the majority of them women and children, to major risks. Lom said setting up camps and effective management could reduce the dangers. He called on international donors to contribute more to the humanitarian process. "The best way to minimize this risk is to have a functioning camp management system in the locations where they are settled," he said, adding, "We, the humanitarian agencies on the ground, are currently a long way from being able to provide this, given the numbers and the speed at which people have arrived and continue to arrive." The UN has said that the Rohingya are one of the most persecuted minorities in the world. Myanmar's government forces do not even spare the fleeing Rohingya refugees. Recent reports by Amnesty International and Bangladeshi officials say the military plants landmines on the path of those trying to cross into Bangladesh, causing them to sustain serious wounds or lose their limbs. On Tuesday, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres addressed the inauguration ceremony of the 72nd annual session of the UN General Assembly in New York. In his speech, Guterres called on Myanmar's government to put an end to its campaign against Rohingya Muslims. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Suu Kyi's speech draws international reactions Iran Press TV Wed Sep 20, 2017 07:09AM World countries continue to hold Myanmar's leader Aung San Suu Kyi responsible over widespread reports of deadly violence and ethnic cleansing against minority Muslims in the Southeast Asian country following her first speech to address the issue. Suu Kyi broke her long silence in an address to diplomats on Tuesday, speaking for the first time since reports began emerging of a brutal campaign against Rohingya Muslims in the western Rakhine State by the country's military and Buddhist mobs. The military first laid a siege to Rakhine late last year, claiming that militants linked to the Rohingya had attacked security forces. Despite the siege, and a refusal to allow the media in, horrific accounts soon began coming out of Rakhine about military forces and Buddhist extremists attacking Rohingya civilians, killing and raping them, and burning their houses. Then, on August 25, the military claimed that another attack had been carried out against security outposts, using the alleged attack as a pretext to double down on the crackdown against the Muslims. The government says 400 people have died in the violence, but the UN says well over 1,000 have likely been killed. A European Rohingya advocacy group says as many as 3,000 people may have died. At least 421,000 Muslims have also fled into neighboring Bangladesh to save their lives amid the violence. Despite all the reports and eyewitness accounts, Suu Kyi suggested on Tuesday that she did not know why the Muslims were fleeing. While she condemned "all human rights violations and unlawful violence," she made no acknowledgement of the fact that large-scale violence was taking place at the hands of the military and Buddhist mobs. She even refused to refer to the persecuted Muslims by their name Rohingya, signalling the Myanmarese government's official stance of not recognizing them as nationals. While some Western diplomats and international aid authorities partially welcomed Suu Kyi's generic criticism of rights violations, they said she had failed to do enough to deflect international criticism of the government-sponsored violence. The strongest reaction from Western countries came from France. French President Emmanuel Macron slammed the "unacceptable ethnic cleaning" in Myanmar, declaring in his speech before the annual United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) meeting that he would push for a UN Security Council initiative to ensure humanitarian access and an end to the violence in the Buddhist-majority country. Britain responded by announcing the suspension of a military training program in Myanmar. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reacted to Suu Kyi's remarks in his address before the UNGA by calling for an end to the violence. "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; and they must also address the grievances of the Rohingya, whose status has been left unresolved for far too long," Guterres said. Myanmar crisis could afflict region: Iran Meanwhile, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has said inattention to the plight of the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar could lead to the destabilization of the region. Speaking at a meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)'s Contact Group for Myanmar in New York on Tuesday, President Rouhani urged the Islamic body and the UN to properly respond to the crisis in Myanmar. "Myanmar's government should know that expelling people from their own land and displacing them to other countries is not the solution to this deep-rooted crisis," the Iranian president said. Separately, a European Union (EU) spokeswoman said, "Myanmar's leadership needs to show that the democracy they fought so hard for can work for all the people of Myanmar, beyond ethnic, social and religious boundaries." She, however, described Suu Kyi's invitation to the diplomatic corps to visit Rakhine as "a step forward." Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari also reacted to the ongoing violence in Myanmar in his speech before the UNGA, likening the brutal anti-Muslim campaign there to genocides in Bosnia and Rwanda. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also censured the violence against Rohingya Muslims during his UN speech. "Unless the tragedy taking place in Myanmar is brought to a halt, humanity will have to live with the shame of another dark stain in its history," Erdogan said. Additionally, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson spoke to Suu Kyi in a phone coversation, urging the Myanmarese government to facilitate humanitarian aid to those affected by the violence and to address "deeply troubling" human rights abuse allegations, according to the State Department. Separately, 22 members of the US Congress wrote to Tillerson, urging him to wage a "strong, meaningful" response to the violence in Myanmar. Moreover, the influential chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Bob Corker, said Suu Kyi risked "destroying" her reputation as a force for positive change. "She had yet another opportunity today to stand up for the Rohingya minority... but instead refused to acknowledge the military's role in the ongoing atrocities," Corker said. In her speech, Suu Kyi claimed that there had been no violence since September 5. This is while the Rohingya refugees arriving in Bangladesh have reported that soldiers and Buddhist mobs continued attacking and burning villages as recently as last Friday. The UN rights agency also described the situation as "a textbook example of ethnic cleansing." In a later interview with Radio Free Asia, Suu Kyi attempted to brush aside accusations that she was refusing to confront the military over the violence. "We've never changed our stand," Suu Kyi said in the interview when asked if she had softened her stance on the military, which used to be in control of the country and which she challenged for years. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Briefing on U.S. Humanitarian Assistance in Response to the Crisis in Rakhine State Special Briefing Simon Henshaw Acting Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration Palace Hotel New York City, NY September 20, 2017 MS NAUERT: Well, welcome. Thank you so much. It's not always that often that we get to bring some good news to you. So we're happy to talk a little bit about what we're doing in Burma. And I'll be sitting next to you, Simon. And I want to introduce you to my colleague, Acting Assistant Secretary Simon Henshaw, who is with our PRM Bureau at the State Department, and he can talk with you a little bit more about Burma. We have a transcript here, so I'm just going to provide a little quick little readout and formal introduction for those who don't have the benefit of being here. The State Department announced today that we would be providing nearly $32 million in additional humanitarian assistance to address the urgent needs of Rohingya fleeing violence from the Rakhine State in Burma. The aid will go help Rohingya who've fled to Bangladesh, internally displaced persons in Rakhine State, and host communities. The new funding brings U.S. humanitarian assistance to internally displaced persons in Burma and refugees from Burma in the region to nearly $95 million in Fiscal Year 2017. It reflects the U.S. commitment to help address the unprecedented magnitude of suffering and urgent humanitarian needs of the Rohingya people. To tell us more about the announcement of the good work that money will do, we have Simon Henshaw, acting assistant secretary for the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration. And I'll turn it over to you, sir. MR HENSHAW: Thank you very much. Good afternoon. This funding brings U.S. humanitarian assistance to Burmese refugees, including Rohingya and internally displaced populations within Burma, to nearly 95 million this fiscal year, Fiscal Year 2017, and reflects U.S. leadership in addressing the unprecedented magnitude of suffering and urgent humanitarian needs in the region. The assistance we're announcing today comes from appeals from various different organizations of which we are funding generally at 25 percent, and we're looking for other nations to follow us and participate in funding these appeals as well. So we're not just giving a significant amount of money, but we're also hoping to lead so that other countries join in and we get other contributions. We'd like to applaud the Government of Bangladesh's generosity in responding to this humanitarian crisis and commend the continued generosity of the Bangladeshi people for hosting Rohingya refugees. We continue to call on the Burmese Government to grant access to international humanitarian organizations to assist displaced and vulnerable populations in Rakhine State. It's imperative that security forces cease operations against civilians and ensure the safety of communities being threatened by vigilante groups. We welcome Aung San Suu Kyi's announcement yesterday during her state of the union address that committed the government to welcoming actually that's the day before yesterday the government to welcoming those who fled Rakhine State back to their homes. We encourage the government to act quickly on this commitment while ensuring the safety and wellbeing of returnees. MS NAUERT: Okay. Shall we take some questions? MR HENSHAW: Yes. MS NAUERT: All right. Who'd like to start? Oh, come on, you're more curious than that. Come on. Okay, go right ahead. If you could just please tell Simon your name and your news organization. QUESTION: Sure. Alicia Rose with NHK. I wanted to ask whether you can confirm that this is the first time for the U.S. to announce humanitarian assistance since the recent outbreak in the violence on August 25th? If so, how if not, how much total has the U.S. provided since the 25th? And could you specify who specifically the assistance will be going to, whether it's the Burmese Government, Bangladeshi Government, or just NGO partners? MR HENSHAW: Sure. No, thank you for that. So for the first half of your question, yes, this is our first announcement since August 25th, but we have been supplying organizations with funds to support Burmese refugees since the beginning of the year and that total was the number I just gave which was 95 million. The UNHCR also used some of its emergency funds since August 25th, which we had previously supplied to them. The PRM works does not work through governments. It works mostly through international organizations and through some NGOs as well. So today's funding that we're announcing is going to the International Organization for Migration, UNICEF, UNHCR, some NGOs, and a few other organizations that we work with. MS NAUERT: Okay. Hi. Nick from Bloomberg. QUESTION: Hi. So, I mean, can you tell us I mean, do you think that Aung San Suu Kyi's comments, which you noted, went far enough in sort of condemning what's happening to the Rohingya refugees, and does the U.S. have any more plans to sort of speak with her and try to get a sense for why there seems to have been sort of equivocation on her part in the crisis in Myanmar? MR HENSHAW: Yeah, I'm not going to characterize her remarks. I work the humanitarian side of the house. I'll leave that to my political colleagues. But I will say that we we are urging the Burmese Government to control the violence in the area, to cease attacks against civilians, and to create safe conditions so that the Rohingya that have fled feel safe to return. QUESTION: Can I just ask a follow-up? MR HENSHAW: Mm-hmm. QUESTION: The Journal reported I think yesterday or the day before that on the issue of refugee admissions that there's now a discussion of a figure between 40 and 50,000 refugees for 2018. Can you comment on where things stand with that number and how many refugees the U.S. plans to allow for next year? MR HENSHAW: I'm not going to comment on the internal debates within the U.S. Government. The President will decide what number of refugees we will bring in next year, and we will bring in that number that he decides. I would say that the large amount of our support from PRM has always gone to refugees overseas. The resettlement program is a small but important part of our program which we use to support and encourage other governments to house refugees, to take in refugees as well and keep their borders open. MS NAUERT: Okay, anybody else? John Hudson from BuzzFeed. QUESTION: Thanks so much. Do you think that the events in Rakhine State I mean, as you look back on the decision to the U.S. getting involved in the opening of Myanmar, is there any sense that the U.S. might have been too optimistic going in this was obviously under the Obama administration and maybe it wasn't executed in the way in hindsight, in the way that it should have been and maybe just too much optimism put in the powers of Aung San Suu Kyi? MR HENSHAW: I mean, I wouldn't characterize us as ever being too optimistic. I think we always knew that this would be a very difficult road to follow, and it has proven to be so. We certainly continue to support democracy in Burma and will continue to work in that direction. I'd also add that the Rohingya problem is a longstanding problem in Burma of which we have long urged previous and current Burmese governments to take steps to solve. The former UN Secretary-General Annan has recommendations which we feel should be followed and lay out a good roadmap for the direction the government should be going. MS NAUERT: Kylie, from CBS here, and sir, we'll get to you. QUESTION: Was the aid contingent upon Aung San Suu Kyi speaking out? Did she have to speak out in order for that U.S. aid to come? MR HENSHAW: No. Most of this aid actually goes to the Bangladeshi side to support the refugees as they're coming in there. A small amount of it will go to the Burmese side to support internally displaced persons. But this was in reaction to the crisis. MS NAUERT: Okay. Sir, you're with which outlet? QUESTION: My name is Mushfiqul Fazal. I'm representing a Bangladeshi outlet, Just News BD. The day before yesterday, the Bangladeshi prime minister had a conversation with the President Donald Trump in a session. So she after that, she made a statement or she gave an internal (inaudible) and she said President Trump is not willing to solve this problem and she and she said, well, I'll ask the President Trump to resolve this. So is is there actually is there any meeting between President Trump with the Bangladeshi prime minister? How she could make this statement in front of the media outlet like Reuters can only and can you comment on this issue? MR HENSHAW: Well, first of all, I'd like to thank the Bangladeshi Government and the people for their warm response and their strong response in supporting the Rohingya who have come across the border. Bangladesh, as we all know, is not one of the richest countries in the world, and for a country which has its own struggles to open its arms to the Rohingya is really remarkable, and I think will be long remembered. I can't really comment directly on the prime minister's words, but I will say that President Trump has strongly supported our efforts to help refugees overseas, both verbally and budgetarily, if that's a word, and we have clear support from the White House in going forth with the support. Now, Vice President Pence this morning spoke about it. In my pile of paper I have something here in which oh, so the Vice President spoke this morning. He said that U.S. President Donald Trump is urging the United Nations Security Council to take strong and swift action to bring Myanmar's Rohingya crisis to an end, and Pence reiterated the call for military for Myanmar's military to end the violence immediately. MS NAUERT: And the White House issued a statement about a week and a half ago on this, and we've spoken out about this a lot at the State Department, issuing statements ourselves. So -- QUESTION: Hey, Conor Finnegan with ABC News. MS NAUERT: ABC News. QUESTION: You said you have the support of the President budgetarily. One of the things that his budget proposal initial budget proposal for the State Department included was cutting all emergency refugee and migration assistance funds. If you need to increase the amount of aid to Bangladesh or to the Rohingya in Myanmar, do you have the funds that you need? MR HENSHAW: Yes. We absolutely have the funds that we need. The account you're referring to is a tiny, tiny part of our overall allocation from the White House and Congress, and if you add that account and our main account together and compare it to the main account this year, they're the same. So we haven't lost any funding. MS NAUERT: Okay. Nick from Fox News. QUESTION: Thanks. You said that most of the money is going to Bangladesh and that a small portion is going to Burma to assist the displaced. MR HENSHAW: Right. QUESTION: Can you be a little more specific (inaudible)? MR HENSHAW: Yeah, the breakdown is it's a little bit more than 28 million for Bangladesh and the rest for the Burmese side. MS NAUERT: Okay. Reuters, please. QUESTION: Thank you. Regarding what the Vice President just said, should we expect the U.S. to draft a resolution or what (inaudible) exactly expecting from Security Council -- MR HENSHAW: I can't answer that. I'm just following the humanitarian side of it, and I'm not I don't can't talk about our plans there. QUESTION: And also, you mentioned Suu Kyi said that the returning refugees have nothing to fear. Does the U.S. think that the security conditions are there for them to return? MR HENSHAW: Say that again. I'm sorry. QUESTION: Are the conditions there for refugees to return? MR HENSHAW: Not yet, no. MS NAUERT: Okay. John. QUESTION: The Secretary made some clarifications about the plans for the redesign recently, and made clear that there was not immediate plans to move the consular affairs over to DHS. But one of the it's been widely rumored that PRM could move to DHS. As somebody who obviously has a deep understanding of that bureau, do you think that would be a wise move? MR HENSHAW: I just I will follow the Secretary's instructions on any redesign plans. MS NAUERT: Nothing yet. All right, guys. We got to leave it there. Thank you so much. MR HENSHAW: Thanks. MS NAUERT: Any follow-up questions, let me know if we can answer them. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US Vice President Condemns 'Terrible Savagery' Against Rohingya Muslims By Cindy Saine September 20, 2017 Vice President Mike Pence spoke out, in the strongest terms to date, of any senior U.S. official on the Rohingya crisis, condemning what he termed a "historic exodus" of the Rohingya people from Myanmar to Bangladesh in the face of violent attacks. Speaking at a United Nations peacekeeping meeting Wednesday, Pence said the world is witnessing a "great tragedy unfolding" in the Southeast Asian nation, also known as Burma. "Recently, Burmese security forces responded to militant attacks on government outposts with terrible savagery, burning villages, driving the Rohingyas from their homes," Pence said at the high-level Security Council meeting. "The images of the violence and its victims have shocked the American people, and decent people all over the world." Over the course of the past month, more than 400,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled from Myanmar, where they face human rights violations and discrimination. Pence noted that tens of thousands of those who have fled on foot are children. 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. Pence noted that U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson spoke with Myanmar's civilian leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, on the Rohingya refugees Tuesday and urged the Burmese military and security forces to facilitate humanitarian aid. "While we welcome [Aung San] Suu Kyi's comments that returning refugees have nothing to fear, the United States renews our call on Burma's security forces to end their violence immediately and support diplomatic efforts for a long term solution," Pence noted. US aid to Rohingya The U.S. State Department on Wednesday announced the United States is set to contribute $32 million worth of humanitarian aid to help the Rohingya Muslims fleeing Myanmar. The U.S. aid package the first major response from the Trump administration to the situation will include food, medical supplies, water and emergency shelter, along with other support. Aung San Suu Kyi has condemned the human rights violations taking place in her country's western Rakhine state, but she 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. In a nationally televised speech in her country Tuesday, Aung San Suu Kyi noted her country does not fear international scrutiny, and she 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." The Nobel Peace Prize laureate insisted, however, that all "allegations are based on solid evidence before we take action." U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, during a Tuesday speech before the General Assembly, said he was "shocked by the dramatic escalation of sectarian tensions" in Myanmar, and he called on authorities to "end the military operations" in Rakhine. The State Department said the $32 million, which brings the total amount of U.S. aid provided to Myanmar refugees in the 2017 fiscal year to $95 million, will make up about a quarter of what human rights groups say will be needed to address the crisis. The remaining money is expected to be provided by other countries. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US-backed SDF controlling 90% of Syria's Raqqah: Monitor Iran Press TV Wed Sep 20, 2017 10:20AM The so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a US-backed group of Kurdish and Arab forces, has reportedly wrested control over 90 percent of the northern Syrian city of Raqqah, which used to serve as the main Daesh stronghold in the country. Rami Abdel Rahman, the head of the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), said on Wednesday that Daesh "withdrew from at least five key neighborhoods over the past 48 hours." The Daesh retreat "allowed the Syrian Democratic Forces to control 90 percent of the city," he added, stressing that the terror group is now "confined" to Raqqah city center. "The difficulty in advancing and fully clearing these neighborhoods is linked to the mines that IS (Daesh) has left behind," he noted. Daesh captured Raqqah in July 2014 and declared the city its stronghold in Syria. The SDF launched its assault on Raqqah on June 6. The Syrian army soldiers, backed by allied fighters, are also engaged in counter-terrorism operations around Raqqah. Daesh has lately retreated from much of the territory under its grip amid sweeping advances by the Syrian forces on the battlefield. Earlier this month, the Syrian government forces broke the three-year-long Daesh siege on Dayr al-Zawr, which is currently the main Daesh base in the country. Tens of thousands of civilians have fled Raqqah in recent months, but up to 25,000 people are estimated to be still trapped in the city. Separately on Wednesday, the Syrian army released 21 civilians held up in a Daesh hideout on the western outskirts of the city of Dayr al-Zawr. Additionally, Russian warplanes bombed terrorist targets in the western provinces of Idlib and Hama. Russia has been conducting air raids against Daesh and other terrorist outfits inside Syria at the Damascus government's request since September 2015. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Syrian Democratic Forces, Coalition Forces Liberate 80% of Raqqa Sputnik News 12:40 20.09.2017(updated 16:01 20.09.2017) The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), along with the anti-Daesh coalition have liberated 80 percent of the city and continue to clear mines and the remaining militants from the city's squares where fighting persists. MOSCOW (Sputnik) The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), supported by the US-led coalition, announced on Wednesday that some 80 percent of the Syrian city of Raqqa from the Daesh terrorist group (banned in numerous countries). "It can be said that 80 percent of Raqqa city has been liberated. Our units continue clearance of mine and remaining militants in the city's squares where fighting continues," the SDF said in a statement. Earlier SDF media relations representative Mustafa Balli told Sputnik Turkiye that Daesh terrorists entrenched in the city of Raqqa were sending female suicide bombers into the fray. According to him, the fighting was raging in six districts of the city, including the city center, where the government buildings are located, and around the Saat and Delle squares where Daesh terrorists publicly executed civilians. SDF forces launched an offensive aimed at liberating the city of Raqqa that was held by Daesh terrorist group since 2013. The US-led coalition of 68 nations started carrying out airstrikes against Daesh in Syria and Iraq in 2014, with the strikes in Syria not being authorized by the government of President Bashar Assad or the UN Security Council. Russia has been fighting terrorists in Syria at Assad's request since September 30, 2015. US-led coalition forces Daesh in Iraq and Syria carried out 44 strikes on Tuesday, including 30 near the Syrian city of Raqqa, Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve said in a press release. "Near Raqqah, 30 strikes engaged six ISIS tactical units and destroyed 28 fighting positions, three vehicles, two ISIS communications infrastructure items and an ISIS headquarters," the release stated on Wednesday. In Iraq, fourteen strikes were carried out by coalition forces near three cities, including Huwijah and Rawah. They destroyed Daesh headquarters, mortar systems, command and control nodes, and weapons caches, among other targets. The release also noted 51 additional strikes were carried out in both Syria and Iraq on September 17-18, which closed in the past 24 hours. The strikes near Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor in Syria, as well as Huwayjah in Iraq, destroyed Daesh fighting positions and vehicles, engaged Daesh tactical units and damaged supply routes. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Clear Signal: Turkey Holds Drills on Iraqi Border as Kurdish Referendum Nears Sputnik News 16:21 20.09.2017(updated 19:08 20.09.2017) The massive military drills launched by Ankara on the Iraqi border are an unambiguous statement of its readiness to respond to a threat, which may emerge after the Kurdish vote on September 25, experts told Sputnik adding that the situation risks degrading to chaos and escalation. Commenting on the on the exercises which kicked off on Tuesday, former Turkish ambassador to Iraq, Unal Cevikoz, told Sputnik that Ankara's toughened rhetoric was an attempt to keep the country's Kurds under control and was simultaneously sending a clear signal to the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq (KRGI). "I believe that attempts to thwart the upcoming plebiscite are dangerous and will only add to what is already a very difficult situation. KRGI leader Masoud Barzani said he will not give up on the idea [of holding a referendum] even though Ankara and Baghdad are against it. Russia, the US and the rest of the international community also believe that the referendum is premature, but the KRGI says it will not back off," Cevikos told Sputnik Turkey. He warned against any attempts to bring the situation to a head, but said that the ongoing Turkish military exercises on the Iraqi border were doing exactly that. "We all know that an independent Kurdistan will not appear the day after the September 25 referendum, and that any attempts to prevent it from happening are fraught with serious security threats to the region. What we need is a post-referendum dialogue between Erbil and Baghdad to prevent a crackdown on Turkish Kurds and an increase in tensions inside Turkey," Unal Cevikoz emphasized. Abdullah Agar, an ex-Turkish commando and a counterterrorism expert, welcomed the ongoing military drill on the Iraqi border as a sign of Ankara's desire to pre-empt any "surprise developments" in the region, including the upcoming referendum. "To prevent any potential chaos developing in the region and the impact it could have on Turkey and its allied communities in Iraq, Ankara is trying to stabilize the situation inside the country and also in Iraq and Syria. We realize that while doing this we could be forced to resort to a military intervention abroad," Agar noted. He added that the Turkish military drill was being held to show Ankara's readiness to handle any threats to its national security and its future. The Turkish armed forces launched a military drill on the Iraqi border ahead of the September 25 independence referendum set by the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq and following a stern warning by Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim of "a lightning response to any internal or external threat to our national security." Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN chief highlights "nuclear peril" in work report to General Assembly People's Daily Online (Xinhua) 14:43, September 20, 2017 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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Nuclear powers refrain from signing UN treaty on banning nukes Iran Press TV Wed Sep 20, 2017 03:18PM World powers that possess nuclear weapons refrain from attending a ceremony at the United Nations to sign a long-anticipated treaty on banning nukes, merely arguing that the pact will not work. None of the nuclear-armed states including the United States, Britain, Russia, France, China, India and Pakistan sent representatives to the ceremony for signing the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, a pact that was adopted by 122 countries at the United Nations in July. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres opened the event in New York while hailing the agreement as a milestone and the first multilateral pact on disarmament in more than two decades. Brazilian President Michel Temer was the first head of state to put his signature on the document, which comes amid heightened tensions over North Korea's nuclear program. North Korea tested its sixth and most powerful nuclear bomb earlier this month following the test-fire of two intercontinental ballistic missiles, weapons that experts say could target the mainland United States and could be used to carry a nuclear warhead. The United States, Britain and France have dismissed the UN treaty as unrealistic, arguing that North Korea's intensified nuclear activity has shown that they still need nuclear arms to maintain deterrence. Supporters of the pact, however, say the time has come for the international community to push harder toward eliminating atomic weapons as a 50-year-old Non-Proliferation Treaty has effectively failed to contain the thirst of powers for expanding their nuclear arsenal. "We call upon them to join this date with history," said Costa Rican President Luis Guillermo Solis at the ceremony, held on the sidelines of the annual UN General Assembly meeting of world leaders. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Treaty banning nuclear weapons opens for signature at UN 20 September 2017 The world's first legally-binding treaty prohibiting nuclear weapons opened for signature today at United Nations Headquarters in New York at a ceremony at which speakers from international organizations, governments and civil society hailed this milestone in achieving a world free of such arsenals as well as the work that remains to be done. "The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons is the product of increasing concerns over the risk posed by the continued existence of nuclear weapons, including the catastrophic humanitarian and environmental consequences of their use," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said at the ceremony, held on the margins of the General Assembly's high-level debate. "The Treaty is an important step towards the universally-held goal of a world free of nuclear weapons. It is my hope that it will reinvigorate global efforts to achieve it," he added, acknowledging the contributions made by civil society and the hibakusha the atomic bomb survivors. At the same time, Mr. Guterres, highlighted the difficult road ahead by recalling that there remain some 15,000 nuclear weapons in existence. "We cannot allow these doomsday weapons to endanger our world and our children's future," he said. The Treaty adopted on 7 July this year at a UN conference in New York by a vote of 122 in favour to one against (Netherlands), with one abstention (Singapore) prohibits a full range of nuclear-weapon-related activities, such as undertaking to develop, test, produce, manufacture, acquire, possess or stockpile nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices, as well as the use or threat of use of these weapons. However, nuclear-armed States and most of their allies stayed out of the negotiations. Immediately following its adoption, the United States, the United Kingdom and France issued a joint press statement saying that they "have not taken part in the negotiation of the treaty and do not intend to sign, ratify or ever become party to it." The Treaty will enter into force 90 days after it has been ratified by at least 50 countries. At today's ceremony, chaired by UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu, 42 countries signed the Treaty, with more expected later in the day. The Holy See and Thailand not only signed but also ratified it. The President of the General Assembly, Miroslav Lajcak, noted at the ceremony that the Treaty demonstrates the will of Member States to bring about change. "It will raise public awareness about the risks of nuclear weapons. It will keep us on track for achieving our goal of a world in which nuclear weapons exist only in movies or books. But we need to do more to get the whole way there." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Crews from the Omaha Public Power District returned home this week from Florida after helping with power restoration efforts in the wake of Hurricane Irma. The first group, which returned Tuesday from Tampa, was comprised of 12 linemen, two mechanics and a supervisor. The second group of 15 linemen and support staff, which was in Jacksonville, came home Wednesday. OPPD also deployed 42 of its contracted tree trimmers to help with storm cleanup. Ten of the tree trimmers are still in Florida, but were expected to return home this weekend. In a press release, OPPD said that the employees "were glad to be able to make a difference in the aftermath of the storm." All of OPPD's associated costs will be reimbursed by Tampa Electric and the Jacksonville Electric Authority. OMAHA Omaha police arrested two teenagers in the wake of a botched tobacco store robbery. Police said 18-year-old York Rodriguez was charged with first-degree murder Wednesday for the shooting death of his alleged accomplice, 18-year-old Jose Mario Velazquez. Authorities said Rodriguez and Velazquez were attempting to rob Bizarre Glass on Monday when the store owner fatally shot Velazquez. Officials said they charged Rodriguez with murder because his alleged accomplice died during the commission of a felony. A third suspect, 18-year-old Luis Vargas Aguilar, faces a robbery charge. Police said Aguilar didn't enter the store but was driving the getaway car. Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine said the store owner's actions were justified and he won't be charged. If youre looking for the proper vehicle to use on your next seafaring adventure, look no further than Porsches brand-new superyacht. Unveiled yesterday in Viareggio, Italy, the amazing new luxury item from the well-known automotive brand will cost $16 million. For that price, you will get a rare piece of machinery, with only seven of these superyachts being produced in the world. Check out some pictures of the vessel below. [Images via Architectural Digest] According to Architectural Digest, this model of superyacht would be created by Dynamiq, a Monaco-based builder headquartered in Port Hercule, which is where most of the ritzy superyachts are bought and sold. What makes this creation stand out from the pack is how its designed, with a premium placed on innovation, design, and speed, qualities that Porsche has valued for nearly one hundred years. The Dynamiq GTT 115, which is the vessels actual name, will almost definitely be the talk of next weeks Monaco Yacht Show. The superyacht would boast an all-aluminum construction and feature a hybrid engine that can reach a top speed of 21 knots (a little over 24 mph). The maximum cruising range is 3,400 nautical miles, which equates to about a trip from Monaco to New York. The vessel will also have four cabins for guests to stay in, in addition to a pool on the main deck to enjoy the sun. The interior, designed in tandem with the company Minotti, will have a noticeable amount of leather, marble, and carbon-fiber detailing all around each room on board. Its clear that Porsche is aiming to make this a superyacht the likes of which the world has never seen. Taking the spirit of high-performance sports-car styling to the high seas, the Dynamiq GTT 115 is designed to appeal to car lovers and forward-thinking yacht owners, said Roland Heiler, CEO of F. A. Studio Porsche, in a statement. After conquering the Formula One circuit, it looks like the racing giant has set its sights on more nautical avenues in the near future. The rareness of the item will almost surely court some celebrity interest, perhaps from the world of hip-hop. Jay-Z? Diddy? Drake? Any takers for this one? Only time will tell. Porsche Karrueche Tran, star of the TV series Claws, stopped by Hot 97 in New York to chat with the Ebro in the Morning crew on their morning show. Throughout a discussion that touched on her acting career and how much she continues to grow in that department, as well as her success in leading a life with as few negative vibes as possible, it seemed like Karrueche wasnt necessarily planning on revisiting any tabloid fodder that shes been a part of in the past. However, when she was asked about the restraining order she was granted against former boyfriend Chris Brown, she gave a brief but honest answer on the matter. In her mind, it wasnt meant to cause any drawn-out drama, only to look out for her safety. Im always positive and Im just focused, more than ever right now, on work, Tran said initially. Thats just the goal for me. Theres no drama or anything like that. I do have the [restraining order] in place. We live our own lives and thats how we move. Apparently, she wasnt left with another option but to file the restraining order. It just got to a point where its just like, I cant. Just to make sure. And I live in L.A. Im from L.A. So I move around how I wanna move, you know what Im saying? So thats what I felt that I needed. Meanwhile, other facets of the TV star are beginning to blossom as well. I have a makeup collaboration out with ColourPop thats been doing really well, she added. And then of course theres, like, modeling. I have this amazing platform that I want to utilize in the right way, so if the opportunity comes where its a makeup collaboration or a clothing line or an acting role, whatever it is, if I feel that its right, then lets do it. Its the kind of forward momentum in her career that means she wont be having regrets about past events in her life. Im confident and Im comfortable with who I am today, she said. If I were to change anything in my past, I wouldnt be who I am today and Im totally content with that. Karrueche Tran Everyones heard some sort of conspiracy theory that Tupac might still be alive, and it turns out one of the most closet men to him when he was alive thinks so as well. According to a clip that TMZ was able get a hold of, Suge Knight believes that theres a good chance that Tupac Shakur might still be alive. Suge says something about Pacs hospital stay after the 1996 shooting just doesnt add up for him. The Death Row CEO revealed this information to Ice-T and Soledad OBrien over the phone from the L.A. County jail. The clip TMZ was able to get their hands on comes from an upcoming TV special called Who Shot Biggie & Tupac? where Ice T and Soledad will lead an investigation into the unsolved murders and uncover new accounts of the shootings from people who were there. The special will air this Sunday, September 24 on FOX, so set your DVRs now. TMZ says theyre going to get Ice Ts reaction to Suges theory on Fridays episode of TMZ Live. However knowing Foxs ability to run with obscure stories and stretch the truth, this seems a little odd that only now Suge Knight is saying this about Pac. Plus, who knows if theres any extra editing done by FOX to twist his words around, or if thats even Suges voice on the phone at all. For all we know it could be someone who sounds just like him, but FOX is trying to make a special with it, along with a Biggie theory. Check out the exclusive clip from Sundays special (below) and let us know what you think. Is this simply a marketing ploy to get people to watch Sunday or do you think theres any truth here? In other related news, Suge Knight made that phone call from jail because hes currently in the midst of a world of trouble. Not only is he scheduled to appear in court on October 3 for the criminal threats case (made against Straight Outta Compton director F. Gary Gray) but Suge also has to face trial for a hit-&-run case where he fatally struck a woman in 2015 at a burger stand in Compton. Well be sure to keep you posted on both moving forward. Suge Knight We work towards an equitable, gender-just, self-reliant and sustainable fisheries, particularly in the small-scale, artisanal sector We work towards an equitable, gender-just, self-reliant and sustainable fisheries, particularly in the small-scale, artisanal sector We work towards an equitable, gender-just, self-reliant and sustainable fisheries, particularly in the small-scale, artisanal sector We work towards an equitable, gender-just, self-reliant and sustainable fisheries, particularly in the small-scale, artisanal sector The University of Nebraska-Lincoln recently experienced some heated political discourse between a small number of faculty and students and the alt-right group Turning Point USA. I have followed this case closely, and its led me to scrutinize Turning Point more carefully. Its not a pretty picture. Turning Point claims its mission is "to expose and document college professors who discriminate against conservative students and advance leftist propaganda in the classroom." Thats fine. Politics are irrelevant to what I teach; I dont even have time to cover all the relevant stuff. Other faculty whose teaching Ive observed firsthand are the same. And its a fair argument that those who pay tuition, or taxes, have a right to know and object if the money is being wasted on faculty who are not teaching their subject but instead pursing some other agenda. But Turning Point does not merely identify professors who unnecessarily bring politics into the classroom. Lets look at three cases: Case 1: Danielle Allen, a Harvard political philosopher and MacArthur genius grant recipient, wrote a Washington Post column that compared the populism that elected Trump with the populism that led to Hitler. She was careful to say she was not comparing Trump to Hitler. For this thoughtcrime, she was blacklisted. Charlie Kirk, on Fox News, claimed "she teaches this in class," apparently a lie, since Kirk presented no evidence, and Allen vehemently denies it. As a result, Allen, who's African-American, got some of the ugliest, most racist email I've ever seen. Its so extreme I doubt the Journal Star would print it, even with asterisks. So they defamed one of the most accomplished women in academe, for writing a column in her field of expertise, in a national newspaper. Case 2: Arthur Caplan is perhaps America's best known bioethicist. He's advised at least four administrations (Bush I, Clinton, Bush II, Obama). Discover magazine named him one of the 10 most influential people in science. He has authored over 500 papers. Caplan coauthored a piece advising journalists to stop laughing at Trumps buffoonery and his racism and xenophobia and to hold him and the GOP accountable for them. Fine, prescient advice, in my opinion. His heresy again was comparing the Reichstag election of 1932 with the election of Trump in 2016, and so Americas most-quoted bioethicist went on the blacklist. Once again, there was no suggestion that Caplan has brought partisan politics into his teaching. Case 3: Turning Point dug even deeper with Mark V. Tushnet, a law professor at Harvard. They objected to a post on a law blog centering on civil liberties, in which he argued that social conservatives have lost the culture war, and liberals should "take a hard line" with them, like that taken with the Confederates after the Civil War, segregationists after Brown v. Board of Education, and the Germans and Japanese after WWII. It was the last two that offended Turning Point; as weve seen, they will not tolerate any comparison between Trump and the alt-right or Nazis. Again, Turning Point produced absolutely no evidence Tushnet had said any of these things in a classroom; again, he was blacklisted for simply expressing his views as a private citizen, on a specialized online blog. In all three cases I cite, Turning Point, despite their mission statement, singled out university faculty solely for what they wrote in the media. In at least two of the three cases, the result was hate mail. None of this had anything to do with teaching. Turning Point is not a Recognized Student Organization at UNL; they havent found a faculty adviser. I myself have advised many right-leaning organizations here -- College Republicans, Young Americans for Freedom, Americans for Prosperity and Huskers for Rubio -- to name just four. But I would not touch Turning Point with a 10-foot-pole. Why? Because, strange as it might seem to our too-numerous lunatic fringe, I count among my friends at UNL many on the left of the political spectrum. Sen. Ben Sasse has argued that, to most citizens, politics should not be so important. Human relationships are more important than disagreement over the distribution of wealth. Why would I help in any way a group that would blacklist my friends and colleagues? I suspect most other conservative and libertarian faculty feel the same way. UNL simply doesnt need the style of political discourse that Turning Point USA stands for. Should we allow in more highly educated and technically skilled workers under an expanded H1B visa program as proposed by President Trump and supported by Nebraska Taxpayers for Freedom? As a consequence, that would put our highly educated workers in competition for jobs and driving down wages and salaries. College graduates here already suffer under $1 trillion in debt while many in other countries, like Germany or Saudi Arabia, pay nothing for a college education. If Americans cannot earn enough to pay off their loans in a reasonable amount of time, they might decide to study abroad themselves. Germany already has a new program, "Making it in Germany," to attract the same workers Trump wants. As for DACA and amnesty, we should look at the "push" factors contributing to mass migrations, such as the negative impact the North American Free Trade Agreement has had on Mexicans, who often cannot afford to buy food. What goes around comes around. We might think of that when we negotiate multilateral trade deals and immigration reform without considering what is in it for the average American Joe or Joan or those beyond our borders. David McCreary, Lincoln RAYMOND A Cudahy man has been charged with five felony counts after allegedly attacking a runaway teen, stealing from her and attempting to sexually force himself on her. Jeremy A. Randall, 33, of the 2600 block of East Adams Court, was charged Wednesday with felony counts of robbery with use of force, substantial battery, physical abuse of a child, intentionally causing bodily harm, intent to contribute to the delinquency of a child and strangulation and suffocation. According to the criminal complaint: Deputies spoke with a 16-year-old girl earlier this year at the Racine County Juvenile Detention Facility. The teen said she had run away and accepted a ride from a man named Black, who was later identified as Randall, who picked her up on March 15 in Milwaukee, asked if she wanted to smoke marijuana with him and took her to Chicago. The teen, who had been in foster care in Milwaukee, has a history of being a habitual runaway, according to authorities. In Chicago, Randall allegedly called a man he identified as Cuz. After arriving at Cuzs house, Randall reportedly tried to force himself on the teen. When she yelled, Randall threw the teen out of the residence and left her there. Cuz reportedly let the teen stay at his home, had sexual contact with her and gave her $20 and his phone number. Randall allegedly returned that evening, and even though the teen was afraid of Randall, she left with him to get back to Milwaukee. On their way back, she and Randall pulled off the Interstate near Highway G in Caledonia, the complaint says. Randall reportedly asked the teen for a sexual favor and when she refused, he got out of the car and allegedly grabbed, hit and choked the teen until she was unable to breathe and then stole $20 from her. He then left in his vehicle. After investigating, police were able to identify Black as Randall. The teen also picked Randall out of a photo lineup. Randall remained in custody as of Wednesday afternoon, online records showed. He has a preliminary hearing scheduled for Sept. 28 in Racine County Circuit Court. Image: Samuel Engelking The director of one of Toronto's top calendar events, Pride Toronto, Olivia Nuamah wants to be treated like a white male heading a company. In an exclusive interview with IBNS Canada's Suman Das and Asha Bajaj, she shares how her organisation has managed to get people to care about the LGBTQ community. Nuamah also talks about how it all started, while tracing back her roots. Excerpts: Tell us a bit about your past. How did a DJ playing in clubs in Canada and England end up as the director of Pride Toronto? I started...I guess it was in the mid nineties when I went to university. I decided that I needed to have money and started working part time and was a DJ. When I graduated from university, that job was very helpful. Then I left for the U.K. and continued in my DJ career and eventually decided I wanted to work in public policy or social policy. So I quickly found a job working for homeless people in Manchester for a couple of years and then moved to London, where I started working in public policy. Do you think your role there helped you understand the role you've presently undertaken. If yes, how? When I moved from Manchester to London I moved to east end of London where I worked as a community development worker with different communities, mostly with people from India and Pakistan. I learnt a lot from there. That was probably my most valued learning experience. I learnt a lot about identity and racism. Different communities taught me different things because they had history and politics and brought back this history with them to the U.K. and it was an honour to learn from them. At the same time, I was also into advocacy works and one of the two things that I worked on was in an organisation for Asian Women Society, which dealt with domestic violence and shelter of the said community. This community lived in part of east London where there was a lot of racial harassment. These were newly immigrant communities mostly from Pakistan, Bangladesh who suffered a lot of racial harassment because they lived near poor white communities. So, I started working on racial harassment and violence against those communities.Then we started to campaign about a black man who was murdered in his neighbourhood and the police did not do a good job about it. It was mostly the Asian communities and we got together and decided no more. After about six or seven years we managed to get the police to re-investigate the case and when they re-investigated they found through DNA testing the people who did it but because they had handled the evidence so badly and because they did not care about the person who was murdered, they got away. So we decided we were going to fight. In the inquiry that followed, it was found that the police had problems with racism. That was a big win for us, because the police had to do a lot of work and change the way they worked. And so when this job came along eventually, I decided that the experience that I had in London...How to negotiate with police, could have a better outcome. As we all know that the Pride speaks about 'inclusivity' and yet the Uniformed Toronto Police did not take part in this year's Pride. Why did that fall out take place and what are you, as the boss, doing in order to get them to join the parade in 2018? There are lots going on. We are hoping to solve it. Both the police and we are willing to come to a solution for next year and hope that this does not exist next year. The people who said No to this, we will hear their demands and find a way through. We will spend one year to solve this problem talking to police and people. In one of the past interviews with Pride, you have stated that your focus is on community development. Tell us how do you plan to accomplish that? I have not been here that long but I have certainly managed to get people to care about the organisation by making sure we are representing what they think and feel. Maybe in the past, people felt Pride Toronto did not represent what they think. Police are a good example. Number of people outside the organisation think that the police should not be involved. May be this organisation in the past would not have listened to this. Because police being involved is important in organisation functions and important in festival functions. People over time have been saying they do not think police should be involved. There are a number of people in the communities who feel we have grown closer to them in doing what they want us to do. People both inside and outside the community are not comfortable with police being involved in the Toronto Pride Parade. Can you tell us a little about your personal life? My story is one that I think a lot of women feel but do not say it loud and only express internally. I was very happily married for 20 years had a loving husband and had two beautiful children in London. When I came out of the marriage five years ago, it was difficult for my family and difficult for me and my children, but I felt that it was being unfair to my children, myself and to him by trying to live a life that I knew other people wanted me to live. I had to listen to my heart...That was my life. A lot of people face difficulties while coming out. How was your experience? The difficulty is not in coming out, the difficulty is getting people to believe that you are not straight. It is because they have an idea in mind what somebody gay looks like and sounds like. Even if I tell them I am gay they do not treat me or associate me being gay. That is not hard for me. But for people who think they are gay, they have a problem. Coming back to Pride, you share a healthy relationship with Chief Saunders ( current Chief of Police of the Toronto Police Service), while the same cannot be said about the respective organisations you two work for. Is this a case of a conflict between personal and professional interests? If yes, what's the way forward? With Chief Saunders, the relationship is not bad. We seem to be moving forward. But inside our community some are supportive and some are less supportive and everybody in between. This year what we are trying to do is get people to talk to each other more and try to agree together what we should do next. It would be hard for sure but we are determined that what ever we agree we will agree together and those who do not agree will live with it and that is what democracy is. So we will do it using democratic principles. As a boss of Pride Toronto what's your goal for Pride in upcoming years? The most important thing is to put on good festivals.That is the priority for us. Second thing is to bring the communities together more harmoniously. This has been a difficult year and a half. There have been very difficult conversations. Instead of being angry we have to listen to their complaints and give consensus and compromise. That is what we are trying to do. In the past 2 years the Prime Minister of Canada has been participating along with other politicians more in the Pride Toronto events. Do you think theres a motive behind it? Participation never hurts any body. The Pride Toronto has a big following. People see him (Justin Trudeau) marching. They feel happy when a politician says that we embrace you and he does that. He seems a genuine fellow. He is always embracing and very kind. We also appreciate the element that members of community are not asking why he did not come to the parade. You have worked with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair in his eradication of child poverty programme. Do you think that experience is helping you now in doing what you are doing or planning to do? Absolutely. I learnt everything I know from that labour government which was in place for seven years. Working with poor communities is something I learnt under Tony Blair and I bring that into every job I have and all of the skills it takes to talk to people who are poor and disabled and to understand what they want. We have done a story on Toronto based Michael Garron Hospital in which the hospital had put an end to referring to patients as him or her on the basis of their sexual orientation. Instead of referring to the signs in the washrooms as "male" or "female", the picture of "toilet" or "sink" are put outside the washroom. How big a step do you think this is? It is a huge step. The language around gender is as almost as toxic as language about racism. Sometimes we have to learn to speak differently. Now it turns out language around gender was accepted yesterday but not acceptable today. It is a huge step when you see society deciding what it wants. The people should feel safe and acceptable. More people are feeling confident in saying they were born a certain gender but they do not feel that gender. The gender they feel is what ever it is and even if it is a non-gender, they will like to be addressed in a different way. It is same way we address disabled people. Do you think that the liberal government that is in power at the federal and provincial level is more helpful for the community to grow compared to the Conservative government? This community owes a gratitude to liberal govt who has introduced Bill C-16 (protection of gender identity and expression) amongst many others. They have been openly embracing of us as a community. They have been very open and I am grateful. On the other hand, we have the Conservative government, who finds it hard to go to pride events and regularly advocates for the policies that continues to see same sex couple differently and constituted families as a threat. This party we want to be in partnership with, but we find it hard to engage, because we want cross-party support not only for the festivals but also for the community. You have been quoted as saying by The Globe and Mail "I want to be taken as seriously as a white man in a leadership role". Why do you think in a developed country such as Canada do you need to fight such prejudice in this day and age? I have been in a number of leadership roles. And for sure it feels harder to be taken seriously for a lot of reasons. When I said that...What I was trying to say was that sometimes people do not think that I am supposed to be a leader in a big organisation, because they look at me and think and I do not fit what a leader looks like in an organisation and they treat me that way. While saying that I was hoping to live my life in a world at some point where I am treated the same as a white man leading in an organisation. At the moment that is not the case. (Questions compiled by Sudipto Maity) Image: Samuel Engelking Connect with Suman: @surasum and Sudipto: @maightyman Srinagar, Sep 21 (IBNS): Two people were injured as Pakistan violated ceasefire in Arnia sector of Jammu district in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday, media reports said. The Pakistan army resorted to firing without any provocation to which the Border Security Force (BSF) retaliated. The injured people have been shifted to Ramgarh hospital. Firing is still going on. Image: Screengrab from YouTube Hyderabad, Sep 21 (IBNS): Acting on a tip-off, a major child bride racket was busted in Hyderabad, leading to the arrest of at least 20 people, including foreign nationals, reports said. Among those arrested by the city police are five Omani sheikhs, three Qatari sheikhs and three qazis. The kingpin has been identified as Farid Ahmed Khan, a resident of Mumbai and a chief qazi by profession. The operation was initiated based on information passed down by a 16-year-old girl, who was interviewed by a 50-year-old sheikh for marriage, Times of India reported. After raiding four lodges in the city, police concluded that these were used as dens for child bride trafficking. This led to the arrest of five middlemen and four hotel owners. During the operation, an Omani sheikh was caught red-handed, who was about to wed a 16-year-old girl. Police also freed at least 12 minor girls from the gang. The perpetrators have been identified as Al Mayahi Habib Ali Issa, Al Salhi Talib Humeid Ali, Al Ubaidani Juma Shinoon Sulaima, Al Salehi Nasser Khalifa Hamed and Al Qasimi Hassan Mazaaul Mohamed, who hail from Oman. The Qatari sheikhs have been identified as Omer Mohammed Seraj Abdal Rahman, Hamad Jabir O Al-Kuwari and Safeldin Mohamed Mohamednour Salih. The Mumbai-based qazi would charge a sum of Rs 70,000 for overseeing the weddings, reports revealed. Following his arrest, Khan confessed to have aided in the marriages and provide the couples with counterfeited certificates. V Satyanarayana, DCP south zone, was quoted as saying, "Usually after the marriage, the couple need to seek permission from the state minority department, where the marriage was performed, to get a No Objection Certificate (NOC) so that the women can get their visa easily. However, in this case, we found that the certificate was issued in Mumbai." The task was a joint operation by the Mumbai and the Hyderabad police. Image: Screengrab from YouTube New Delhi, Sep 21 (IBNS): Reacting to the Rohingya issue on Thursday, home minister Rajnath Singh said it is irrelevant to criticise the central government when Burma (Myanmar) is willing to take back the illegal immigrants, media reports said. "If Burma is willing to take them back, why criticise the central government?" Singh raised a question on Thursday, lashing out at opposition parties. The home minister even stated that the Rohingyas are not the refugees but illegal immigrants. "There is a process of attaining the refugee status but none of them (Rohingyas) have gone through it" Singh said. He even denied to term the ongoing Rohingya crisis as a Human Rights issue. The Centre in last week filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court stating that the presence of Rohingyas Muslims in the country poses national security threats as intelligence reports suggest links of a section of the immigrants, branded stateless in Myanmar, with Pak-based terror groups. According to reports, the Centre also told the apex court that whether or not Rohingya refugees should be allowed to settle in the country be left to the executive. The top court had asked the government to file an affidavit following a petition against the deportation of the illegal immigrants to Myanmar. The Centre said in the apex court: As far as Rohingyas are concerned, they claimed to have entered from Myanmar using porous border between India and Myanmar. The total number of such illegal immigrants into our country would be more than 40,000 approximately as on date. Rohingya presence in the country has serious national security ramifications and it poses national security threats. Illegal influx of Rohingyasinto India started in 2012-13 and inputs suggest links of some of the immigrants with Pak-based terror groups. The Supreme Court has granted Centre time till October three to submit its response to petition filed by Rohingyas opposing proposed deportation. Image: Facebook page of Rajnath Singh New Delhi, Sep 21 (IBNS): Union Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said on Thursday that his ministry is organising aHunar Haata at Puducherry, from Sep 24 to 30, 2017 to provide market and opportunity to master artisans belonging to the minority communities. Minister Naqvi said that Hunar Haat, organised by Minority Affairs Ministry earlier at different places, have been very successful and encouraging for master artisans belonging to the poor sections of the minorities. Union Minister Naqvi and Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy will inaugurate the Hunar Haat, to be organised at Craft Bazaar, Gandhi Thidal Beach, Goubert Avenue, Puducherry. Master artisans from 16 stateswill be showcasing their traditional talent. Artisans will bring for display and sale, a wide variety of traditional and rare handicraft and handloom items, which will include Hyderabad pearl, wrought iron and wood carving, wooden and sandalwood items, hand-made jewellery, tie and dye, kantha embroidered Jeans bags, handloom bed sheets, ceramic/clay items, black stone pottery, hand embroidery, etc. Besides, Hand Painting, Zari bag and Wall Hanging, Mutava Handicraft, Ajrakh Print, Copper/Brass/Aluminium Handicrafts, Jute/Cane/Bamboo Product, Marble Inlay, Wooden-Toys/Gift Items, Block Printed dresses, Dry Flowers, Durry & Carpets, Bagh/Batik Print, Raparound Palazzo, Ladakh and Kashmiri Handicrafts, Lamps, Sea Ornaments, Attar, Applique, Bangles, Glassware and Maheshwari Saree etc will also be available. In an open space in Gandhi Thidal, traditional stalls are being constructed in the Hunar Haat where the visitors will also enjoy delicious foods from various parts of the country. Artisans from Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Gujarat, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland, Orissa, Puducherry and Uttarakhand etc are participating. The Ministry of Minority Affairs has organized Hunar Haat earlier also at different places. Recently, Hunar Haat had been organized at Baba Kharak Singh Marg, Cannaught Place in New Delhi, which was attended more than 26 lakh people, both domestic and foreign visitors. Image: PIB/Twitter Kolkata, Sep 21 (IBNS): In a landmark judgement, the Calcutta High Court on Thursday dismissed West Bengal government's decision to restrict the immersion of goddess Durga on Ekadashi (Oct 1) to allow Muharram celebration in the state. A division bench, comprising Calcutta HC's newly appointed Chief Justice Rakesh Tiwari and Justice Harish Tandon, said that all Durga idols, which will reach the immersion ghats before 12 am on all days, including Ekadashi, can be immersed. The division bench has also directed the state administration to make adequate arrangements so that Durga immersion and Muharram processions can be done simultaneously in a harmony. While hearing the matter on Wednesday, the division bench criticized state government's curb on the immersion of goddess Durga for Muharram processions. Earlier on Aug 23, after holding a meeting with Durga puja organizers in Kolkata, CM Mamata Banerjee declared a curb on Durga idol immersion on Bijoya Dashami, Sept 30, after 6 pm. and on Ekadashi (Oct 1) whole day as Muharram is scheduled to be observed on the same day. Challenging the decision, at least three petitions were filed in the Calcutta High Court. Later, the Bengal government extended the immersion deadline till 10 pm on Dashami (Sep 30) but did not lift the ban on Durga idol immersion on Ekadashi (Oct 1) for Muharram celebration. Last year, the state government put same restrictions on Durga idol immersion for Muhharam and few puja organizers moved the Calcutta High Court against the decision. The High Court slammed state government for the announcement and granted additional time to the petitioners for idol immersion. (Reporting by Deepayan Sinha) Image: Internet Wallpaper Chennai, Sep 21 (IBNS) : Fuelling mass eagerness, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal arrived at the residence of Tamil superstar Kamal Haasan on Thursday for a meeting days after the actor and fimmaker hinted that he may join or launch a political party, media reports said. Kamal Hassan has recently said that he is not in a haste, if Rajnikanth enters politics, he will join hands with him. Reports suggest the two are likely to hold political discussions Kejriwal is likely to visit a state-run skill development centre during his short visit to Chennai. In an interview with news website The Quint on Thursday, Haasan referred to the sorry state of affairs in the states ruling AIADMK after the death of its leader J Jayalalithaa last year. This is the right time for me to come into active politics because everything that can possibly go wrong is going wrong, he said. We need better governance. I am not promising swift remedies. But I promise to start the process of change. Kolkata, Sep 21 (IBNS): Reacting to the Calcutta High Court's order that has rejected the West Bengal government's restrictions on immersion of Durga idols on the day of Muhhuram, chief minister Mamata Banerjee said she will do what she can to maintain the peace of the state, media reports said. Banerjee, while inaugurating a puja pandal in south Kolkata, said:"Someone can slit my throat, but no one can tell me what to do. I will do what I can to keep peace." In a landmark judgement, the Calcutta High Court on Thursday dismissed West Bengal government's decision to restrict the immersion of goddess Durga on Ekadashi (Oct 1) to allow Muharram celebration in the state. A division bench, comprising Calcutta HC's newly appointed Chief Justice Rakesh Tiwari and Justice Harish Tandon, said that all Durga idols, which will reach the immersion ghats before 12 am on all days, including Ekadashi, can be immersed. The division bench has also directed the state administration to make adequate arrangements so that Durga immersion and Muharram processions can be done simultaneously in a harmony. While hearing the matter on Wednesday, the division bench criticized state government's curb on the immersion of goddess Durga for Muharram processions. Earlier on August 23, after holding a meeting with Durga puja organizers in Kolkata, WB CM Mamata Banerjee declared a curb on Durga idol immersion on Bijoya Dashami, Sept 30, after 6 pm. and on Ekadashi (Oct 1) whole day as Muharram is scheduled to be observed on the same day. Challenging the decision, at least three petitions were filed in the Calcutta High Court. Later, the West Bengal government extended the immersion deadline till 10 pm on Dashami (Sep 30) but did not lift the ban on Durga idol immersion on Ekadashi (Oct 1) for Muharram celebration. Last year, the state government put same restrictions on Durga idol immersion for Muhharam and few puja organizers moved the CalcuttaHigh Court against the decision. The High Court slammed the state government for the announcement and granted additional time to the petitioners for idol immersion. KANSASVILLE The mother of a Kansasville teen found drowned Wednesday morning has been charged after allegedly violating bond conditions and inhaling from compressed air cans. Pauline F. Sanders, 39, of the 22000 block of Deer Meadow Drive, Kansasville, was charged Thursday with five counts of felony bail jumping and a misdemeanor count of intentionally abusing a hazardous substance. Sanders was being held as of Thursday afternoon at the Racine County Jail on a $50,000 cash bond and is court ordered not to have contact with her children, husband or be in possession of alcohol and controlled substances. According to the criminal complaint: On Monday, the father of Sanders children was out of town for work and Sanders, who allegedly has a history of substance abuse, was reportedly observed inhaling from aerosol cans. The children repeatedly tried to stop Sanders by taking away the compressed air cans from her possession, but their mother allegedly kept producing more. One of the children also took video footage of Sanders huffing. When one of Sanders children texted their father about their mothers substance abuse, he reportedly returned home Tuesday. Her son, Austin Sanders, 15, was apparently upset by his mothers huffing, did not attend classes Tuesday at Union Grove High School and told his father he was going fishing. At approximately 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, police and rescue personnel responded to the Sanders home due to a possible drowning. Austin J. Sanders was reportedly found in a pond about 200 yards from the Sanders home. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The complaint states that multiple bottles of the air duster compressed air cans were found near Austins body. The father also allegedly told officers a can of air was in Austins hand when he was found. Racine County Court Commissioner John Bjelajac on Thursday granted Pauline Sanders one exception to his no-contact order with her husband and children. That was made for the day of Austins funeral, which as of Thursday had not been set. Its tragedy to the nth degree, Bjelajac said. Im going to leave it to the Racine County Jail policy and to defense counsel to figure out her possible attendance at the funeral of her son. Im not going to make that an official part of the court order, Im just saying that if she is allowed to attend the funeral my no-contact provision shall not apply during that time period. Past incidents In a June 8 incident in which Pauline Sanders reportedly got drunk, yelled profanities at and allegedly hit one of her children, she was charged with child abuse, intentionally causing harm and disorderly conduct. As a result of those charges, Pauline Sanders was ordered not to possess or consume alcohol, not have contact with her family or be at their residence. She allegedly violated bond conditions for that case by her actions at the Kansasville home this week. Pauline Sanders reportedly admitted to huffing to avoid detection from her continuous alcohol monitoring bracelet, the complaint said. In an April 2014 incident, Pauline Sanders reportedly got drunk and upset with one of her children after they found a bottle of vodka she was hiding in the oven. She also, while reportedly intoxicated, allegedly picked up one of her children from school and reportedly grabbed one of her children by the arm. But charges for that 2014 case, operating while intoxicated with a passenger under 16 years of age and disorderly conduct, were dismissed on a prosecutors motion. In February 2015, Pauline Sanders was convicted of two counts of operating while intoxicated with a minor in the vehicle and battery. Sanders was sentenced to five days in jail for each OWI charge and placed on two years of probation. Conditions included maintaining absolute sobriety and attending five self-help meetings per week until she was employed, and three a week after that. Sanders completed probation earlier this year on Feb. 28. Pauline Sanders is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing at 9 a.m. on Sept. 27 at the County Law Enforcement Center, 717 Wisconsin Ave. Wikimedia Commons Mumbai, Sept 21 (IBNS): Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Narayan Rane on Thursday announced his resignation from the Congress party. Rane submitted his resignation from the state Legislative Council to the Speaker at 2.25 pm on Thursday, media reports said. The politician informed in a press conference that he will announce his next decision after the Navratri. He also said that he will go on a state-wide tour. Rane had joined the Congress party after quitting the Shiv Sena 12 years ago. During the press conference after his resignation, Rane said he was humiliated by senior leaders like Ahmed Patel and Ashok Chavan. Just two movies old, director Rima Das is one for the future, reckon veteran film critics. Her movie Village Rockstars garnered lavish praise at the recently concluded Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and has been hailed as the best Indian film of 2017. IBNS Canada's Suman Das and Sudipto Maity find out what makes the filmmaker from Assam, whose first film was aAntardrishtia (Man with the Binoculars, 2016), tick. Excerpts: Rima, you wanted to be an actor. How did you end up as a director? I started as an actor and have been acting since my childhood. I was born and brought up in a very different kind of environment but grew up watching Bollywood films. Till the time I came to Mumbai (in 2007) I knew nothing about world cinema. It was in Mumbai where I got exposed to the larger film universe. Watching the international films, I somehow thought I could make a movie and tell my own story. I started with a short film, Pratha (2009). The film went to a couple of festivals and that gave me a lot of confidence to continue what I am doing presently. "Antardrishti" (Man with the Binoculars) was your first feature film. What inspired you to make it? When I decided on making movies, I tried a couple of short films, but the dream was always to make a feature film. I am someone who loves to express and I thought a feature was the best option for me to do so. It began somewhat like this...I was in my friends place and noticed a pair of binoculars. I was in the middle of finishing my short film and this friend was doing the background score. So as we spoke, he said that he had bought this binoculars for his retired father, who lives in a village. That was it...That was the starting point. Later on I worked on the story and developed the plot, which eventually took two years to finish. You grew up in the same village where your film Village Rockstars was shot. Did you use the movie as a time machine to travel back to your past and relive your childhood? After staying in Mumbai for nearly eight years, when I went back to my village to shoot my first feature film, Antardrishti (Man with the Binoculars), I realised what I was missing in life. In the city, we lead a materialistic life. Everything that we need is available there. Back in the village, after spending time there I realised what living in deprivation is. But these people were actually enjoying life. Yes, they endure hostility; they endure the natural calamities, but always move on. That inspired me. Without naming anyone...I have seen many Indian films showing village life and mostly its about poverty. I dont want that. I want to tell a positive story. I am from the same village and look Ive made it to Mumbai and my films have been to various international festivals, so why just uplift the poverty. We need hope, we need positivity. Films that showcase urban lifestyle shows children playing video games...I wanted to offer something new and that is how Village Rockstars came by. You shot for a period of three years to complete this movie. Keeping that in mind, the girl (actor) in the film must have gone through physical changes. Was it some sort of a challenge for you to keep the two, her growth physically and the story-line, intact? Yes. It was very difficult to manage. For the first 18 months, everything went well, but later on I had to use some techniques (laughs)...I had to restrict myself from using too many long shots. Fortunately, her face didnt change much! So why did you drag it for three years? Firstly, I was still in the post-production stage of my first film when I started shooting for the second one. Secondly, I had to travel to attend film festivals. Also because of the way I worked with the children...I worked with them in the morning before they departed for regular school and sometimes in the afternoon. With the shortage of a crew, I had to shoot the film in natural light, so that took a lot of time. Lastly, it was a learning process for me...Sometimes to get the perfect shot, I had to wait for ten-fifteen days. Another reason for the delay was that I wanted to show the whole season. A lot of sequence, the rains and floods are real. I wanted to make it perfect...At least to me. What the world thinks of my film is different, but I wanted to get the creative satisfaction. When did you decide that film-making was your true calling? As I said, I grew up watching Bollywood movies and after a period of time I realised that it was going to be hard for me to do a film...It needed a lot of funding and didnt have much. Bollywood also uses a lot of songs and dance, which I couldnt relate to. It was only after getting exposed to world cinema and watching certain international films, did I realise that I too could make a film...Like it could be done without dancing and singing. So I returned to my village, the place where I was born and shot my first film feature film there. Rima, in your film Village Rockstars, you used a lot of non-actors, people who have never faced a camera before. Was it very difficult? How was the experience of working with so many children and first timers? It was very challenging to be honest. But I love working with children...I feel I connect with them better. I feel like a child when Im with my parents. For my first film, Pratha, I worked with children and somehow I retained that confidence. But I wasnt that confident while casting the other characters (seniors), so I did a couple of workshops with them. Being an actor myself, helped me in that regard Your film shows gender bias in society. Was it something that came on its own or was it a very conscious effort from your side? Well, the story is about how the lead character, Dhunu, dreams of owning a guitar growing up in poverty and confronting natural calamities. It is all there...I could not have avoided it even if I wanted to. Gender bias exists in Indian society, in villages. But that was not by main theme. The movie is about hope and desire and how one dream even when faced with difficulties. While discussing Indian films, especially by foreigners, Bollywood movies crop up. As a regional and independent filmmaker, are you happy with that or do you want that attitude to change? Do you think regional movies are underrepresented? Probably yes, but again, it differs from one individual to another. At the moment, I am more into creating something. I still have a long way to go. What are your future plans? Making more and more movies (laughs). Image: Radha Bose/IBNS and TIFF Connect with Suman: @surasum and Sudipto: @maightyman New York, Sept 21(Just Earth News): Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, speaking at the same United Nations podium from which the United States yesterday denounced the accord curbing Iranas nuclear programme as one of the aworst deals ever,a on Thursday pledged his countryas continued adherence to the pact. I declare before you that the Islamic Republic of Iran will not be the first country to violate the agreement, but it will respond decisively and resolutely to its violation by any party, he told world leaders on the second day of the General Assemblys 72nd annual general debate. It will be a great pity if this agreement were to be destroyed by rogue newcomers to the world of politics, the world will have lost a great opportunity, he said. By violating its international commitments, the new US Administration only destroys its own credibility and undermines international confidence in negotiating with it, or accepting its word or promise. 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. Turning to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Rouhani said Iran never threatens anyone but also does not tolerate threats, adding that peace, security, stability and the progress of all nations are intertwined. It is not possible that a rogue and racist regime trample upon the most basic rights of the Palestinians, and the usurpers of this land enjoy security, he declared. It is reprehensible that the rogue Zionist regime that threatens regional and global security with its nuclear arsenal and is not committed to any international instrument or safeguard, has the audacity to preach peaceful nations. UN Photo/Cia Pak Source: www.justearthnews.com New York, Sept 21(Just Earth News): Noting that the only source of power in his country is its people, the President of Kyrgyzstan highlighted that the countryas path to sustainable development has a focus on ensuring the Kyrgyz peoples welfare and prosperity. Over the last five years, extreme poverty has fallen by 45 per cent, said Almazbek Atambaev, adding that system-wide efforts have been introduced to address corruption and that the country has embarked on major projects to improve infrastructure, achieve energy independence and create a stable energy sector. Kyrgyzstan is among the most free and stable in the Euro-Asian region and boasts a strong civil society, he highlighted. In his address to the 72nd annual general debate at the United Nations General Assembly, President Atambaev said Kyrgyzstan is elaborating a strategy for sustainable development through 2040, which is aimed at creating jobs, ensuring social well-being, raising living standards and promoting a parliamentary democracy with a strong civil society. Turning to the challenges posed by climate change, he said that being a mountainous country, Kyrgyzstan is particularly prone to its effects, with all sectors feeling the impact. Calling the transition to sustainable development a matter of survival, the President said the protection of endangered wildlife, such as the snow leopard, is also critical. Further in his remarks, the Kyrgyz President underscored that future prosperity is, in part, contingent on the effective use of scarce water resources, he urged for cooperation among countries to resolve any disputes. In conclusion, he also drew attention to the increasing threat of terrorism and extremism and urged international collaboration and cooperation to combat the scourge, including through tackling the issue of money-laundering and drug trafficking. UN Photo/Cia Pak New York, Sept 21(Just Earth News): As civilians continue to bear the brunt of the conflict in Yemen, two United Nations Special Advisers have voiced their concern over continued allegations of grave human rights abuses and expressed support for the call by the High Commissioner for Human Rights to establish an international investigation. According to the Office of the High Commissioner (OHCHR), the total number of verified civilian casualties since March 2015 stands at 13,920, including 5,159 people killed and 8,761 injured. The actual numbers are likely to be far higher, said the Office, which also noted that coalition airstrikes continue to be the leading cause of civilian casualties, including of children. In addition, the UN estimates that 17 million people are food insecure, including seven million people on the brink of famine. The unprecedented rise in the cholera epidemic has reached over 690,000 suspected cases with 2,090 associated deaths the largest ever outbreak in a single year. We call on the international community and particularly the Security Council and Human Rights Council to take action to end the carnage and remedy this man-made crisis, Adama Dieng, Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, and Ivan Simonovic, Special Adviser on the Responsibility to Protect, said in a statement issued on Tuesday. The international community has a moral and legal responsibility to support accountability in Yemen by immediately establishing an impartial international mechanism to comprehensively investigate allegations of serious abuses and violations of human rights law and international humanitarian law committed by all parties to the conflict, and their allied forces with a view to ending impunity. The perpetrators must be brought to account. Justice must be served to the victiIt is incumbent on the international community to halt the suffering that is being inflicted on the Yemeni population, the Advisers stated. OHCHR said yesterday it was very disturbed that civilians, including children, continue to be killed in attacks carried out by both the Popular Committees affiliated with the Houthis and army units loyal to the former President, Ali Abdullah Saleh, as well as by the Saudi-led coalition. Just over the past five days, the Office has confirmed that three children died and seven others were injured in attacks by Houthi/Saleh forces in the Salah district of the city of Taizz; while a coalition airstrike in Marib killed a further five children along with seven adults. These are just the latest in a series of incidents that demonstrate the horrific impact on children and families, and all civilians, of the ongoing brutal war, OHCHR spokesperson Rupert Colville told reporters in Geneva. Once again, we urge all sides to exercise restraint and to cease all indiscriminate attacks and take all possible precautions to properly distinguish military objectives from civilian objects and to ensure that their attacks are never directed either at civilians or civilian objects. Photo: Giles Clarke/OCHA Source: www.justearthnews.com New York, Sept 21(Just Earth News): The most effective way to solve problems that affect the worldas people is always placing human beings at the centre of all decisions, the President of Panama told the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday, stressing that his country, which joins North and South and which is bordered by the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, would continue to be a beacon of cooperation and understanding. I have always been aware of Panamas calling as facilitator of dialogue and understanding; a country [that will] work in the service of the international community [and] contribute our resources to address the common problems affecting the region contributing to wider peace and security, Juan Carlos Varela Rodriguez said in his address to the Assemblys annual general debate. While the countries of the wider region, including Colombia, are indeed making solid progress, he said our continent faces a problem which transcends borders: increasing production of drugs and drug trafficking, he said calling on leaders to tackle this pressing challenge head on. Panama, for its part, reiterated its commitment to maintain a fight against drug trafficking, putting all its capacities and resources at the service of the region to eliminate the scourge. At the same time, I appeal to the leaders and Heads of State of producing countries and consumers of drugs to support us in this struggle; every dollar generated by the drug trafficking represents a death in our region, he underscored. Turning to Venezuela, he said it would be a serious miscalculation for that countrys Government to try to impose a single-party political model. Among other things, such an action would increase outward migration. Amid such challenges, he vowed to remain on the front line of efforts to strengthen unity among countries of the Americas and called on Panamas neighbours to do to the same. We do not have time and space to waste in squabbling amongst ourselves, he said as he turned to global challenges. Condemning all acts of terrorism, he called on the Security Council to strengthen measures to foster lasting peace in such places as Syria and Iraq, and condemned the irresponsible leadership of such Governments as that in the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, which sought to destabilize regions. UN Photo/Cia Pak New York, Sept 21(Just Earth News): Recalling the situation in Libya since the 2011 revolution, Faiez Mustafa Serraj, the President of the Presidency Council of the Government of National Accord said that international support is essential to ensure progress in the country. The Political Agreement which had been reached between the different parties after two years of negotiations remains the cornerstone for building new political institutions and transition in the country, he said, noting that the aim is to ensure broad and inclusive participation; the transition is vital to achieve stability. In his address to the 72nd annual general debate at the United Nations General Assembly, Serra announced that all parties in the country are ready to meet the challenges confronting Libya. He further informed that those displaced within Libya are now returning to their homes and that the Government is working to establish stability. On the economic side, he announced that oil production reached about one million barrels per day and urged for the resumption of international financial assistance as well as the repayment of Libyan financial assets abroad which have resulted in enormous losses to the country. Speaking on migration and human trafficking, he expressed that no one country can tackle the issue by itself and urged for international support for his country to address the challenges it confronts. Also in his address, Serraj reiterated the need for strategic partnerships with friendly countries, and drew attention to the ongoing work to unify the countrys security forces and to make them capable of confronting the threats posed by terrorists. He also informed the General Assembly of adoption of new laws, with the technical support of the UN, to ensure protection of human rights in the country. UN Photo/Cia Pak Source: www.justearthnews.com New York, Sept 21(Just Earth News): Kuwait intends to host an international donors conference in the coming year to help Iraq rebuild the areas devastated by the war against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or Daaesh) terrorist group, the Kuwaiti Prime Minister told the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday. The position of the State of Kuwait in condemning terrorism in all its forms and manifestations is principled and constant, said Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al Sabah, congratulating the Government and people of lraq on victories that its forces are achieving on the ground against ISIL. He expressed hope those victories and national reconciliation efforts will eventually create the appropriate environment for starting rebuilding and reconstruction efforts, and for the return of the refugees to their homes. He went on to note that Kuwait hosted international donor conferences in 2013, 2014 and 2015, in support of the humanitarian situation in Syria, and co-chaired the 4th international donor conference, held in London in February 2016, as well as the 5th international donor conference held in Brussels, in April 2017. On the Israel-Palestine conflict, the Prime Minister appealed to the international community and the UN Security Council to continue to pressure Israel to implement the UN resolutions towards the attainment of all the legitimate political rights of the Palestinian people, and the recognition of their own independent state, over their own territory, with East Jerusalem as its capital, along the borders of 4 June 1967. On the Security Council reform, he renewed his countrys call for the necessity of that15-member body to reflect new international realities and ensure permanent Arab representation commensurate with the number of Arab States and their contribution in supporting the different activities of the United Nations. UN Photo/Cia Pak Source: www.justearthnews.com New York, Sept 21(Just Earth News): Stressing that terrorism and violent extremism continue to cause much suffering around the globe, Paolo Gentiloni, the President of the Council of Ministers of Italy, called for broad collaboration among countries as well as regional and global organizations to successfully tackle the threat. In particular, he underscored the need to act against all the dimensions employed by terrorist groups, including the Internet and social media, as well as financing of terrorist activities. In his address to the 72nd general debate at the United Nations General Assembly, Gentiloni also highlighted Italys close involvement in assisting crisis-struck countries around the world, and said that addressing such distressing situations, such as many conflicts across Africa, required dialogue and reconciliation. Turning to the heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula due to the Democratic Peoples Republic of Koreas (DPRK) nuclear weapons development programme, he underlined that unity in the international community and determination in its response is vital. Full implementation of the pertinent Security Council resolutions [] is crucial [] North Korea must immediately end its missile and nuclear proliferation and all provocative actions, he said. He also noted the progress made by the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) under which Iran reaffirmed that it would not seek, develop or acquire nuclear weapons and said that it remains a success story in the framework of global efforts to counter the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Further in his remarks, the Italian leader stressed the importance of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and expressed his countrys pledge to do its part to ensure its strong implementation. Gentiloni also expressed his nations support for the reform plans proposed by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres as well as his focus on empowerment of women and girls, and gender equality. UN Photo/Cia Pak Source: www.justearthnews.com New York, Sept 21(Just Earth News): Portugalas Prime Minister AntAnio Luis Santos da Costa took the podium of the General Assembly to reiterate his countryas support of the Secretary-Generalas agenda, which includes boosting conflict prevention activities and creating a stronger more adaptable world Organization. Your priorities, Secretary General, are the same as ours: an Organization that is stronger, offers greater solidarity and is capable of preventing conflicts, alleviating human suffering and promoting peace and prosperity, the Minister said, also mentioning the importance of having a more transparent, more effective and more adaptable UN. As for organizational reform, he said consolidating a culture of conflict prevention requires action across the board and an integrated vision of the three pillars of the UN system peace, human rights and sustainable development as well as closer institutional cooperation between the organs of the Charter, namely the General Assembly and the Security Council. Santos Costa said the Security Council must be reformed to ensure a better representation of on Thursdays world. The African continent cannot be denied a permanent presence, and Brazil and India are also two inescapable examples, he added in his address to the Assemblys annual general debate. During his speech, he positioned Portugal as a multilateral country contributing to the battle against terrorism, supporting the protection of migrants and refugees, and makes participation in peacekeeping operations one of the clearest priorities of its foreign policy. Multilateralism is the only framework for the defense of the common good of humanity and the collective promotion of peace, security and development. In no way does it diminish the sovereignty of each nation, nor the capacity for decision of their people and institutions, he told world leaders. UN Photo/Cia Pak Source: www.justearthnews.com RACINE A man and woman accused of keeping a 9-year-old girl locked in a dog kennel each pleaded not guilty to child abuse and imprisonment charges on Wednesday in Racine County Circuit Court. Gail LaLonde, the girls grandmother, and Dale Deavers each were charged with causing mental harm to a child and false imprisonment on Sept. 8, two days after Racine County sheriffs deputies were called to their Town of Norway home and reportedly found a dog kennel, which measured 4 feet, 10 inches in height, 4 feet in length and 8 feet in width. In separate arraignments on Wednesday morning, Deavers, 58, and LaLonde, 46, pleaded not guilty to those charges, as well as two other felony counts of manufacturing/delivering marijuana and maintaining a drug trafficking place for allegedly maintaining a marijuana-growing operation in the basement of the Town of Norway home located in the 22000 block of Eight Mile Road. Investigators searching the residence earlier this month reportedly found 23 live marijuana plants and 121.9 grams of dried marijuana. According to criminal complaints, deputies were called to the home after the 9-year-old girl told a teacher at her Town of Norway elementary school that her grandmother had been locking her in a cage at night. The girl reportedly mentioned the cage after she showed up at school that day with a very short haircut. When her teacher asked about it, the girl said the short haircut was punishment from LaLonde after the girl tried to cut her own hair. The girl then mentioned the cage. Investigators who located the cage reported that it had a cardboard floor and a few blankets, but no pillow. The girl and a sibling have been removed from the residence and placed into protective custody by Racine County Human Services. Racine County Court Commissioner Alice Rudebusch set bond for each defendant at $55,000 earlier this month, but on Wednesday only Deavers, who posted the full of amount of his bond last week, appeared out of custody. LaLonde remained in the Racine County Jail as of Wednesday evening. If convicted, Deavers and LaLonde each face up to 7 years in prison for the charge of causing mental harm to a child, as well as up to a total of 7 years in prison on the remaining charges. Past trauma According to the criminal complaint, LaLonde told deputies that she caged the girl in order to keep her safe. LaLonde claimed that no matter where she put the girl to sleep she would get into everything and ingest anything she can get her hands on, the criminal complaint states. LaLonde said she had been locking the girl in the cage at night for about two weeks. The girl was reportedly locked in the cage from 8 each night until about 7 a.m. the next day, and also occasionally throughout the day. The school social worker reportedly told an investigator that the girl has medical and psychological conditions and had experienced substantial emotional trauma during her early childhood, before the cage incident. The counselor said such trauma has caused the girl to be continually concerned for her own safety, and she will act out when she feels her safety is being violated. The counselor reportedly added, however, that locking the girl in a cage in a basement would increase her feelings of insecurity and fear. Pre-trial conferences for both Deavers and LaLonde are scheduled for 8:15 a.m. on Oct. 27 at the county Law Enforcement Center, 717 Wisconsin Ave. New York, Sept 21(Just Earth News): On the second day of the United Nations General Assemblyas high-level debate, Donald Tusk, President of the European Council, underscored that the UN must rise to address many global challenges, including forced displacement and terrorism. Tusk said the European Union (EU) continues to receive people in need of protection. He echoed his appeal to the international community to take responsibility for refugee protection and irregular migration, underscoring the EUs support of the UN process to develop Global Compacts on Refugees and on Regular, Safe and Orderly Migration. Your engagement is needed right now, both in terms of money for humanitarian assistance, and more resettlement for those displaced by conflicts in Syria, Yemen, Myanmar, and especially across Africa, he told the Assembly. In connection with the refugee crisis, Tusk urged a crackdown on human smugglers that exploit vulnerable people and violate sovereign borders, and welcomed the International Criminal Court investigation on smugglers in Libya for crimes against humanity. Against the backdrop of repeated terrorist attacks, he stressed the need for the constant strengthening of the global fight against that scourge and violent extremism, including doing more on counter-radicalization. He reiterated his plea to the worlds Muslim leaders to stand strong against Islamist extremism as a real support in fighting terrorism. In short, the President said we must be more determined than they are. In his address, the President of Finland called the Secretary-Generals determination to reform the UN laudable, spotlighting that transparency, accountability, efficiency and gender balance should be the guiding principles of the UN system. Sauli Niinisto also welcomed the Secretary-Generals focus on conflict prevention, advocating for the marginalized to be given a voice in peace processes. Women, children and adolescents often pay the highest price in conflicts but they can also help to pave a way out of the crisis, he told the Assembly, while pointing to Finlands contribution in establishing a Nordic network of women mediators who provide inclusive and meaningful participation in all phases of peace processes. Pledging his support for UN peacekeeping reform, he drew attention to Finlands increased participation in UN police missions now through seven UN operations, including a specialized team on sexual and gender based violence in South Sudan. It is my strong view that no UN peacekeeper nor any other UN personnel should be associated with misconduct of any shape or form. In particular, there must be zero tolerance with regard to sexual exploitation and abuse, he stressed. Turning to the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, Niinisto called that countrys nuclear weapons programme a threat to global peace and stability, that must be stopped. While stressing the importance of the continued unity of the Security Council, he underscored: Such behaviour cannot be tolerated by the international community. Before leaving the podium, Niinisto expressed his strong belief that global challenges and threats be addressed together by the world community. Peace and security, human rights and development belong to all of us. Only together can we make this world a better place, he concluded. Also taking the podium, President Rumen Radev of Bulgaria spoke in depth about international peace and its links to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), telling the Assembly that the UN peace and security architecture, together with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, have provided a solid foundation for achieving peace and prosperity. Radev stressed that Bulgaria supports a surge in diplomacy for peace that places prevention as an overarching priority. Prevention and mediation are essential means of reducing human suffering, including in addressing the root causes of forced displacements, bringing humanitarian, development and peace-building efforts together, he elaborated. The President pointed out that armed conflicts in many parts of the world continued to undermine peace and human values, asserting that protracted conflicts require a holistic UN response encompassing preventive diplomacy, mediation, peace-building and effective special political missions. Calling climate change one of the biggest challenges of our time, he noted that the phenomenon not only impedes the well-being of countries, but also poses security threats to many of them. Radev wrapped up his address by drawing attention to the need for promoting equality, countering discrimination and ensuring respect for human rights as keys to achieving lasting peace and sustainable development, saying we believe that the protection of human rights should be placed at the centre of all action undertaken by the UN. For his part, Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte pointed out that the problems confronting on Thursdays world, such as climate change, migration, terrorism and cybercrime, are by definition international. No single country can tackle them in isolation. We need each other. [] In this turbulent world, the importance of the UN is growing every day, he told the Assembly. The Prime Minister said cooperation is key when it comes to preventing terrorism, and that the UN is the prime forum for international cooperation. As a good example of cooperation, he pointed to the Global Counterterrorism Forum, saying its work is not high-profile most of it goes on behind the scenes but it saves many lives. Turning to conflict, Rutte flagged that not enough attention is being devoted to the early its early stages of development, saying That has to change. He pointed to the MINUSMA peacekeeping mission in Mali where the Netherlands is using intelligence to carry out long-range reconnaissance work in anticipation of conflict instead of waiting for it to happen. Conflict prevention ties in with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which he calls the ultimate prevention agenda as they address the drivers and root causes of instability and conflict. Investing in human dignity, eradicating poverty, fostering climate resilience and promoting economic and social progress will reduce the incidence of conflict, instability and despair. Development and lasting peace all in one package, Rutte maintained. UN Photo/Cia Pak Source: www.justearthnews.com New York, Sept 21(Just Earth News): While many governments are moving in the right direction, too many are falling short when it comes to protecting the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people, the United Nations human rights chief said on Thursday, urging all States to outlaw discrimination against this community. Speaking at a ministerial event during the General Assemblys high-level session, High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Raad Al Hussein said that he understood that in many parts of the world this is a difficult topic to broach. When pressed, officials sometimes tell me their hands are tied: the public, they say, will never accept equality for LGBTI people. But surely this is back to front. If public opinion is hostile towards LGBTI people, that makes it all the more urgent for governments to act to protect them, he said. Reports by his Office (OHCHR) frequently reveal a landscape of brutal violence and widespread discrimination, fuelled by negative public attitudes and in many cases actively sanctioned by the State, the High Commissioner noted. We ask all governments to allow individuals to love whom they choose, to outlaw discrimination, tackle hate crimes and the bullying so frequent in schools, and to protect intersex children from harm including by banning medically unnecessary surgery on intersex infants. The onus has to be on governments to protect and respect rights and explain to the public why these measures are needed, he added. While gay and lesbian people and to a lesser extent trans people have seen huge gains over the past 20 years, many of those gains are fragile and face backlash, stated High Commissioner Zeid. As always, when rights are rolled back, its minorities that are most exposed immigrants, religious minorities, racial minorities and, of course, lesbian, gay, bi, trans and intersex people. Invariably, those who lose the most are those who have the least to begin with the least power, money and public support, he said. He stressed that governments alone cannot end discrimination and called on all the media, schools, faith leaders, the business community to stand up for the human rights of LGBTI people. Next week the High Commissioner will be launching a new set of global standards, developed by his Office, which highlight the actions that businesses can and should take to end discrimination against LGBTI people, in the workplace and beyond. We must push forward and overcome the obstacles to equality in workplaces, schools, the law-courts and the streets. The time for justice is now. New York, Sept 21(Just Earth News): Addressing the general debate at the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly, leaders from South American countries urged the global community for greater cooperation and collaboration in addressing a range of pressing issues a from poverty to security challenges. Underscoring the importance of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), David Granger, the President of Guyana, said that the Goals represent the international communitys collective desire and determination to eradicate hunger and poverty, and ensure equal opportunities in education, employment and social justice for both men and women. However, advancement of these Goals, he noted, is obstructed by violations of human rights, as well as by conflicts and violence that is displacing many from their homes, adding that the challenge before the UN is to resolve to reinforce respect for the rights of citizens within the governance structures of [its] Member States. He also underscored the need to combat the impact of climate change, and expressed his countrys commitment to the Paris Agreement on climate change. Climate change is not a fiction of a few extremists, said the President, noting that most recently, Caribbean islands and North American countries had felt the devastating impact of five successive hurricanes. Also in his remarks, the Guyanese President reiterated that humanity must continue to striving for peace and highlighted the important role the UN through the International Criminal Court and the Security Council have in ensuring peace and respect for justice. Peace for the worlds peoples is the mandate of the UN. It can be achieved by addressing the worlds humanitarian crises, promoting justice within and between nations and resolving long-standing conflicts between states, he concluded. Also speaking on Thursday, Horacio Manuel Cartes Jara, the President of Paraguay, underscored the importance of the UN in confronting global challenges such as poverty and inequality, climate change, transnational crime, drug trafficking and terrorism. Reaffirming his countrys commitment for the implementation of the Paris Agreement, President Cartes Jara urged all States, and in particular those with greater responsibility for greenhouse gas emissions, to take all necessary measures to preserve the planet from the consequences of global warming. In Paraguay, we have taken a social responsibility perspective, by fostering greater production of clean and renewable energy, he said. The President also informed the Assembly of Paraguays efforts to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including building an innovative and inclusive institutional architecture to advance progress towards the SDGs and targets. He also spoke of work in his country to combat poverty, build opportunities for the indigenous and rural communities, promote greater investments, as well as increase transparency and efficiency in Government processes. Turning to the crisis emanating from the nuclear weapon development programme of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, the President reiterated Paraguays condemnation of the nuclear tests conducted by the DPRK, in clear defiance of its international obligations, and urged a firm rejection by the UN General Assembly of such acts by the country. Also addressing the General Assembly on Thursday, President Lenin Moreno Garces of Ecuador said the road to achieving peace and successfully implementing the SDGs depends on cooperation and dialogue. Reflecting on misuse of resources, the President asked: How could it be possible that resources allocated to implementing the SDGs have been wasted on the absurdity of war? He added that fallout from conflicts extends beyond economic damages they also rob people of true freedom and democracy. For this reason, he said, it is important to respect sovereignty of States and reject the notion that militarism is the solution, which, he stressed brings suffering, pain and death. Also in his remarks, Garces informed the General Assembly of a temporary bilateral ceasefire signed just a few days ago in the Ecuadorian capital, Quito, between Government of Colombia and an armed group, as an example of regional strides towards achieving peace. In conclusion, the President expressed optimism about coexisting in a more human, and just world, can be attributed to the power of dialogue, political decision-making power, and collective action. New York, Sept 21(Just Earth News): The European Union and the United Nations on Thursday launched a joint initiative to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls, one of the most widespread and devastating human rights violations across the globe. It is a harsh but true reality one in three women will face violence throughout their lifetime, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said at the launch event, held on the margins of the General Assemblys high-level annual debate. Violence against women and girls devastates lives, and causes pain across generations, he added. The EU-UN Spotlight Initiative is supported by a multi-stakeholder trust fund, with the EU as its main contributor in the order of half a billion Euro, which is open to other donors. The European Union is committed to combatting all forms of violence against women and girls, as they undermine our core fundamental rights and values, such as dignity, access to justice and gender equality, EU High Representative Federica Mogherini told the event. We need first to ensure that we keep women and girls safe, in order to empower them to deploy their full potential. Over the next few years, comprehensive programmes will be implemented to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls, such as sexual and gender-based violence and harmful practices; trafficking and economic exploitation; femicide; and domestic and family violence. Core areas of intervention will include strengthening legislative frameworks, policies and institutions, preventive measures, access to services and improving data gathering in Africa, Latin America, Asia, the Pacific and the Caribbean. Consistent with the principles of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the initiative will apply a rights-based approach, and give particular attention to the most marginalised women and girls in order to leave no-one behind. The Spotlight Initiative is truly historic, said Guterres. When we shine a spotlight on the empowerment of the worlds women and girls, everyones future is brighter. New York, Sept 21(Just Earth News): Transnational terrorism and use of force international relations, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, human rights violations and environmental fragility are but a few of on Thursdayas global challenges, the President of Ukraine to the United Nations General Assembly, calling on the world body to aact nowa to tackle those and pressing concerns. Now is the time to act, and although only a narrow window of opportunity exists, the United Nations should be at the forefront of that process, Petro Prorshenko told delegates in New York for the Assemblys 72nd annual general debate. He said Ukraine could not have agreed more with the call for the universal respect of sovereignty, as expressed in the General Assembly Hall yesterday. And while the UN was founded on the principles of peace and security, based on sovereignty and respect for borders, those principles had been flagrantly violated by a permanent Security Council member against his country. Ukraine has suffered from conflict for the last three years, resulting in the deaths of 10,000 people and the occupation of seven per cent of its territory, while 20 per cent of the economy has been seized, destroyed or simply stolen, Porshenko explained, adding that the most horrific [action] was the Kremlins tactic to increase human suffering. He said Russia has violated Security Council resolutions and ignored requests from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) for full access to the occupied parts of Crimea. The situation requires a proper response from the international community, he said, noting that Russia is not contributing to international security, but is rather its biggest threat, as it is in conflict with almost all its neighbours and has undermined every effort to restore Ukraines sovereignty. For decades, Ukraine had been a resolute contributor to global peace and security, he said, notably by giving up its nuclear arsenal. An advocate for non proliferation, Ukraine resolutely condemned the recent actions by the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, he said, also expressing deep concern over the conflict in Syria. Concerned by the numerous, unresolved conflicts in Africa, he expressed Ukraines commitment to the 2030 Agenda and implementation of the Paris Agreement. Kabul, Sep 21 (IBNS): Operatives of National Directorate of Security (NDS), the Afghan intelligence wing, have arrested at least four Taliban militants, foiling an attempt to stage a coordinated attack in Samangan province, local Khaama Press reported. Among the nabbed militants was a suicide bomber, who had planned to launch an attack in a complex, located in the province. The militants have been identified as Amruddin, Mohamamd Naeem, Rozatullah and Noor Aqa. A suicide bombing vest was also recovered from the nabbed militants. The Taliban is yet to comment on the report. Dhaka, Sep 21 (IBNS) : At least nine people were killed and eight others injured when a truck carrying relief for Rohingyas veered off the road and fell into a roadside ditch near Bangladesh's in Bandarban on Thursday, Bangladesh's leading daily New Age reported. Identities of the deceased could not be known immediately. The reports quoted AKM Jahangir, General Secretary, Bandarban unit of Bangladesh Red Crescent Society as saying that the accident took place when the goods-laden truck fell into a roadside ditch while heading towards Naikhyangchari Rohingya camp from Cox's Bazar, leaving six workers killed on the spot and 11 others injured. Of the injured, three more died on way to hospital. ocal representatives from Bangladesh Red Crescent Society have been providing the relief materials, including rice and pulse, for 1,500 families of Rohingya refugees who have taken shelter in Bandarban. New York, Sept 21(Just Earth News): Informing world leaders that the violence, suffering and mass displacement in Myanmaras Rakhine province affects not just Muslim and Rakhine communities, but also other minority groups a to which most of the world has been oblivious a the countryas Vice-President stressed his Governmentas deep concern over the situation. There is no denying that this is a problem of significant magnitude, said U Henry Van Thio, the Vice-President of Myanmar. I am [however] happy to inform you that the situation has improved. No armed clashes have been reported since 5 September. Noting that his Government is also concerned over reports that the number of Muslims crossing into Bangladesh remains unabated, the Vice-President said that the reason needed to be found for the exodus. What is little known is that the great majority of the Muslim population decided to remain in their villages, he stated. Acknowledging that it is his Governments first and foremost responsibility to respond to the challenges in Rakhine province, he announced the adoption of an integrated national strategy to address the situation there. Humanitarian assistance also remains a top priority, said the Myanmar leader, adding that the Government is committed to ensuring that aid is received by all those in need, without discrimination. Further, noting that there has been a call for the repatriation of the displaced people who fled northern Rakhine to Bangladesh, the Vice-President recalled the Myanmar State Councillors announcement yesterday in which, according to him, she stated that Myanmar was prepared to start the verification process at anytime. Our two neighbours have had the experience of such a process in 1993 through the establishment of a joint working group for implementation of repatriation process. We can develop a process based on the experience of 1993, said the Vice-President. The recent events in Rakhine state are a painful reminder that we face difficult challenges ahead on the long journey towards peace, prosperity and democracy, he added, and further recalled State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyis first address to the General Assembly, in which she said: As part of this commitment, we have made the national reconciliation and peace process our top priority. Our vision here is clear: to achieve a democratic, federal Union, based on the principles of freedom, justice, equal rights and self-determination. Noting that his country has made real progress, he expressed that his Government knows that the road ahead is long and convoluted. Our democratic transition is fragile. At this important juncture in our nation's history, we only ask that the international community continues to support our efforts to achieve peace, prosperity and democracy, urged the Vice-President of Myanmar. UN Photo/Cia Pak Source: www.justearthnews.com Watch Shabana Azmi essay the role of an author embroiled in a psychological dilemma in Broken Images Presented by ARRA Arts in partnership with Living Arts Centre (LAC), it is a psychological thriller that rips the mask off a celebrity. Written by Girish Karnad in 2004, the play is directed by Alyque Padamsee. The play depicts the 21st century as an era of electronic images. From every corner of our daily life, images throw themselves at us, arguing, accusing and wheedling until the very essence of our private existence seems threatened. But suppose the deadliest of these images were ones own shattered self? When Manjula, a mediocre writer in Hindi, gets international acclaim for a book that she writes in English, she wonders if she has betrayed her own language and identity. As the story progresses, it becomes a thriller, leaving viewers very unsettled. Shabana Azmi plays two sisters and their many images, as they morph into one another. (Reporting by Asha Bajaj) Image: LAC/FB page RACINE Police are investigating a shooting incident Wednesday night on the citys north side that injured a person and left a pickup damaged. Investigators were called Wednesday to Ascension-All Saints Hospital to meet with an individual with a non-fatal gun shot wound, police said Thursday. And shots were heard by neighbors in the 2200 block of Lawn Street at about 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and thats when the owners of a Dodge pickup discovered their vehicle had been shot up, including the passenger-side window which had a bullet hole. However, police officials said no calls regarding shots having been fired were made to police Wednesday from the area. Officers investigating the pickup damage Wednesday night used flashlights to locate and mark bullet shell casings on the sidewalk on the south side of the street near the pickup. A surveillance camera mounted on a house on the north side of the street was located and video evidence was collected by officers. What the tape shows was not shared with the media, although a sergeant on scene was observed apparently re-enacting what he suspected the shooter was doing behind the pickup. Residents on the street said Wednesday night that speeding is more of an issue in the neighborhood than any gunfire incident. Further information was not provided Thursday. We toured Pawnee Indian Health Center and met some of the dedicated #HHS personnel who work here. pic.twitter.com/JdvIz3v2zm Native womens advocate Charon Asetoyer is suspicious of the administrations motives. Given the presidents efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act and cut Medicaid funding, Asetoyer is unwilling to believe any plan Trump or his advisers support. This administration is so unstable; Im reluctant to believe anything Trump proposes until I see it written down in concrete, she said. Asetoyer of the Comanche Nation is director of the Native American Womens Health Education Resource Center in South Dakota (NAWHERC). In her advocacy work, Asetoyer often researches how well IHS meets its federal requirement to provide reproductive health services such as the emergency contraceptive Plan B to Native women. Despite assurances by IHS leaders that reproductive services will be equally available to all Native women and girls, she has seen many examples in which policy changes arent communicated throughout the system. In a recent survey conducted by NAWHERC, researchers found that 10 percent of IHS facilities do not comply with national IHS policies requiring them to provide patients with Plan B as an over-the-counter medication. What is the Trump team doing about the Indian Health Service , which has suffered from chronic mismanagement and underfunding? In a report for Rewire, independent journalist Mary Annette Pember talks to several experts, including Native womens advocate Charon Asetoyer of the Native American Womens Health Education Resource Center , who says the new administration's instability -- the IHS lacks a permanent leader, eights months after President Donald Trump took office -- is cause for concern: Read More on the Story: Mary Annette Pember: The Trump Administration Might Not Be Terrible for Indian Health Services (Rewire September 20, 2017) Join the Conversation Related Stories Join us for a screening of the documentary film "Near Normal Man" and a post-screening conversation/Q&A with Holocaust survivor Ben Stern and producer/director Charlene Stern.The half-hour, poignant, non-graphic film tells of the resilience of the human spirit. It is a story of confronting evil at its most personal level and how to prevail over hate - not with more violence, but with wisdom, courage, kindness and reason.The film is told in a first-hand account by Ben Stern, a Polish Jew, who survived two ghettos, nine concentration camps and two death marches. He emerged alive, only to face the Nazis again 30 years later, planning a march in Skokie, Illinois, his adopted hometown. Ben didn't want them marching. His rabbi told him to "stay home, close the shades and let them pass."Leading a small group of Holocaust survivors, Ben waged a fiercely public battle against the Nazis, ACLU and Chicago Jewish leadership. He sent out petitions across America and got 750,000 signatures opposing the Nazi march. He received death threats for almost a year. When the Illinois Supreme Court upheld their right to march, Ben prepared for the worst.Shortly before the date of the march, the Nazis learned that 60,000 Jews and Christians planned to show up and counter-demonstrate. The mayor of Skokie told the Nazis he couldn't guarantee their safety, even with the Illinois National Guard and police from neighboring states.The Nazis canceled the march. Ben sparked a fierce debate between hate speech and the first amendment that continues today.For additional information, please see: nearnormalman.org.As part of the JCC Without Walls program, the "Near Normal Man" screening/Q&A has been taken to several local schools and communities. If you are interested in bringing the program to your school or community, please contact Heather Shaw at hshaw [at] paloaltojcc.org $10 Students | $12 Members and J-Pass holders | $15 General Public. Any enterprise architects worth their salt can tell you how strategic enterprise architecture (EA) is, but the fact is that most EA programs struggle. The problem? Getting the enterprise to act strategically in the face of the need for immediate results in firms moving at a breakneck pace. It takes leadership and single-mindedness to attain the customer-obsessed business model: being customer-led, insights-driven, fast, and connected. The winners of the 2017 Forrester/InfoWorld Enterprise Architecture Awards did just that; they exemplify how to achieve meaningful business impact while pursuing the EA agenda. [ Docker, Amazon, TensorFlow, Windows 10, and more: See InfoWorlds 2017 Technology of the Year Award winners. | Cut to the key news and issues in cutting-edge enterprise technology with the InfoWorld Daily newsletter. ] Our winners this year each has a compelling story of EA best practices, as described on the following pages. How do we pick the winners? Forresters EA analysts performed the first round of vetting, and then 2016s Enterprise Architecture Award winners acted as final judges and voted for the teams they believed had the most impact on moving their businesses forward. Note that the judges did not know which companies they were judging; that information was removed from the entries they reviewed. The 2017 Enterprise Architecture Award winners, in alphabetical order, are the EA teams at: Congratulations to all the winners! You can read their stories on the following pages. Hogs Bounce through Mondays Midday Barchart - 44 minutes ago The new week of trading has the hog market 25 to 85 cents in the black through midday. The USDA National Average Base Hog Price was 11 cents stronger to $85.34. The CME Lean Hog Index was $88.63 on 11/10,... HEZ22 : 85.150 (+0.95%) HEJ23 : 94.750 (+0.69%) KMZ22 : 95.450 (+0.58%) Triple Digit Weakness in Cotton Prices Barchart - 44 minutes ago Cotton futures are down 206 to 257 points through midday of the weeks first trading day. December has already printed a 307 point range for the day from +20 to -287 points. New crop Dec contracts remain... CTZ22 : 85.37 (-3.21%) CTH23 : 83.81 (-2.92%) CTK23 : 82.95 (-3.05%) Cattle Mixed on Higher Feeders Barchart - 44 minutes ago December cattle are trading a nickel higher and Nov feeders are down by 40 cents so far. But they are each counter to the rest of the contracts, as the other nearby fats are 52 to 75 cents red and the... LEZ22 : 151.550 (+0.02%) LEG23 : 152.475 (-0.51%) LEJ23 : 156.400 (-0.41%) GFX22 : 176.925 (-0.01%) GFF23 : 179.400 (+0.46%) Double Digit Gains in Midday Wheat Barchart - 44 minutes ago Into the midday portion of the Monday trade, CBT SRW futures are 4 to 8 cents in the black. At the overnight low, Dec got to within 5 cents of the $8 mark but is back to $8.22. KC Wheat futures are trading... ZWZ22 : 817-6 (+0.49%) ZWH23 : 836-6 (+0.18%) ZWPAES.CM : 7.5099 (+0.61%) KEZ22 : 953-2 (+1.03%) KEPAWS.CM : 9.1157 (+1.08%) MWZ22 : 960-6 (+1.59%) Corn Markets Back to Red Barchart - 44 minutes ago At the start of the day session, corn futures rallied back from overnight weakness. At midday the board is back to the starting levels, with fractional to 4 1/4 cent losses. At the high, Dec corn got back... ZCZ22 : 655-0 (-0.46%) ZCPAUS.CM : 6.5399 (-0.40%) ZCH23 : 657-6 (-0.79%) ZCK23 : 657-0 (-0.87%) Double Digit Losses in Soybean Prices Barchart - 44 minutes ago Midday beans are trading with double digit losses of as much as 12 1/4 cents. Prices bounced some after the day sessions open, but Jan stayed under the $14.50 mark. November beans expire at the close.... ZSX22 : 1441-6 (-0.94%) ZSPAUS.CM : 14.0656 (-1.01%) ZSF23 : 1435-4 (-1.00%) ZSH23 : 1440-6 (-0.89%) The Price Of Wood Could Already Have Started To Rise Elliott Wave Forecast - 47 minutes ago WOOD tracks the S&P Global Timber & Forestry Index, a cap-weighted index of the 25 largest forestry firms around the world. The fund starts with all the eligible securities from the S&P Global BMI that... WOOD : 76.58 (-0.35%) Coffee Prices Slide on Concern about Increasing Supplies Barchart - 58 minutes ago December arabica coffee (KCZ22) this morning is down -4.30 (-2.53%), and Jan ICE Robusta coffee (RMF23) is down -15 (-0.82%). Coffee prices this morning are moderately lower and just above last Thursday's... KENOSHA Abduction victim Elizabeth Smart is scheduled to be the featured speaker at a program discussing human trafficking and child abduction on Friday at Carthage College. The abduction of Elizabeth Smart was one of the most followed and sensational child abduction cases. In 2002, Smart, then just 14, was abducted from her home in Salt Lake City and was not rescued until nine months later. Through her traumatic experience, Smart has become an advocate for change related to child abduction, recovery programs and national legislation. Fight to End Exploitation, the Ruud Family Foundation and Carthage College are sponsoring Smarts lecture, which is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday in the A.F. Siebert Chapel on the Carthage campus, 2001 Alford Park Drive. We are very excited to welcome Elizabeth Smart to southeastern Wisconsin and make this program financially accessible to all through generous support from the Ruud Family Foundation and Carthage College, said Karri Hemmig, founder and executive director of Fight to End Exploitation. While her story is that of abduction, her platform for advocating for human trafficking awareness and education is invaluable to those of us working against this crime that affects our entire community, Hemmig said. The program will feature speaker Smart, as well as a question-and-answer session with local authorities on human trafficking and child abduction, a performance by the local band Well-Known Strangers and a book signing. Smarts book, Elizabeth Smart, My Story, will also be available at the event. Due to the sensitive nature of the programs topic, the event is geared for those 12 and older. Program tickets cost $5 each and are free to students with am ID. For tickets, go to www.brownpapertickets.com/event/3079546. Students with an ID can order a free ticket, print it off and bring their ID to the event for free admission. Australian-listed IT services group Hills has initiated a digital transformation of its business in partnership with professional services firm Cognizant in a move designed to revitalise the companys e-commerce capabilities and improve core business processes, customer engagement and operational efficiencies. Under the contract, Cognizant will leverage its digital strategy, design, and technology capabilities to develop an e-commerce platform that it says will provide Hills' customers with 24/7 real-time inventory and self-service capabilities, including customer statements, invoices, pricing, online payments, and delivery information. The deal sees Cognizant implementing a managed service model to enable Hills (ASX: HIL) to improve operational agility and lower costs, while re-deploying savings to fund investments in innovation for growth. According to Hills, the digital transformation will allow staff to be more engaged with customers and vendors, and create a stronger platform to promote vendor products. The digital transformation initiative is integral to our back to growth strategy, said David Lenz, chief executive at Hills. The digital experience is critical in our endeavour to transform Hills from a product-centric to a customer-centric company. Its an enterprise-wide transformation that will see Hills exit third-party supply chain arrangements early next year, to take control of our own supply chain a decision key to the performance of the business. The transformation is technology-enabled but its customer-focused. Were improving warehousing and dispatch processes to create a better buying experience, tailored specifically to the B2B market. Cognizants expertise in systems, technology and business operations will help us create world-class capabilities to better compete in todays digital economy. Customers will see improvements in our level of service, our product range and our engagement in the market. Dr. John Burgin, head of Australia and New Zealand at Cognizant, says, Winning in the digital economy requires that business leaders use the latest technologies to improve productivity, consumer experiences, business processes, and core IT infrastructure. We improve consumer experiences with solutions that integrate human behaviour insights, digital strategy, design services, analytics, IoT services, cloud applications, and interactive content. That coupled with process expertise, technology modernisation, and as-a-service business model will allow us to enhance brand differentiation for Hills. We are pleased to be chosen by Hills to help them on their journey to provide even better technology solutions to schools, hospitals, homes and businesses. The planned go-live date for Hills e-commerce site is early 2018. South Australian-based mobile communications company MGM Wireless has secured a deal with the Western Australian Education Department for the rollout of its Outreach+ and School Star App communication services to all WA government schools. The agreement which the ASX-listed MGM (ASX:MWR) says is the largest in the companys history provides several product key features it claims drove the WA Education Departments decision, including School Stars two-way low cost in-app messaging, the ability to send messages from outside of school premises using Outreach+, advanced and automated messaging services for emergencies and analytics to help schools measure and refine communication to improve parent engagement. Currently, approximately 460 WA Government schools use MGM systems and there are over 800 WA Government schools in total. According to MGM, the upgrade will likely see a far larger number of government schools take up MGM services in WA and Australia and it claims initial interest from schools not currently using MGM services has been very strong. MGM estimates this to be the largest agreement it has secured in its history. The exact positive impact to revenue is not possible to forecast but has the potential to be significant. Additional income will be derived through increased in-app message traffic, which will in turn depend on the number of schools that use the new services and the way in which they use them, the company said in its announcement to the ASX. Once again, the WA Education Department is leading the way in Australia by providing state-of-the-art school communication services to improve student safety, attendance and success, says MGM Wireless chief executive Mark Fortunatow. In 2009, it was the first education department in Australia to make automated SMS absence notification services available to all WA Government schools. Now, by upgrading services to low cost in-app messaging and secure Facebook-style School products, the WA Education Department has set a new standard. With cutting edge analytics to enable schools to measure their level of parent engagement, the rollout of these new products will raise the benchmark of school-parent communication in Australia and worldwide. Ok, ok, so its a US$1.1 billion co-operation agreement, with Google getting some HTC staff and a non-exclusive licence for HTC intellectual property, but lets face it, this is Googles second phone company purchase. Certain HTC employees, many of whom worked on Pixel smartphones, are going to join Google, which will go ogle some of HTCs intellectual property, with the transaction apparently reinforcing HTCs commitment to innovation and its branded smartphone business". After all, US$1.1 billion is a lot of money, and its going to be in cash too, as part of the transaction". Were told the agreement is a testament to the decade-long strategic relationship between HTC and Google around the development of premium smartphones". It also supports HTCs continued branded smartphone strategy, enabling a more streamlined product portfolio, greater operational efficiency, and financial flexibility". HTC assures us that it will continue to have best-in-class engineering talent, which is currently working on the next flagship phone, following the successful launch of the HTC U11 earlier this year". In addition, HTC says it will also continue to build the virtual reality ecosystem to grow its VIVE business, while investing in other next-generation technologies, including the Internet of Things, augmented reality and artificial intelligence". So, what does it all mean for Google, which is now not only ogling its second phone company, but has basically bought its way into a second one? Well, were told that this agreement further reinforces (Googles) commitment to smartphones and overall investment in its emerging hardware business. And, in addition to the talented and experienced team of professionals, Google will continue to have access to HTCs IP to support the Pixel smartphone family, while it also represents a significant investment by Google in Taiwan as a key innovation and technology hub". Cher Wang, chairperson and chief executive of HTC said: As a pioneer of the smartphone market, we are very proud of our history of innovation. Our unmatched smartphone value chain, including our IP portfolio, and world-class talent and system integration capabilities, have supported Google in bolstering the Android market. This agreement is a brilliant next step in our longstanding partnership, enabling Google to supercharge their hardware business while ensuring continued innovation within our HTC smartphone and VIVE virtual reality businesses. We believe HTC is well positioned to maintain our rich legacy of innovation and realise the potential of a new generation of connected products and services. Its clear that Wang cares about the future of HTC, and given HTCs long heritage in smartphones but its inability to turn its smartphone business around back to the heights it enjoyed during the Windows Mobile days, monetising this part of its business through a deal with Google was the best option for HTCs future survival, especially in the hope of seeing Vive thrive. Meanwhile, Rick Osterloh, senior vice-president of Hardware at Google, said: HTC has been a longtime partner of Google and has created some of the most beautiful, premium devices on the market. We're excited and can't wait to welcome members of the HTC team who will be joining Google to fuel further innovation and future product development in consumer hardware. The transaction is naturally subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions, and is expected to close by early 2018". Legal eagles will care that Evercore served as financial adviser to HTC and Gibson Dunn and Tsar & Tsai acted as legal counsel. Lazard served as financial adviser to Google and Cleary Gottlieb and Lee & Li acted as legal counsel". Macquarie Telecom has deployed its SD-WAN service to Australian not-for-profit United Way, with the upgrade enabling United Way to consider new digital services it can launch with a simpler and more scalable network. United Way does not have an IT department and relies on Macquarie Telecom to manage and keep its network secure, enabling it to manage donations, communicate and work with the communities it helps. MAQ says the upgrade has increased United Ways resilience through teaming up two data services via a multipath, a unique benefit of Macquarie Telecoms SD-WAN service. According to the telco, the added resilience has reduced United Ways risk of outages, and since the upgrade there has been zero downtime, resulting in cost savings and ensuring members of the community can always reach the organisation. We have more important things to worry about than our network, said Clayton Noble, chief executive, United Way. Partnering with Macquarie Telecom and its SD-WAN solution means we can spend our valuable donations on building stronger communities. "As we continue to expand, were looking at how we can bring disadvantaged schoolchildren into our offices to participate in creative learning platforms. Having a secure, reliable network will be important to make things like that happen and, more broadly, how we innovate in working with the community, added Noble. Other benefits cited by MAQ include an increase in speed of 28% and better visibility over United Ways network through the orchestrator, which can show on a single screen how up to 2500 applications are performing and which are using up bandwidth. Cloud-based identity-as-a-service provider Okta says it has renewed its focus on solving cloud migration impediments and beefed up its offering to developers. iTWire spoke to Scott Schwarzhoff, vice-president of Product Marketing, at Oktas recent Oktane 2017 conference. Schwarzhoff joined Okta from Citrix two years ago and states: What struck me about Oktane two years ago was every session was led by a customer. When you hear John Deere talk about having to serve farmers across the globe, above their full-time staff, it really lights up these are the challenges a business has when moving from a large on-premise infrastructure and trying to go the cloud. Having a partner in Okta go on that journey with companies really helps them move to the cloud. IT has focused on the network perimeter for so long but now you have to think about what happens when there is no perimeter or the user is the perimeter. Our focus right now is really on how can we solve customer problems that are intractable at this moment? Okta, started in 2009 by Todd McKinnon, previously head of engineering at SalesForce, and Frederic Kerrest. Todd and Fred recognised as companies increasingly embrace cloud and mobile technologies, and no longer own, manage, patch, upgrade and integrate everything themselves, the rules change, Schwarzhoff said. You want to be able to design experiences for all your different audiences by integrating all sorts of different components into a secure experience, whether empowering employees to have best-in-class apps on any device, allowing partners to collaborate in their partner ecosystem of thousands of contractors and suppliers, or even your customers. Schwarzhoff used the ARIA Resort and Casino, Las Vegas where Oktane 17 was hosted as an example. The ARIA is an Okta customer through MGM Resorts International, who have over 19 hotel properties with their own loyalty programmes and their own understanding of who their customer is. MGM wants one personalised experience. If you go to the Bellagio and eat steak and watch Celine Dion, they want that identity to carry with you when you go to the ARIA, so the customer experiences can be assisted when you have a complete view of identity around the customer. This is what Okta is really focusing on, helping customers make that move from on-premises to the cloud, while also helping solve problems across customer-facing and company-facing issues. At Oktane 17, Okta announced two major product announcements which feed into solving the customer challenges Schwarzhoff speaks about, specifically managing and securing the extended enterprise, and transforming the customer experience. McKinnon described these in the Oktane 17 keynote explaining Okta has progressed from connecting people through single sign-on into an ecosystem of customers and employees and contractors. We want to allow for easier management and administration to help IT in an organisation, as well as how to think of the end user as the perimeter and stay focused on securing them, he said. Okta announced it has broadened its ecosystem of 5000 pre-built integrations with partners to include security platforms and network appliances among other things. Now you can integrate all kinds of things. We built integrations with F5 and Citix NetScaler so you can integrate from cloud to ground, Schwarzhoff said. You can have identity persist through Web and cloud apps to on-premises apps. F5 is a network system, but you can integrate with them now. We have relationships with MuleSoft and IBM and other partners where we can facilitate the security around these endpoints and it broadens the reach of our ecosystem beyond cloud apps to managing your network infrastructure. This includes API gateways, ServiceNow, CASBs like Netskope and really thinking about a much bigger and broader landscape. Additionally, Okta announced it is expanding its directory, Universal Directory, which integrates with other identity stores. A user can have their name and role from the WorkDay HR system, but their phone from RingCentral, e-mail from Active Directory, and so on, Schwarzhoff said. We now support LDAP-based apps, like an on-premises AD. We want Okta to truly become an iconic company with vendor neutrality so it was important we interface with, and support, 20-year-old legacy LDAP protocols as well as DevOps situations like Jenkins and Atlassian. This includes lifecycle management, Schwarzhoff explains, giving an example of contractors and partners who sit outside Active Directory, or maybe exist in another companys Active Directory. Theyre a critical part of the supply chain so its important to have the ability to say ok, youre a contractor, I will set you up with 30 days to Box, and after that cancel your account, pull your files back, de-provision your access to our ERP', and so on, he says. This is where a lot of the new neutrality function of Okta falls into, to manage the extended enterprise. Okta enforces strong security across its product line with multi-factor authentication just as integral as single sign-on. This multi-factor authentication is considered adaptive because it uses user context such as location or device, allowing or questioning access based on contexts. This year were extending the product so Adaptive MFA covers more infrastructure, Schwarzhoff said. Say youre using RDP or ADFS or custom web apps. We have the ability to front-end those different endpoints with our MFA products, with the theme of integrating more things. Theyre not just cloud apps, they all essentially form your infrastructure. It means Okta becomes a complete access management solution, which is really enterprise-grade, highly-secure, highly-scalable, and can interface with everything from cloud to ground. Managing and securing the extended enterprise has long been the core Okta business. However, Okta is now heading to new areas in customer identity, Schwarzhoff says. As with the MGM Resorts example, Okta seeks to play a greater role in helping customers build modern, mobile Web apps that are more personalised, more engaging and secure. We can allow MGM to tailor and make a personalised offer, Schwarzhoff says, because we can aggregate all this identity data. We want people to have a consistent experience across devices, without having to think about entering passwords and synching. To help software developers get on board with Okta, the company also announced a new product named Okta Developer Edition, allowing programmers to rapidly add authentication to their app without having to understand any of the identity calls or policies or protocols. We increase developer productivity and make a compelling Developer offering at developer.okta.com, Schwarzhoff said. It is an entire experience component to allow custom branding, vanity emails, vanity branding - everything to make it look like your brand. We make it so developers can use their brand and not have to write a lot of code," he said. In my view, the work were doing around our developer products and experience, really enabling identity for any application, is where a lot of the new growth of Okta is focused on. This Oktane is the first time weve talked about customer identity and we enable this through free tools and experiences. Want to build a new .NET app? Get a new toolkit, add a user store, and add identity in a handful of code and get identity working and focus on business logic. Thats the newer area for us and represents where we see customers moving. Its where we see revenue-generated transformative experiences and thats more personal. American security vendor McAfee appears to be trying to capitalise on the ban imposed by the US on Kaspersky Lab, touting this on its website in a bid to promote its own software. The chief of Kaspersky Lab, Eugene Kaspersky, tweeted a screenshot of an ad for the McAfee Total Protection product where the legend at the top read: "FBI advises removal of Kaspersky for suspected ties top Russian spies". McAfee joins the #cybersecurity hall of shame pic.twitter.com/7gyXdn8kT4 Eugene Kaspersky (@e_kaspersky) September 20, 2017 This legend was followed by the words, "Safeguard with McAfee total protection." Eugene added the sarcastic heading: "McAfee joins the #cybersecurity hall of shame." And as can be seen from the screenshot below, under the name of the product - McAfee Total Production - the words "Headquarters in USA" are present, as if to rub in the fact that it has nothing to do with Russia. If that was not enough, an American flag forms the background. But some of the company's moves have been spotted by infosec professionals and it appears that McAfee has more to do with Russia than it is willing to admit. Heres McAfee deleting their Russia office from their website. pic.twitter.com/qBGiZe6Z2m Kevin Beaumont ? (@GossiTheDog) September 20, 2017 Well-known British security researcher Kevin Beaumont tweeted that McAfee had deleted the address of its Russian office from its website. Quoting a Reuters report, Beaumont pointed out that McAfee was one of many American companies that has allowed Russian authorities to review its source code. Its not like McAfee secretly shared their complete source with the Russia FSB intelligence services for years (and countinue to). Oh. pic.twitter.com/oHblJUA59z Kevin Beaumont ? (@GossiTheDog) September 20, 2017 The report in question says: "In addition to IBM, Cisco and Germanys SAP, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co and McAfee have also allowed Russia to conduct source code reviews of their products, according to people familiar with the companies interactions with Moscow and Russian regulatory records." 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. Its also worth pointing McAfee is owned by TPG Capital. Yes, these guys. Their Russian office is where Mcafees staff are. pic.twitter.com/o7MJnme2H3 Kevin Beaumont ? (@GossiTheDog) 20 September 2017 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 malware that attackers sought to spread through infecting the popular CCleaner utility appears to have been targeting high-profile tech targets, according to analysis by Cisco's Talos Intelligence Group. Some of the targets (graphic, below right) that appeared to have been served a second-stage payload by the malware were Cisco, Intel, Microsoft, HTC, Samsung, VMware, Akamai and Sony. The fact that CCleaner had been infected by malware was spotted by security firm Morphisec on 12 September. This information was conveyed to Avast, the owner of CCleaner, a product made by Piriform which Avast acquired recently. CCleaner is a popular application that allows Windows users to perform routine maintenance on their systems. The Talos group wasto produce a detailed write-up about the CCleaner infection. In its initial analysis, the Talos team said the malicious payload included a domain generation algorithm as well as hard-coded command and control server functionality and was being hosted on the official CCleaner download servers as recently as 11 September. As far as the malware was concerned, once it had gained access to a Windows system, it ascertained whether the user in question was running as admin or not; if the latter, then the malware terminated its activity. If the user had admin privileges, then the malware established a connection to a command and control server. Then a second-stage payload was downloaded. In its follow-up, published overnight, the Talos team said a review of the command and control tracking database, covering four days in September, showed that at least 20 victim machines had been served specialised secondary payloads. Apart from the companies cited above, D-Link, Akamai, O2, Vodafone, German gaming and gambling company Gauselmann, Linksys, Gmail, MSI, Dynamic Network Services, and Epson were listed. The C2 database had two tables: one describing all machines that had reported to the server and the other detailing all machines that received the second-stage download, both of which had entries were dated between 12 and 16 September. Talos said during the compromise, "the malware would periodically contact the C2 server and transmit reconnaissance information about infected systems. "This information included IP addresses, online time, hostname, domain name, process listings, and more. It's quite likely this information was used by the attackers to determine which machines they should target during the final stages of the campaign." The team added: "These new findings raise our level of concern about these events, as elements of our research point towards a possible unknown, sophisticated actor." Wow. Cisco says CCleaner backdoor was actually a targeted attack by "a possible unknown, sophisticated actor": https://t.co/XIztq1FK33 pic.twitter.com/mH29hvcJEn Eric Geller (@ericgeller) 20 September 2017 Avast said on Wednesday that the number of infected machines was down to 730,000 from the original estimate of 2.27 million. However, the Talos team had this to add: "(They) also support and reinforce our previous recommendation that those impacted by this supply chain attack should not simply remove the affected version of CCleaner or update to the latest version, but should restore from back-ups or reimage systems to ensure that they completely remove not only the backdoored version of CCleaner but also any other malware that may be resident on the system." More than 700,000 machines reported to the C2 server in these four days and more than 20 received the second-stage payload. "It is important to understand that the target list can be and was changed over the period the server was active to target different organisations," the team said. Graphic: courtesy Cisco Talos Intelligence Group The systems of American credit information provider Equifax were breached back in March, according to a confidential note sent by the company to some customers. The note was mentioned in a report by the Mandiant group, a part of the security firm FireEye, which was hired by Equifax to investigate a massive breach which it disclosed on 7 September. At that time, Equifax said the details of up to 143 million Americans could have leaked and that it learned about on 29 July. Later, Equifax said the data of these 143 million could have been accessed as early as May. If youve got 30 different Webshells & people export your entire 300m people database and you dont notice for 4 months, youre accountable. https://t.co/npzfk21ugh Kevin Beaumont ? (@GossiTheDog) 21 September 2017 The report, which wasby The Wall Street Journal, said first indications of malicious activity were on 10 March. The Mandiant report was sent to some customers, among them financial firms. It said that, as already reported, the attackers had taken advantage of a vulnerability in the Apache Struts Web application framework to gain entry. The flaw was revealed two days before the first infiltration of Equifax. The details were released by Cisco's Talos intelligence unit. The vulnerability was a remote code execution bug in the Jakarta Multipart parser of Struts. The remote code exploit was possible when uploading files based on the parser. The report said the attackers had accessed numerous database tables in several databases". Equifax was victim of a *crime*, but media treats them as responsible for its security breach. Contrast to DNC portrayal: as total victim. https://t.co/KokSoVFAR7 GoFundMedicare4All? (@screenslaver) 20 September 2017 Two systems that support Equifaxs online dispute Web application were compromised by the attackers who also set up the means to remotely run commands on Equifaxs systems even if the vulnerability that had let them in was patched. Remote access was made from about 35 distinct public IP addresses. Mandiant said it had been unable to attribute the breach to any known hacking group that it tracks. It also said that the methods and tools used by the attackers did not match those of others of which it was aware. MOUNT PLEASANT The village may soon be adding a stir fry sauce manufacturer to its growing industrial profile. Officials from Yings Kitchen are scheduled to go before the Mount Pleasant Village Board on Monday for consideration of a conditional-use permit to use a building at 1901 Durand Ave. for a manufacturing facility. The plan received a unanimous endorsement from the village Plan Commission at a meeting on Wednesday afternoon and the panel approved a motion recommending that the Village Board approve the permit. The building is located just west of Jerrys Fresh Pizza and Fine Fare Foods/BP at the intersection of Durand and Phillips avenues. Pending board approval, the business plans to manufacture Asian cooking sauces and will have four to six employees at the building, which is currently unoccupied. Yings Kitchen manufactures all-natural sauces, batter mix and produces a cookbook. The business is based in Gurnee, Ill., according to its website, and its products are sold in 26 states in dozens of Pick n Save, Piggly Wiggly and Copps stores in Wisconsin. The Pick n Save stores at 1202 Green Bay Road and 2820 S. Green Bay Road in Mount Pleasant carry Yings Kitchen products. According to the Plan Commission report, the business has no plans to make any modifications to the existing site layout, landscaping, building elevation or site lighting. However, any modifications on the building layout, other than minor aesthetic changes, would require a resubmission of the conditional-use permit request. The Village Board is scheduled to meet at 6:30 p.m. Monday at the Village Hall, 8811 Campus Drive. Reddit Email 150 Shares By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | Russian internet trolls linked to an oligarch close to Vladimir Putin went beyond just posting meme-making posters exalting Donald Trump and demeaning Hillary Clinton. They actually promoted flash mob spontaneous protests in the real world in 17 cities, according to the scoop of Ben Collins, Gideon Resnick, Kevin Poulsen and Spencer Ackerman at the Daily Beast. A flash mob is a crowd that gathers at a particular time and place in response to a call on the internet. Many are frivolous. Some turn dangerous. Others can set off revolutions. In December of 2010, a flash mob was called by a California choral society to sing Handels messiah at a mall in California. Some 5,000 people showed up, and police had to evacuate them because it was felt that they might turn dangerous. A similar incident had occurred earlier that fall in Philadelphia. If flash mobs have been kind of large pranks in the US, in the Middle East they have shaken governments. The crowds that gathered in Tunisia after the police harassed Mohamed Bouazizi, who was selling vegetables in the street, and drove him to suicide, swelled to 200,000 strong in the capital of Tunis. They drove the president, Zine el Abidine Ben Ali, from power in mid-January, 2011. The difference here is that Bouazizis cause was genuinely taken up by Tunisian youth, as I explain in my book The New Arabs. The Russia effort was a piece of internet fraud, a cyber Potemkin Village. The Tahrir Square revolution against Hosni Mubarak in Jan-Feb 2011 was only partially a flash mob. Most people came to the square because activists walked neighborhoods or sent text messages. Only a fourth came because they heard about it at social media sites. The Gezi Park protests in Turkey in 2013 were to some extent flash mobs. Youth were protesting the plan of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) to put a mall into a public park. Privatizing public spaces is a way for authoritarian governments to exert control over crowds. Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan succeeded in crushing these protests. The Russian pro-Trump hackers were attempting to replicate the Middle East success of the flash mob without knowing how it had been sited within civil society. The question is still out as to whether Moscow managed actually to affect the outcome of the election. But it now seems pretty clear they they were trying to help Trump and hurt Hillary Clinton with danse club. Related video added by Juan Cole: Aljazeera English: Ex-Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort investigated in Russia probe MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Orosur Mining Inc. (Orosur or the Company) (TSX/AIM: OMI), the South America-focused gold producer, developer and explorer is pleased to provide an exploration and development progress update for its Uruguayan operations. HIGHLIGHTS Underground reserve increase in and around the San Gregorio West underground mine area (SGW UG) From November 31, 2016 to May 31, 2017, total production from SGW UG totaled 12,600 oz Current remaining San Gregorio underground (SG UG) probable reserves (SGW UG plus Central and East) are 34,633 oz (664,861 tonnes @ 1.62 g/t Au) Further extensions to the east and at depth have returned encouraging exploration results Veta A, an exciting new underground project, is advancing swiftly A higher grade, previously mined open pit which previously produced 29,000 oz @ 3.1 g/t between September 2006 and March 2008 Current probable reserves are 9,440 oz (122,328 tonnes @ 2.40 g/t Au) Targeting a significant increase in reserves following positive drilling and mineralization conducted over 140 metres away from the current defined reserves A recent geotechnical study by SRK supports the feasibility of this strategy A district scale geological model has been completed based on structural settings and is being used to search for additional significant discoveries in the 100 km long greenstone belt around San Gregorio (SG): This model has proved successful in explaining the historic deposits and has delivered some initial success at a new open pit deposit This model will be key to the strategic greenfield exploration of this belt which is designed to grow minelife and expand production using available spare capacity of the SG Carbon in Leach (CIL) plant. In September, the Company purchased a Sandvic DE710 diamond drilling rig to accelerate exploration. Ignacio Salazar, CEO of Orosur, said: Following our successful US$3.2 million fundraising in mid-August, we are pleased to be providing a robust exploration and development update for Uruguay. During FY17, we not only transitioned successfully from the Arenal underground operation to the new SGW UG mine but we also ramped up development and exploration activities with the objective of increasing scale and efficiency at San Gregorio. We are also pleased to announce positive geotechnical and drilling results in Veta A, as we seek to further advance this project as our next underground operation. Finally, we have now completed a district scale geological model which is already providing encouraging results. In support, we are deploying the necessary resources, including the purchase of a new diamond core drilling rig, to give our team the best chance of making a strategic discovery in Uruguay, which would allow us to increase production and minelife. The Company is currently on track to meet its FY18 production guidance and we expect to report back shortly on the start of drilling at Anza in Colombia. Uruguay Exploration and Development: FY17 Overview and Plan for FY18 Following a challenging gold price environment in FY16, the Companys priority during its fiscal 2017 was the successful construction and opening of the SGW UG mine, entirely financed from cash from operations. In addition, almost 15,000 metres of exploration drilling (both reverse circulation (RC) and diamond drilling (DD)) were completed in Uruguay during FY17. The emphasis of this drilling was multifaceted and included recommencing the following exploration activities: Adding short term underground reserves around SGW (8,750 metres drilled in the year); Adding reserves and resources to near mine open pit projects (6,060 metres); and A limited budget was allocated to more greenfield type exploration within the Isla Cristalina greenstone belt, looking for more significant strategic discoveries. These three exploration activities are planned to be further developed in FY18. The plan for FY18 is to increase the amount of drilling next to the existing CIL plant and within the 100 km long greenstone belt which the Company controls in Uruguay, with the aim of increasing mine life and/or increasing production by utilising the spare capacity in the San Gregorio CIL plant. In addition, at the Companys underground projects, the Company plans to drill out projects in FY18 beyond SG (ie. Veta A or others). FY17: Exploration and Development of the San Gregorio West Underground Mine (SGW UG Mine) SGW UG is a continuation at depth of the San Gregorio open pit deposit which produced approximately 536,000 oz at an average grade of 2.12 g/t Au. At the end of FY17, total underground development work amounted to 2,800 metres of 3,900 metres for the total planned development of the SGW sector. During FY17, 8,750 metres of DD were drilled in these areas around the SGW mine and returned good results. Reserves in San Gregorio Central, between SG West and SG East, were defined with sufficient detail and continuity to commence work associated with development and inclusion in the Companys mining plan. As of May 31, 2017, the SGW UG mine had already produced 12,600 oz of gold. Probable Mineral Reserve in SG UG (SGW plus additions into Central and East) are 34,633 oz. The eastern extension of the SG East mine and the deeper extension of SGW UG were tested by several drill holes; with results indicating the mineralized body is still open. Additionally, the Company is currently working with SRK Peru on a study to add additional reserves in SG, for example from an existing crown pillar between the open pit and the UG designs. Along with this activity around SG, the Company also plans to advance its mining plans for the Veta A and Argentinita deposits. These activities provide scope to add projects similar in size to SG. Potential for New UG Mine: Veta A Underground Veta A represents an exciting potential project for a new underground mine. Historically, Veta A was a relatively small high grade open pit, located next to the now reclaimed San Gregorio tailings dam, which was in operation from September 2006 until March 2008. The Veta A open pit produced approximately 29,000 oz at average gold grades of 3.10 g/t. To view the full release, please click here. As open pit mining progressed, the mineralized body appeared to run underneath the tailings dam. When operations approached this physical barrier, mining was halted and the pit was backfilled with waste and then reclaimed. Current probable reserves in the zone are 9,440 oz. A re-evaluation of the Veta A mineralized body below the tailings dam is currently underway to assess: a) its feasibility from a geotechnical perspective and b) its geological potential. An updated preliminary geotechnical study of the Veta A deposit was performed by SRK consulting during this quarter: Results of this study indicate that, providing required preventive measures are undertaken, there are no subsidence, liquefaction or any other negative interactions between the closed tailings dam and potential future underground mining operations. In parallel, a 697 metre drilling campaign, has provided encouraging preliminary results. Drilling interceptions to date indicate: HOLE From (m) To (m) Meters Au g/t VADD17-006 161.9 168.6 6.7 5.0 VADD17-007 165.2 167.1 2.0 3.3 VADD17-008 125.0 131.1 6.1 2.6 VADD17-009 170.5 175.3 4.9 1.8 Of the four holes drilled at Veta A, each intersected mineralization, confirming the extension of the mineralized body for a minimum of 140 metres downhole. This indicates the strong potential for an increase in the volume of the mineralized structure, which may materially increase current reserves. Further drilling continues in order to confirm and expand its reserve base. Uruguay Open Pit Brownfield Projects During FY17, 6,060 metres were drilled in near mine open pit projects. Some small reserve additions were achieved during the year, including: Veta Rey: Since its discovery in 2014, actual production has been in excess of 25,000 oz from an initial and very modest reserve of 2,500 oz. Reserve increases through this period of time have led to a successful brownfield exploration story. Current brownfield exploration in the area is focused on the potential southern extension of the deposit. Since its discovery in 2014, actual production has been in excess of 25,000 oz from an initial and very modest reserve of 2,500 oz. Reserve increases through this period of time have led to a successful brownfield exploration story. Current brownfield exploration in the area is focused on the potential southern extension of the deposit. El Muro: Although small, the first successful discovery based on the newly developed structural interpretation of the broader San Gregorio area. This target is a horsetail structure containing some 3,000 oz of gold in maiden reserves, and remains open to expansion. Based on geological and exploration data, it is expected that a number of additional subparallel mineralized structures may occur in the area. An exploratory drilling campaign designed to test this model has already intercepted seven metres grading 1.38 g/t Au in Hole EMRC 17-020, with further work ongoing. Uruguay Strategic Discovery Projects Given the data available and underexplored nature of the Isla Cristalina Granite Greenstone Belt, the Company believes there is scope to make material discoveries in excess of 100,000 oz of reserves. The San Gregorio trend by itself, which represents a small fraction of the overarching belt, has produced in excess of 1.4 Moz of gold. Substantial infrastructure, a proven team, a functional laboratory and existing plant capacity at the San Gregorio area allow new discoveries to be fast tracked. Review of historical and generated geological data has led to the development of a model focusing on structural settings. Currently, the model has proved successful in explaining the location and size of the existing deposits with recent field exploration, such as El Muro. Qualified Person's Statement The technical information related to the current assets of Orosur Mining in this announcement has been reviewed by Miguel Fuentealba, a Mining Engineer who is considered to be a Qualified Person under NI 43-101 reporting guidelines. Mr. Fuentealba is a graduate in Mining Engineering from the University of Santiago de Chile and is an AusIMM Member and Qualified Person of Chilean Mining Commission. Mr. Fuentealba has 20 years of professional experience in the field of mining engineering, mine development and management. All reserve and resource figures stated in this announcement are fully compliant with NI 43-101 requirements and CIM definitions. A full table of Orosurs reserves and resources as at May 31, 2017 is included in the Companys Annual Information Form, dated August 29, 2017. To view this document in full, please click here. VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Sept. 21, 2017) - Highlights: Reconciliation of grade control model to resource model reflecting total gold ounces up by 7% for three months ending August 2017 Reserve reconciliation showing significant improvement comparing the mill feed to the reserve model over last three months Mill feed grades in August were 2% above reserve grades Mill feed to reserve model reconciliation of 100% in August Blast movement technology contributing significantly to mining reconciliation improvements 436,000 tonnes of ore at 1.95 g/t gold mined in August Final commissioning of P5M volumetric upgrades underway, milling circuit achieving levels in excess of 13,500tpd of fresh rock on a campaign basis Production on track to meet revised 2017 guidance Confirmatory drilling at Akwasiso firms up reserves Grade control drilling at Dynamite Hill confirms MRE, ore mining operations to commence in Q4 2017 Asanko Gold Inc. ("Asanko" or the "Company") (TSX:AKG) (NYSE American:AKG) (NYSE MKT:AKG) is pleased to provide an operational update on the Asanko Gold Mine (AGM), located in Ghana, West Africa. Peter Breese, President and CEO, will be presenting at the Denver Gold Forum on September 26, 2017. A webcast of the presentation will be available at: www.denvergoldforum.org/dgf17/dgf17-webcasts/2017-ondemand-webcast/ Peter Breese, President and CEO, commented "The mining interventions we put in place in July at Nkran are starting to yield very encouraging results and the blast movement technology is making a significant contribution to the management of ore losses and dilution, as evidenced by the positive variances we are seeing in grade and ounces. The continued positive resource and reserve reconciliations clearly confirm the Life of Mine plan with respect to our future expansions. The P5M volumetric upgrades are in the final stages of commissioning, with levels in excess of 13,500 tonnes per day of hard rock being processed through the mill. This is a significant achievement as hard rock currently makes up 93% of our mill feed blend whilst we are waiting for a consistent supply of oxide ore, which will come from the Akwasiso and Dynamite Hill satellite pits. In spite of having encountered three mill motor outages in the quarter, the positive results from the mining interventions as well as plant's performance means we are tracking our revised 2017 production guidance." Nkran Resource & Reserve Reconciliation The reconciliation process to measure the entire value chain from gold in the ground through to mill feed and eventual gold production against the Nkran Mineral Resource Estimate ("MRE") is ongoing. Both the resource and the reserve reconciliation components have been embedded into the mine planning and mining execution processes. The resource reconciliation measures the variance between the MRE, which is based on widely spaced drilling information, and the grade control resource model, which is based on high density drilling and provides the most accurate determination of the resource. As announced in the Q2 2017 MD&A, for the three month period (May, June and July) the grade control model was within 2% of the resource model. In August, there was a 21% positive variance in ore grade and a 10% positive variance in ounces in the grade control model versus the resource model. This positive grade and ounce variance is significant as it scientifically validates the gold endowment in Nkran and the life of mine plans based on that endowment. Grade Control Model vs. Resource Model Reconciliation Month Ore Tonnes Ore Grade Ounces June 87% 117% 101% July 94% 116% 109% August 91% 121% 110% 3 Month Ave. 91% 118% 107% In Q3 2017, the next stage of the reconciliation, which is confirmation of the mill feed to the reserve model, commenced. This reserve reconciliation measures the ability of the mining operations to deliver the planned tonnages and grade predicted by the reserve model to the processing plant. During July and August, mining operations have been focused on improving ore delineation and the design of the ore polygons to be mined in order to reduce ore dilution and losses. In addition, following the implementation of blast movement technology in July, there has been a continual improvement in the ability of the mining operation to deliver the planned grades and volumes of ore. This is evidenced by the significant improvement in the mill feed to reserve model reconciliation over the past three months. In August, there was a 2% positive variance on ore grade and a 100% reconciliation on ounces. These improvements are material as they clearly demonstrate the operation's ability to deliver the mine plan. For August, 436,000 tonnes of ore was mined at 1.95 g/t. Mill Feed vs. Reserve Model Reconciliation Month Ore Tonnes Ore Grade Ounces June 91% 90% 82% July 109% 88% 96% August 98% 102% 100% 3 Month Ave. 99% 95% 94% Project 5 Million ("P5M") Plant Upgrade Commissioning of the P5M volumetric upgrades continued during the quarter. During July and August, the plant experienced three SAG mill motor outages which resulted in a total of 11 days of lost milling time, notwithstanding this the Company is on track to meet its 2017 revised production guidance. Alongside the spare mill motor onsite, a further two new upgraded mill motors are due for delivery in Q1 2018. In spite of the mill motor outages, the plant is now achieving, on a campaign basis, daily milling rates of in excess of 13,500 tonnes of fresh ore at 93% of the mill feed blend into the plant, which is well above the design of 60%. The upgrades to the recovery circuit, which is the second stage of the P5M plant upgrade, are expected to be installed during Q4 2017 and commissioned by the end of 2017, as per the construction schedule. Akwasiso During July & August, a confirmatory drilling program was undertaken at the Akwasiso satellite deposit, located approximately three kilometres north east of the processing facility. The purpose of the program was to infill drill test the previously inaccessible area which was covered with tailings from historic artisanal mining activities. The drilling program has firmed up the Akwasiso reserve model. Mining operations will continue to deliver approximately 20,000 tonnes per month ("tpm") of oxide ore to the plant up to the end of 2017 and then ramp up in fresh ore, in line with mining plans in H1 2018. In addition, the drilling was also aimed at further investigating any potential mineralization on the eastern contact between the granite and the sandstone mineralization trends. A total of 4,051m were drilled and the drilling program has confirmed the continuity of mineralization at depth and also discovered a new near surface zone of mineralization along the eastern edge of the deposit. In line with the previous phases of drilling, this drilling program intersected significant near surface mineralization widths and some exceptional grades. Another round of drilling to test this zone's continuity at depth will commence in Q4 2017. Some of the significant intercepts from the confirmatory drilling program are shown in the table below. A complete table showing all the recent Akwasiso drill results is included in the Appendix. Table 1: Akwasiso Drill Intercepts Hole_ID From To Intercept Description Grade Thickness (gm) AKRC17-151 102 111 9.00m @ 15.56 g/t 140.04 AKRC17-154 10 60 50.00m @ 2.09 g/t 104.5 AKRC17-170 18 57 39.00m @ 2.52 g/t 98.28 AKRC17-167 36 60 24.00m @ 3.79 g/t 90.96 AKRC17-162 16 60 44.00m @ 1.51 g/t 66.44 AKRC17-168 69 119 50.00m @ 1.23 g/t 61.5 AKRC17-160 90 114 24.00m @ 2.39 g/t 57.36 AKRC17-159 38 45 7.00m @ 7.71 g/t 53.97 AKRC17-168 33 62 29.00m @ 1.77 g/t 51.33 Notes: Gold intercepts are generated as a weighted average. No upper cut has been applied. Gold intercepts are generated using a 0.5 g/t cut-off with no more than 3m of inclusive internal waste and a minimum intercept of 3m. Dynamite Hill In anticipation of commencing operations at Dynamite Hill in Q4 2017, 3,096 meters of grade control drilling has been completed in 65 holes to provide the detail required for the short term mine plan and to confirm the oxide ore volumes predicted by the resource model. The grade control program has fully validated the Dynamite Hill resource model and the mine plan remains unchanged. Dynamite Hill will be the second satellite pit to be brought into production and expected to deliver approximately 70,000tpm from Q1 2018 onwards. This will add significant flexibility to the AGM mining operations, thereby further de-risking operational delivery. A local mining contractor, Rocksure, has been appointed to mine the deposit and is in the process of site establishment. The constructions of the haul road linking Dynamite Hill to Akwasiso and the central processing facility is nearing completion. About Asanko Gold Inc. Asanko's vision is to become a mid-tier gold mining company that maximizes value for all its stakeholders. The Company's flagship project is the multi-million ounce Asanko Gold Mine located in Ghana, West Africa. Asanko is managed by highly skilled and successful technical, operational and financial professionals. The Company is strongly committed to the highest standards for environmental management, social responsibility, and health and safety for its employees and neighbouring communities. Appendix: Complete Table of Recent Akwasiso Drill Intercepts Hole_ID Type East North RL Depth Azimuth Dip From To Interval Width Grade (g/t) Intercept Description Grade Thickness (gm) AKRC17-114 RC 614325.7 703974.4 163.9 57 306 -50 22 45 23 1.34 23.00m @ 1.34 g/t 30.82 AKRC17-114 RC 614325.7 703974.4 163.9 57 306 -50 52 57 5 2.84 5.00m @ 2.84 g/t 14.2 AKRC17-115 RC 614396.3 703972.0 165.7 70 306 -50 15 34 19 0.75 19.00m @ 0.75 g/t 14.25 AKRC17-116 RC 614458.5 704014.7 166.3 45 306 -50 22 29 7 1.81 7.00m @ 1.81 g/t 12.67 AKRC17-117 RC 614476.0 704007.6 166.8 50 306 -50 NSI NSI AKRC17-117 RC 614476.0 704007.6 166.8 50 306 -50 NSI NSI AKRC17-118 RC 614505.1 704032.3 166.7 50 306 -50 NSI NSI AKRC17-119 RC 614440.5 703980.4 166.1 34 306 -50 14 17 3 5.41 3.00m @ 5.41 g/t 16.23 AKRC17-120 RC 614457.2 703969.4 166.0 42 306 -50 30 36 6 0.53 6.00m @ 0.53 g/t 3.18 AKRC17-121 RC 614306.6 703941.3 164.7 102 306 -50 37 43 6 3.32 6.00m @ 3.32 g/t 19.92 AKRC17-122 RC 614490.2 704048.8 166.3 39 306 -50 NSI NSI AKRC17-123 RC 614522.0 704075.3 166.7 30 306 -50 NSI NSI AKRC17-124 RC 614537.6 704065.4 166.7 48 306 -50 NSI NSI AKRC17-125 RC 614262.0 703910.3 164.8 91 306 -50 NSI NSI AKRC17-126 RC 614413.6 703956.6 165.6 30 306 -50 NSI NSI AKRC17-127 RC 614429.9 703943.7 165.4 50 306 -50 NSI NSI AKRC17-128 RC 614286.2 703892.0 165.8 110 306 -50 55 60 5 3.86 5.00m @ 3.86 g/t 19.3 AKRC17-129 RC 614383.4 703927.8 163.3 30 306 -50 20 23 3 1.34 3.00m @ 1.34 g/t 4.02 AKRC17-130 RC 614401.0 703913.5 164.0 42 306 -50 NSI NSI AKRC17-131 RC 614458.2 703996.3 166.5 42 306 -50 30 33 3 1.32 3.00m @ 1.32 g/t 3.96 AKRC17-132 RC 614319.9 703913.1 165.1 132 306 -50 59 87 28 1.72 28.00m @ 1.72 g/t 48.16 AKRC17-132 RC 614319.9 703913.1 165.1 132 306 -50 31 34 3 1.71 3.00m @ 1.71 g/t 5.13 AKRC17-132 RC 614319.9 703913.1 165.1 132 306 -50 100 105 5 0.97 5.00m @ 0.97 g/t 4.85 AKRC17-133 RC 614466.3 703989.1 166.4 39 306 -50 NSI NSI AKRC17-134 RC 614474.7 704034.2 167.2 42 306 -50 NSI NSI AKRC17-135 RC 614483.5 704028.5 167.0 46 306 -50 NSI NSI AKRC17-136 RC 614515.0 704054.1 166.4 30 306 -50 24 27 3 4.11 3.00m @ 4.11 g/t 12.33 AKRC17-137 RC 614523.5 704048.4 166.6 42 306 -50 NSI NSI AKRC17-138 RC 614429.0 703968.0 165.8 30 306 -50 21 25 4 3.77 4.00m @ 3.77 g/t 15.08 AKRC17-138 RC 614429.0 703968.0 165.8 30 306 -50 6 10 4 0.48 4.00m @ 0.48 g/t 1.92 AKRC17-139 RC 614437.0 703961.8 165.9 43 306 -50 NSI NSI AKRC17-140 RC 614308.6 703957.7 163.9 87 306 -50 28 36 8 2.78 8.00m @ 2.78 g/t 22.24 AKRC17-140 RC 614308.6 703957.7 163.9 87 306 -50 61 66 5 1.73 5.00m @ 1.73 g/t 8.65 AKRC17-141 RC 614421.2 703948.9 165.4 41 306 -50 NSI NSI AKRC17-142 RC 614400.0 703937.0 164.7 27 306 -50 22 27 5 0.67 5.00m @ 0.67 g/t 3.35 AKRC17-143 RC 614409.8 703930.3 164.9 31 306 -50 NSI NSI AKRC17-144 RC 614330.4 703939.7 164.7 90 306 -50 60 71 11 2.43 11.00m @ 2.43 g/t 26.73 AKRC17-144 RC 614330.4 703939.7 164.7 90 306 -50 22 35 13 0.96 13.00m @ 0.96 g/t 12.48 AKRC17-145 RC 614390.8 703923.1 163.9 35 306 -50 NSI NSI AKRC17-146 RC 614377.3 703899.6 164.4 45 306 -50 NSI NSI AKRC17-147 RC 614450.7 703977.2 166.1 35 306 -50 20 33 13 1.71 13.00m @ 1.71 g/t 22.23 AKRC17-148 RC 614464.5 704012.5 166.7 42 306 -50 NSI NSI AKRC17-149 RC 614497.8 704041.2 166.4 30 306 -50 NSI NSI AKRC17-150 RC 614529.8 704068.7 166.7 30 306 -50 NSI NSI AKRC17-151 RC 614335.0 703952.6 164.1 112 306 -50 102 111 9 15.6 9.00m @ 15.56 g/t 140.04 AKRC17-151 RC 614335.0 703952.6 164.1 112 306 -50 66 79 13 2.02 13.00m @ 2.02 g/t 26.26 AKRC17-151 RC 614335.0 703952.6 164.1 112 306 -50 46 62 16 0.79 16.00m @ 0.79 g/t 12.64 AKRC17-151 RC 614335.0 703952.6 164.1 112 306 -50 31 39 8 1.42 8.00m @ 1.42 g/t 11.36 AKRC17-151 RC 614335.0 703952.6 164.1 112 306 -50 83 86 3 0.93 3.00m @ 0.93 g/t 2.79 AKRC17-152 RC 614353.1 703968.9 164.5 114 306 -50 35 66 31 1.15 31.00m @ 1.15 g/t 35.65 AKRC17-152 RC 614353.1 703968.9 164.5 114 306 -50 6 24 18 0.7 18.00m @ 0.70 g/t 12.6 AKRC17-152 RC 614353.1 703968.9 164.5 114 306 -50 72 75 3 0.86 3.00m @ 0.86 g/t 2.58 AKRC17-153 RC 614363.9 703960.0 164.8 104 306 -50 18 58 40 0.94 40.00m @ 0.94 g/t 37.6 AKRC17-153 RC 614363.9 703960.0 164.8 104 306 -50 63 77 14 0.71 14.00m @ 0.71 g/t 9.94 AKRC17-153 RC 614363.9 703960.0 164.8 104 306 -50 95 103 8 0.43 8.00m @ 0.43 g/t 3.44 AKRC17-154 RC 614396.1 703972.3 165.4 138 310 -50 10 60 50 2.09 50.00m @ 2.09 g/t 104.5 AKRC17-154 RC 614396.1 703972.3 165.4 138 310 -50 125 135 10 1.79 10.00m @ 1.79 g/t 17.9 AKRC17-154 RC 614396.1 703972.3 165.4 138 310 -50 94 120 26 0.62 26.00m @ 0.62 g/t 16.12 AKRC17-154 RC 614396.1 703972.3 165.4 138 310 -50 73 79 6 0.65 6.00m @ 0.65 g/t 3.9 AKRC17-154 RC 614396.1 703972.3 165.4 138 310 -50 64 68 4 0.71 4.00m @ 0.71 g/t 2.84 AKRC17-155 RC 614269.4 703905.1 165.1 130 306 -50 9 13 4 0.91 4.00m @ 0.91 g/t 3.64 AKRC17-156 RC 614275.5 703923.8 164.9 102 306 -50 NSI NSI AKRC17-157 RC 614283.7 703917.4 165.2 90 310 -50 NSI NSI AKRC17-158 RC 614276.4 703897.9 165.5 66 310 -50 23 27 4 0.89 4.00m @ 0.89 g/t 3.56 AKRC17-159 RC 614297.9 703931.9 164.8 90 310 -50 38 45 7 7.71 7.00m @ 7.71 g/t 53.97 AKRC17-160 RC 614363.4 703987.2 164.1 140 310 -50 90 114 24 2.39 24.00m @ 2.39 g/t 57.36 AKRC17-160 RC 614363.4 703987.2 164.1 140 310 -50 71 86 15 1.19 15.00m @ 1.19 g/t 17.85 AKRC17-160 RC 614363.4 703987.2 164.1 140 310 -50 18 45 27 0.66 27.00m @ 0.66 g/t 17.82 AKRC17-160 RC 614363.4 703987.2 164.1 140 310 -50 56 66 10 0.61 10.00m @ 0.61 g/t 6.1 AKRC17-160 RC 614363.4 703987.2 164.1 140 310 -50 10 13 3 0.69 3.00m @ 0.69 g/t 2.07 AKRC17-161 RC 614304.0 703927.8 164.9 66 310 -50 44 52 8 3.37 8.00m @ 3.37 g/t 26.96 AKRC17-161 RC 614304.0 703927.8 164.9 66 310 -50 26 29 3 1.48 3.00m @ 1.48 g/t 4.44 AKRC17-161 RC 614304.0 703927.8 164.9 66 310 -50 15 20 5 0.86 5.00m @ 0.86 g/t 4.3 AKRC17-162 RC 614319.6 703948.1 164.4 90 310 -50 16 60 44 1.51 44.00m @ 1.51 g/t 66.44 AKRC17-162 RC 614319.6 703948.1 164.4 90 310 -50 82 86 4 4.27 4.00m @ 4.27 g/t 17.08 AKRC17-163 RC 614498.9 704030.2 166.4 42 310 -50 NSI NSI AKRC17-164 RC 614490.7 704036.3 166.4 54 310 -50 47 53 6 1.09 6.00m @ 1.09 g/t 6.54 AKRC17-165 RC 614482.9 704042.0 166.4 58 310 -50 NSI NSI AKRC17-166 RC 614449.2 703991.4 166.1 42 310 -50 15 30 15 1.12 15.00m @ 1.12 g/t 16.8 AKRC17-167 RC 614438.3 703999.6 166.2 60 310 -50 36 60 24 3.79 24.00m @ 3.79 g/t 90.96 AKRC17-167 RC 614438.3 703999.6 166.2 60 310 -50 20 32 12 2.11 12.00m @ 2.11 g/t 25.32 AKRC17-168 RC 614438.3 704023.8 165.7 120 310 -50 69 119 50 1.23 50.00m @ 1.23 g/t 61.5 AKRC17-168 RC 614438.3 704023.8 165.7 120 310 -50 33 62 29 1.77 29.00m @ 1.77 g/t 51.33 AKRC17-168 RC 614438.3 704023.8 165.7 120 310 -50 19 28 9 1.64 9.00m @ 1.64 g/t 14.76 AKRC17-169 RC 614430.3 704030.1 165.8 54 310 -50 19 32 13 2.97 13.00m @ 2.97 g/t 38.61 AKRC17-170 RC 614428.7 704007.4 166.1 60 310 -50 18 57 39 2.52 39.00m @ 2.52 g/t 98.28 AKRC17-171 RC 614414.9 703979.3 165.9 48 310 -50 20 47 27 1.66 27.00m @ 1.66 g/t 44.82 AKRC17-172 RC 614411.2 703971.1 165.8 36 310 -50 27 36 9 1.41 9.00m @ 1.41 g/t 12.69 AKRC17-173 RC 614422.2 703962.5 165.6 73 310 -50 47 73 26 1.63 26.00m @ 1.63 g/t 42.38 AKRC17-173 RC 614422.2 703962.5 165.6 73 310 -50 25 32 7 2.45 7.00m @ 2.45 g/t 17.15 AKRC17-174 RC 614434.5 704041.4 165.9 51 310 -50 45 51 6 4.12 6.00m @ 4.12 g/t 24.72 AKRC17-174 RC 614434.5 704041.4 165.9 51 310 -50 23 29 6 2.96 6.00m @ 2.96 g/t 17.76 AKRC17-175 RC 614386.9 703959.7 165.1 60 310 -50 20 27 7 5.66 7.00m @ 5.66 g/t 39.62 AKRC17-175 RC 614386.9 703959.7 165.1 60 310 -50 33 60 27 1.42 27.00m @ 1.42 g/t 38.34 AKRC17-176 RC 614439.8 704034.6 165.9 60 310 -50 35 38 3 13.3 3.00m @ 13.33 g/t 39.99 AKRC17-176 RC 614439.8 704034.6 165.9 60 310 -50 25 28 3 2.42 3.00m @ 2.42 g/t 7.26 AKRC17-177 RC 614384.5 703939.2 164.1 54 310 -50 38 48 10 0.84 10.00m @ 0.84 g/t 8.4 AKRC17-178 RC 614313.4 703893.9 164.9 78 310 -50 60 70 10 2.44 10.00m @ 2.44 g/t 24.4 AKRC17-178 RC 614313.4 703893.9 164.9 78 310 -50 26 29 3 3.61 3.00m @ 3.61 g/t 10.83 TORONTO, ON--(Marketwired - September 21, 2017) - (Please note that all dollar amounts in this news release are expressed in U.S. dollars unless otherwise indicated.) Primero Mining Corp. ("Primero" or the "Company") (TSX: P) today announces an update on recent activities at its operating mines, the San Dimas gold-silver mine located in Durango, Mexico and the Black Fox gold mine located near Timmins, Ontario, Canada. The Company is also providing an update on recent corporate activities. Highlights: San Dimas Experiences Ramp-Up Delay: While the San Dimas mine has experienced a recent improvement in operations, it has not seen the full step increase in productivity that underpinned the 2017 restart plan. Further, the Company has had to restrict capital spending due to current liquidity constraints and has reduced both development and exploration expenditures. As a result, the Company has lowered its 2017 San Dimas production guidance to between 75,000 and 85,000 gold equivalent ounces 1 at total cash costs 2 of between $800 and $900 per gold equivalent ounce with all-in sustaining costs 3 ("AISC") increasing to $1,050 to $1,150 per gold ounce. While the San Dimas mine has experienced a recent improvement in operations, it has not seen the full step increase in productivity that underpinned the 2017 restart plan. Further, the Company has had to restrict capital spending due to current liquidity constraints and has reduced both development and exploration expenditures. As a result, the Company has lowered its 2017 San Dimas production guidance to between 75,000 and 85,000 gold equivalent ounces at total cash costs of between $800 and $900 per gold equivalent ounce with all-in sustaining costs ("AISC") increasing to $1,050 to $1,150 per gold ounce. Black Fox Sale Expected to Close in Early-October: Primero continues to work with McEwen Mining to facilitate the closing of the Black Fox Complex transaction, which is expected to be completed in the first week of October. Black Fox is expected to achieve full-year 2017 production guidance of between 50,000 and 60,000 ounces of gold at AISC of $1,150 to $1,250 per ounce. The Company expects that at the time of closing Black Fox will have delivered approximately 50,000 gold ounces attributable to Primero in 2017. Primero continues to work with McEwen Mining to facilitate the closing of the Black Fox Complex transaction, which is expected to be completed in the first week of October. Black Fox is expected to achieve full-year 2017 production guidance of between 50,000 and 60,000 ounces of gold at AISC of $1,150 to $1,250 per ounce. The Company expects that at the time of closing Black Fox will have delivered approximately 50,000 gold ounces attributable to Primero in 2017. Production Guidance Update: Primero's 2017 production guidance has been reduced to reflect a more gradual restart of the San Dimas operations and the pending sale of the Black Fox Complex. Primero expects consolidated 2017 production of between 125,000 and 135,000 gold equivalent ounces at total cash costs of between $800 and $900 per gold equivalent ounce with AISC of between $1,200 and $1,300 per gold ounce. Primero's 2017 production guidance has been reduced to reflect a more gradual restart of the San Dimas operations and the pending sale of the Black Fox Complex. Primero expects consolidated 2017 production of between 125,000 and 135,000 gold equivalent ounces at total cash costs of between $800 and $900 per gold equivalent ounce with AISC of between $1,200 and $1,300 per gold ounce. Corporate Update and Current Liquidity Position: Primero continues to operate in a cash conservation mode as management works on possible alternatives to refinance or repay its upcoming debt obligation. The Company continues with negotiations on the potential sale of San Dimas or potential renegotiation of its silver stream. Primero had approximately $12 million in cash at August 31st and has fully-drawn its $75 million revolving credit facility ("RCF"). The Company expects to use the proceeds from Black Fox transaction to reduce its total debt position. "We remain very cognizant of the challenges facing us and remain committed to our Primero stakeholders in working to achieve resolution," stated Joseph F. Conway, Interim President and Chief Executive Officer. "We continue to advance our strategic process and our objective is to obtain a fair distribution of value for Primero stakeholders. At the same time, we are working on possible alternatives to refinance or repay our revolving credit facility due in November and see the sale of the Black Fox asset as a critical step towards meeting this near-term hurdle." San Dimas Experiences Ramp-Up Delay Primero previously highlighted the potential risk to its 2017 guidance if productivity improvements at San Dimas did not progress as planned. It should also be noted that the 2017 guidance includes periods of inactivity at site during the San Dimas strike and the negotiation of the 2016 annual workers' bonus ("PTU Bonus"). Since the conclusion of these negotiations in July, the site has experienced an improvement in worker alignment. However, the expected ramp-up in production has been significantly delayed due to persistent issues with underground equipment reliability, which has impacted development rates and underground stoping activities. San Dimas has plans in place to address these issues. Primero cautions that continued investment into both development and exploration will be required to achieve future production levels significantly above the 2017 forecast. As a result of the operational challenges which the site is experiencing, Primero expects to apply revised operating assumptions, including higher cut-off grades and revised cost structures and metals prices, when it evaluates its year-end 2017 Mineral Reserves and Resources. The Company does not expect to replace 2017 mining depletion of Mineral Resources and Reserves due to these factors and the recent cash conservation which has limited the site's ability to conduct exploration drifting and drilling. Black Fox Sale Expected to Close in Early-October Primero continues to work with McEwen Mining Inc. ( NYSE : MUX) (TSX: MUX) ("McEwen") to facilitate the closing of the Black Fox Complex transaction, which is expected to be completed in the first week of October. The pending sale includes the Black Fox mine and all associated assets, including the Black Fox-Stock mill and the Froome and Grey Fox deposits. The Company expects that by the time of the transaction closing Black Fox will have delivered approximately 50,000 gold ounces attributable to Primero in 2017. Black Fox has recently depleted its low-grade surface stockpile and the operation has successfully transitioned to an underground-only operation with a reduced milling schedule. The mine is expected to achieve full-year 2017 production guidance of between 50,000 and 60,000 ounces of gold at total cash costs of $850 to $950 per ounce with AISC of $1,150 to $1,250 per ounce. Production Guidance Update Primero has reduced its 2017 production guidance to reflect the delayed ramp-up of the San Dimas operations following the strike and other labour disruptions experienced earlier this year and the intended sale of the Black Fox Complex. Primero expects consolidated 2017 production of between 125,000 and 135,000 gold equivalent ounces, including 110,000 to 120,000 ounces of gold and 4.5 to 5.0 million ounces of silver. This compares to previous guidance of between 140,000 and 170,000 gold equivalent ounces. Total cash costs are expected to be in the range of $800 to $900 per gold equivalent ounce, and AISC is expected to be between $1,200 and $1,300 per gold ounce. Table 1: Revised Full-Year 2017 Production Guidance Previous Guidance Revised Guidance San Dimas Black Fox Consolidated San Dimas Black Fox Consolidated* Attributable production (gold equivalent ounces) 90,000- 110,000 50,000- 60,000 140,000- 170,000 75,000- 85,000 50,000- 60,000 125,000- 135,000 Gold Production (ounces) 75,000- 90,000 50,000- 60,000 125,000- 150,000 60,000- 70,000 50,000- 60,000 110,000- 120,000 Silver Production (million ounces) 4.5-5.5 N/A 4.5-5.5 4.5-5.0 N/A 4.5-5.0 Total cash costs (per gold equivalent ounce) $650- $800 $850- $950 $700- $850 $800- $900 $850- $950 $800- $900 AISC (per gold ounce) $900- $1,050 $1,150- $1,250 $1,050- $1,200 $1,050- $1,150 $1,150- $1,250 $1,200- $1,300 Capital Expenditures ($ millions) $33.4 $14.8 $48.2 $21.7 $14.8 $35.1 *Revised consolidated 2017 guidance includes approximately 50,000 ounces of gold production and $13.4 million of capital expenditures at Black Fox attributable to Primero prior to the completion of the transaction with McEwen expected in early-October. Material assumptions used to forecast total cash costs for 2017 were based on the Company's actual results year-to-date and include an estimated average gold price of $1,250 per ounce for the remainder of the year, and foreign exchange rates of $1.30 Canadian dollars and $18 Mexican pesos to the U.S. dollar for the remainder of 2017. Silver sold under the silver purchase agreement is expected to average $4.32 for the remainder of 2017. Corporate Update and Current Liquidity Position The Company continues to operate in a cash conservation mode and will limit expenditures to only core areas necessary to maintain current production levels in the near-term. Management continues to work on possible alternatives to refinance or repay its upcoming debt obligation and continues with negotiations on the potential sale of San Dimas or potential renegotiation of its silver stream. In Mexico, the Company continues to defend its transfer pricing tax position and the validity of its Advance Pricing Agreement (the 'APA') in legal proceedings, while also seeking to resolve matters through a negotiated solution with SAT. There can be no certainty that any of the foregoing matters will be resolved in a manner that enables the Company to continue to conduct operations in a sustainable manner. At August 31, 2017, Primero had approximately $12 million in cash. The Company has fully-drawn its $75 million RCF which will mature on November 23, 2017. The Company expects to use the proceeds from Black Fox transaction to reduce its total debt position. Additionally, Primero has recently received approximately $4.6 million in Mexican VAT refunds over two instalments in July and August, and is working closely with SAT to arrange for the remaining eligible outstanding VAT amounts totalling $32 million to be refunded in due course. (1) "Gold equivalent ounces" include silver ounces produced, and converted to a gold equivalent based on a ratio of the average commodity prices realized for each period. The ratio for the revised 2017 production guidance for San Dimas is based on forecast realized prices of $1,250 per ounce of gold and $4.32 per ounce of silver. (2) Total cash costs per gold equivalent ounce and total cash costs on a by-product basis are non-GAAP measures. Total cash costs per gold equivalent ounce are defined as cost of production (including refining costs) divided by the total number of gold equivalent ounces produced. Total cash costs on a by-product basis are calculated by deducting the by-product silver credits from operating costs. The Company reports total cash costs on a production basis. In the gold mining industry, these are common performance measures but do not have any standardized meaning, and are non-GAAP measures. The Company follows the recommendations of the Gold Institute standard. The Company believes that, in addition to conventional measures, prepared in accordance with GAAP, certain investors use this information to evaluate the Company's performance and ability to generate cash flow. Accordingly, it is intended to provide additional information and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with GAAP. See the second quarter 2017 MD&A for a reconciliation of total cash costs to reported operating expenses (the nearest GAAP measure). (3) The Company, in conjunction with an initiative undertaken within the gold mining industry, has adopted an all-in sustaining cost non-GAAP performance measure that the Company believes more fully defines the total cost associated with producing gold; however, this performance measure has no standardized meaning. Accordingly, it is intended to provide additional information and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with GAAP. The Company reports this measure on a gold ounces produced basis. For the purposes of calculating all-in sustaining costs at individual mine sites, the Company does not include corporate general and administrative expenses. Corporate general and administrative expenses are included in the computation of all-in sustaining costs per consolidated gold ounce. Refer to the Company's second quarter 2017 MD&A for a reconciliation of all-in sustaining costs per gold ounce. About Primero Primero Mining Corp. is a Canadian-based precious metals producer that owns 100% of the San Dimas gold-silver mine and the Cerro del Gallo gold-silver-copper development project in Mexico and 100% of the Black Fox mine and adjoining properties in the Township of Black RiverMatheson near Timmins, Ontario, Canada. Primero's website is www.primeromining.com. VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Sept. 21, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Novo Resources Corp. (Novo or the Company) (TSX-V:NVO) (OTCQX:NSRPF) is pleased to provide an update on exploration activities at its Karratha gold project, Western Australia. Novo recently received necessary Plan of Work approvals for core drilling at the Purdys Reward prospect. The Purdys Reward tenement is part of a farm-in and joint venture Novo has with ASX-listed Artemis Resources Limited and is part of Novos greater Karratha gold project. As discussed in the Companys news release dated August 31, 2017, Novo envisions a two-pronged approach to drilling at Karratha. Scout diamond core drill holes will help allow initial assessment of the depth and thickness of targeted gold-bearing conglomerates. Once target depth and thickness has been determined, large diameter RC holes (17.5 diameter) will be drilled to collect bulk samples. Novo has engaged Orlando Drilling to undertake diamond core drilling and FORACO International SA to undertake large diameter reverse circulation drilling. Drilling will commence in areas within which heritage clearance has already been conducted. Core drilling is expected to begin around September 27th and large diameter drilling around October 15th. Preliminary trenching activities have begun. Novo has recently mobilized a 35-tonne excavator to site which, in addition to helping construct drill pads, will be used to open up several exploration trenches at Purdys Reward. Mobilization of a hardrock trencher as discussed in the Companys August 31, 2017 news release, will take place once approvals have been received to upgrade the track into site. Bulk samples from large diameter reverse circulation drilling and trenching will be delivered to Nagrom Metallurgical Laboratory, Perth and subjected to analysis as follows: Bulk samples derived from trenches and large diameter reverse circulation drilling will be crushed to -60 mm (P100) and dry screened at 10 mm and 2 mm. The +10 mm and 2-10 mm fractions will be fed through the Steinert XSS T sorting machine to generate a concentrate of rock particles containing coarse gold (sorted concentrate) and tailings (sorted tailings). The sorted concentrate will be crushed to -2mm (P100) and subjected to intense CN leaching and analysis. Tailings from intense CN leaching will subjected to metallic screen fire assay to ensure no loss of gold. The gold content of the sorted concentrate will be determined by mathematically combining the Au recovered by CN leaching with residual gold detected by metallic screen fire assay. Sorted tailings will be crushed to -2 mm (P100) and recombined with any -2 mm material generated during initial screening. A 30 kg split of -2 mm material will be taken and pulverized to -75 microns (P95). Three, 1 kg splits of the pulverized material will be subjected to intensive CN leaching and analysis. A weighted average grade of these three analyses will constitute the sorted tailings grade. A final bulk sample grade will be calculated by mathematically combining the sorted concentrate grade and the sorted tailings grade. Laboratory turnaround is expected to be around 4-6 weeks. We are eager to commence exploration activities at Karratha, commented Dr. Quinton Hennigh, President, Chairman and Director of Novo Resources Corp. We anticipate diamond core drilling to provide us with a good handle on stratigraphy and target depths. Follow-up large diameter reverse circulation drilling will provide necessary bulk sample material to evaluate grades of this very nuggety gold system. Similarly, bulk samples collected from trenching will provide critical data on grade and gold distribution. Karratha is a very exciting gold discovery, and Novo is ready to meet the challenge of exploring it. Karratha Gold Project Gold mineralization at Karratha is hosted by a sequence of conglomerate beds, fossil gravel horizons, ranging from a few meters to approximately 20 meters thick comprising the base of a much thicker package of sedimentary and volcanic rocks called the Fortescue Group. Rocks of the Fortescue Group were deposited between 2.78 and 2.63 years ago upon 3.0-3.7 billion year old igneous and metamorphic rocks that make up the Pilbara craton, an ancient piece of Earths crust. Over the past year, local metal detectorists have excavated gold nuggets originating from weathered conglomerate along an eight-kilometer, southwest-trending corridor between the Purdys Reward prospect (please refer to the Companys news releases dated May 26 and August 15, 2017) and Comet Well (please refer to the Companys news releases dated April 11, June 26 and August 3, 2017). These gold-bearing conglomerates dip gently southeastward under cover at angles of between 2 and 20 degrees. The Company secured 100% control over approximately 7,000 sq km in areas along strike and down dip from Purdys Reward and Comet Well through aggressive staking earlier this year. Novo believes that these gold-bearing conglomerates may underlie significant areas within the greater Fortescue basin. In the Companys news release dated July 12, 2017, Novo discussed discovery of gold nuggets in a bulk sample collected from a trench at the Purdys Reward prospect. Metallurgical test work conducted on this sample was discussed in the Companys news release issued August 8, 2017. The weighted average grade of two splits of this bulk sample was 67.08 gpt Au. Approximately 82% of the gold in this sample was determined to be coarse, mainly nuggets displaying several interesting characteristics. These are commonly flattened with rounded edges giving them an appearance similar to watermelon seeds. Most are coarse, +2 mm and are not attached to quartz or other minerals. Gold is of high purity, +96%, much higher than the gold content of nuggets derived from basement-hosted lode gold deposits from the Pilbara region that commonly display purities of 70-90%. Nuggets display crenulated surfaces thought derived from burial and compaction within a sandy matrix. In addition to coarse gold, this metallurgical test confirmed a significant fine-grained gold component is present in these conglomerates. Such fine gold, if it is indeed disseminated throughout the conglomerates, could prove important to help evaluate grade and continuity of this deposit. Dr. Quinton Hennigh, the Companys, President and Chairman and a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, has approved the technical contents of this news release. Novo to Present at Denver Gold Forum 2017 Novo is also pleased to announce that its President and Chairman, Dr. Quinton Hennigh, will be presenting at the Denver Gold Forum on Monday, September 25th at 11:15am MT (1:15am AWST) at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Dr. Hennigh will be discussing the Companys aforementioned exploration plans. A live feed of the presentation will be available at http://www.denvergoldforum.org/dgf17/dgf17-webcasts/2017-ondemand-webcast/. Novo will also run a live feed from its Karratha project during the presentation. A link to the Companys live feed will be provided on Monday morning. About Novo Resources Corp. Novos focus is to explore and develop gold projects in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, and Novo has built up a significant land package covering approximately 12,000 sq km. Novo also controls a 100% interest in approximately 2 sq km covering much of the Tuscarora Au-Ag vein district, Nevada. VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / September 21, 2017 / Voltaic Minerals Corp. (TSX-V: VLT; OTC PINK: VTCCF; FRA: 2P61) (the ''Company'' or ''Voltaic'') announces that it has engaged Whittier Filtration, (''Whittier'') a division of Veolia Water Technologies, to begin due diligence work on additional brine sources. Voltaic has engaged Whittier to begin working on process engineering solutions for projects in North America that have lithium in waste water from commercial sites. Recently, Voltaic has been sourcing multiple samples from industrial locations where the company could put process solutions in place. President of Voltaic Darryl Jones states ''Veolia is a world class water technology company with vast resources and we are extremely excited to have them on board, as this is a natural step in the progression of the company''. Veolia will begin working on bench scale testing of different brines to provide process engineering solutions for Voltaic. The goal of the program is to provide Voltaic with additional solutions in the lithium brine production space for use at multiple locations, worldwide. Veolia has the resources to develop the solutions for Voltaic, as well as to implement, operate and manage world class water treatment facilities. About Veolia Water Technologies, Inc. Around the globe, Veolia helps cities and industries to manage, optimize and make the most of their resources. The company provides an array of solutions related to water, energy and materials - with a focus on waste recovery - to promote the transition to a circular economy. With a long legacy of class-leading industrial treatment technologies, the Whittier Filtration and Separations product range is offered by Veolia Water Technologies for target implementation in specific applications. Veolia has vast resources in the water treatment business and is a leading expert in operating managing and constructing facilities for treatment of water. Update on Lithium Selective Technologies Voltaic has been working closely with LiST to provide process solutions for the historical Green Energy Brine Project. The company has advanced LiST working capital to achieve a solution. LiST is currently working to develop a solution to a complex brine composition that is the Green Energy Project, with a goal of developing a low-cost solution for non-conventional brines in Utah and elsewhere. LiST and Voltaic continue to work towards a definitive agreement that can be used on the Green Energy Project as more results are received. About Voltaic Minerals Corp. Voltaic Minerals Corp. is a Vancouver-based Lithium exploration company, which owns 100% of the Green Energy Lithium Project that encompasses 4,160 acres of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) claims and is in Grand County, 15 km west of the city of Moab, Utah.- Lithium and other minerals occur at the property in an over-saturated brine (40% minerals, 60% water) discovered during historic oil exploration when drill wells intercepted Clastic Bed #14 of the Paradox formation. VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Sept. 21, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Gold Standard Ventures Corp. (TSXV:GSV) (NYSE American:GSV) (Gold Standard or the Company) today announced a maiden mineral resource estimate for its North Bullion gold deposit on its 100%-owned/controlled Railroad - Pinion Project in Nevadas Carlin Trend, prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (NI 43-101). The maiden mineral resource estimate also includes resources at Sweet Hollow and POD in the nearby historic Railroad District for the first time. These resource estimates were prepared by APEX Geoscience Ltd. of Edmonton, Canada (APEX) and are dated September 8, 2017. A technical report prepared in accordance with NI 43-101 will be filed with SEDAR within 45 days of the date of this news release. The majority of the mineralization at the Sweet Hollow and POD deposits is oxidized. The Sweet Hollow and POD oxide mineralization is about 7 km (4.2 miles) north of the Pinion and Dark Star gold deposits. The North Bullion deposit hosts sulphide mineralization typical of the large deposits found in the north portion of the Carlin Trend. Highlights (see Table 1 below) At Sweet Hollow and POD, APEX has estimated a new near surface oxide Indicated Mineral Resource of 90,100 troy ounces of gold contained in 2.92 million tonnes at an average grade of 0.96 grams per tonne (g/t) gold (Au) (at a cut-off of 0.14 g Au/t). No mineral resources have previously been reported for these deposits. Also at Sweet Hollow and POD, APEX has estimated a near surface oxide Inferred Mineral Resource of 46,600 troy ounces of gold contained in 3.36 million tonnes at an average grade of 0.43 g/t Au (at a cut-off of 0.14 g Au/t). At North Bullion (and including a minor contribution from Sweet Hollow and POD), APEX has estimated a near surface (pit constrained) sulphide Inferred Mineral Resource of 171,400 troy ounces of gold contained in 2.05 million tonnes at an average grade of 2.6 g/t Au (at a cut-off of 1.25 g/t Au). No mineral resources have previously been reported for the North Bullion deposit. Also at North Bullion, APEX has estimated a deeper (underground) sulphide Inferred Mineral Resource of 587,700 troy ounces of gold contained in 5.55 million tonnes at an average grade of 3.29 g/t Au (at a cut-off of 2.25 g/t Au). A sensitivity analysis of the grade and tonnage relationships at a variety of cut-off grades is shown in the accompanying Tables 2 and 3 below. Jonathan Awde, CEO and Director of Gold Standard commented: Our Carlin resource base continues to grow. The structure and mineralogy of the North Bullion deposit strongly resembles the large gold deposits at the north end of the Carlin Trend. We continue to have success drilling this deposit and it remains open in multiple directions. However, our priority remains expanding the shallow oxide deposits which are faster and less costly to develop, he said. Based upon detailed modelling of the drill information (from 503 drill holes) in conjunction with reasonable prospects of future economic extraction, APEX estimates within the mineralized zones a mineral resource that is comprised of the following: a pit constrained near surface oxide Indicated Mineral Resource of 2.92 million tonnes grading 0.96 g/t Au, totaling 90,100 troy ounces of gold, a pit constrained oxide and sulphide Inferred Mineral Resource of 5.42 million tonnes grading 1.25 g/t Au, totaling 218,000 troy ounces of gold, and a deeper underground constrained sulphide Inferred Mineral Resource of 5.55 million tonnes at an average grade of 3.29 g/t Au, totaling 587,700 troy ounces of gold (Table 1). A sensitivity analysis of the grade and tonnage relationships at a variety of cut-off grades is shown in the accompanying Tables 2 and 3 below. Table 1. The North Bullion, Sweet Hollow and POD mineral resource estimate with cut-off grades is summarized below*: Classification Constraint Cut-off for Au (g/t) Tonnage (million metric tonnes) Au Grade (g/t) Contained Au** (troy ounces)*** Indicated TOTAL Oxide - Pit Constrained 0.14 2.92 0.96 90,100 Inferred Oxide - Pit Constrained 0.14 3.36 0.43 46,600 Inferred Sulphide - Pit Constrained 1.25 2.05 2.60 171,400 Inferred Subtotal Pit Constrained Inferred Subtotal 0.14, 1.25 5.42 1.25 218,000 Inferred Sulphide Underground 2.25 5.55 3.29 587,700 Inferred TOTAL Pit Constrained and Underground Inferred Total 0.14, 1.25, 2.25 10.97 2.28 805,800 * Mineral Resources are not Mineral Reserves. Mineral resources which are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. There has been insufficient exploration to define the Inferred Mineral Resources tabulated above as an Indicated or Measured Mineral Resource. There is no guarantee that any part of the mineral resources discussed herein will be converted into a mineral reserve in the future. **The recommended reported resources are highlighted in bold and have been constrained within a $US1,350/ounce of gold optimized pit shell and/or an underground mining scenario utilizing a 2.25 g/t Au lower cutoff. ***Contained troy ounces may not add due to rounding. Table 2. Sensitivity analysis of the Sweet Hollow and POD oxide mineral resource estimate for gold at various cut-off grades*: Classification Au Cut-off (grams per tonne) Tonnage - Au (million metric tonnes) Au Grade (grams per tonne) Contained Au (troy ounces)*** Indicated (Oxide) 0.0 3.04 0.93 90,600 0.14** 2.92 0.96 90,100 0.2 2.51 1.09 87,800 0.3 1.64 1.53 80,800 0.4 1.41 1.73 78,400 0.5 1.40 1.74 78,200 Inferred (Oxide) 0.0 3.63 0.41 47,500 0.14*** 3.36 0.43 46,600 0.2 2.71 0.49 43,000 0.3 1.47 0.70 33,200 0.4 1.14 0.81 29,700 0.5 1.09 0.82 28,800 * Mineral Resources are not Mineral Reserves. Mineral resources which are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. There has been insufficient exploration to define the Inferred Mineral Resources tabulated above as an Indicated or Measured Mineral Resource. There is no guarantee that any part of the mineral resources discussed herein will be converted into a mineral reserve in the future. **The recommended reported resources are highlighted in bold and have been constrained within a $US1,350/ounce of gold optimized pit shell. ***Contained troy ounces may not add due to rounding. Table 3. Sensitivity analysis of the North Bullion, Sweet Hollow and POD sulphide mineral resource estimate for gold at various cut-off grades*: Classification Au Cutoff (grams per tonne) Tonnage - Au (million metric tonnes) Au Grade (grams per tonne) Contained Au (troy ounces)**** Inferred (Near Surface Sulphide) 1.0 2.20 2.50 176,700 1.25** 2.05 2.60 171,400 1.5 1.85 2.73 162,200 1.75 1.66 2.86 152,400 2.0 1.35 3.09 133,800 Inferred (Underground Sulphide) 2.0 6.87 3.07 678,000 2.25*** 5.55 3.29 587,700 2.5 4.31 3.55 492,800 2.75 3.15 3.90 394,900 3.0 2.52 4.16 336,300 * Mineral Resources are not Mineral Reserves. Mineral resources which are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. There has been insufficient exploration to define the Inferred Mineral Resources tabulated above as an Indicated or Measured Mineral Resource. There is no guarantee that any part of the mineral resources discussed herein will be converted into a mineral reserve in the future. **The recommended reported resources are highlighted in bold and have been constrained within a $US1,350/ounce of gold optimized pit shell. ***The recommended reported resources are highlighted in bold and have been constrained within a $US1,350/ounce of gold underground mining scenario. ****Contained troy ounces may not add due to rounding. Exploration Target and Potential for Resource Expansion As a direct effect of the Railroad project 2010 to 2016 drilling programs and completing an updated geologic model, additional targets for immediate potential resource expansion have been identified in areas of limited drill hole testing. Shallow and deeper oxide and sulphide targets have been identified adjacent to existing resources that have good potential to expand the current inferred and indicated mineral resources. A near surface oxide exploration target of 3 million to 6 million tonnes at a grade of 0.3 to 0.5 g/t Au yielding an oxide exploration target of 30,000 up to 100,000 troy ounces of gold has been identified outside of the Sweet Hollow to POD portion of the property based upon prior drilling. The potential quantity and size is conceptual in nature. There has been insufficient exploration to define a mineral resource. It is uncertain if further exploration will result in the target being delineated as a mineral resource. In addition, outside of this resource estimate, an exploration target of sulphide material ranging from 8 to 27 million tonnes with a potential grade of 1.1 up to 1.7 g/t Au yielding a target of 300,000 troy ounces up to 1,475,000 troy ounces has been identified for potential resource expansion. The potential quantity and size is conceptual in nature. There has been insufficient exploration to define a mineral resource. It is uncertain if further exploration will result in the target being delineated as a mineral resource. Along with targets to potentially expand the resource, areas within the existing inferred mineral resources that are defined by widely spaced drilling but with reasonable grades provide the company with potential to convert and grow the indicated portion of the oxide and/or sulphide mineral resource. APEX recommends further drilling to test these drill targets in order to expand the existing resources and convert Inferred Mineral Resources to Indicated Mineral Resources. Geology The North Bullion, Sweet Hollow and POD deposits are hosted by a number of lodes oriented north-northeast-northwest over an area of 2.75 km by 950 m. The mineral resource estimate is based on 171 reverse circulation holes and 61 diamond core holes. Careful review has determined that results from the two forms of drilling are comparable. The geology of the mineralized zones is described as follows: The oxide gold zone at Sweet Hollow and POD is hosted in a mixed sequence of siliciclastic and carbonate rocks interpreted as belonging to the Mississippian Webb and Tripon Pass formations. Decalcification and silicification are the predominant alteration types, and dissolution collapse breccia occurs in the carbonate rocks. The mineralization lies stratigraphically higher than the Devils Gate Tripon Pass host to the Main Pinion Zone gold mineralization. The sulphide gold zone at North Bullion is hosted in two tectono-stratigraphic horizons: an upper zone within a mixed sequence of siliciclastic and carbonate rocks interpreted as belonging to the Mississippian Tripon Pass Formation and a lower zone in multi-lithic dissolution collapse breccia developed along the top of the Devils Gate Limestone. The lower zone at North Bullion is hosted in the same stratigraphic horizon as Gold Standards Pinion Deposit and much of Newmont Mining Corporations gold mineralization within the Rain mining district, immediately to the north. Decarbonatization, dolomitization and silicification are the predominant alteration types at North Bullion. Mineralization remains open in multiple directions. Significant potential exists for expansion of the mineral resources along geologic controls identified during the modeling of the deposits at North Bullion, Sweet Hollow and POD. Approximately 6,700 m of drilling will be completed in 2017 to further expand the mineral resources (see Gold Standards news release dated May 9, 2017). Due to the good vertical and lateral continuity of the dissolution, collapse breccia hosted gold mineralization and the identification of additional targets, the potential to expand the mineral resources and convert inferred mineral resources to indicated mineral resources with future drilling is considered high. Mineral Resource Estimate The statistical analysis, geological modeling and resource estimation was prepared by Mr. Steven Nicholls, MAIG, with APEX under the direct supervision of Mr. Michael Dufresne, P. Geol., P.Geo., also with APEX. Both are Qualified Persons as defined by National Instrument 43-101 and have reviewed and approved this news release. Mineral resource modelling and estimation was carried out using a 3-dimensional block model based on geostatistical applications using commercial mine planning software MICROMINE (16.0). Modeling was conducted in Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) coordinate space relative to the North American Datum (NAD) 1927 and UTM Zone 11. A parent block size of 10 m (X) x 10 m (Y) x 3 m (Z) with sub-blocking down to 5 m (X) x 5 m (Y) x 1.5 m (Z) was applied. The North Bullion, Sweet Hollow and POD resource modeling utilized 232 drill holes that were completed from 1980 to 2017. Mr. Dufresne, P.Geol., P.Geo., visited the property in April and October, 2014, June, 2015, August - September, 2015 and June 2017, in order to verify and validate the historic drill hole dataset and to verify the drilling of the recently completed 2016 diamond and RC drilling campaigns completed by Gold Standard. Over the period of the last four years, APEX personnel were intimately involved in the verification, validation, drill hole collar surveying and quality assurance/quality control analysis of the Railroad project drill hole database. The current drill hole database is deemed to be in good condition and suitable to use in ongoing resource estimation studies. A total of 503 drill holes guided the geological interpretation and 232 were used in the estimation of the North Bullion, Sweet Hollow and POD mineral resource. This total comprises 61 diamond core holes and 171 RC drill holes that were completed from 1980 to 2016. Spacing between drill holes varies from 2 m to 120 m in the resource area. All of the drill holes were used to guide the geological and mineralization model that was ultimately used in the resource estimation calculation. A total of 988 bulk density samples were collected from a variety of sources including bulk sampling, surface rock chip samples and drill core. A total of 272 bulk density samples were situated within the mineralized wireframes. The 272 bulk density samples situated within the mineralized zones were examined on a lode by lode basis. The average bulk density determined from the analytical work for each lode was assigned to all the blocks within that lode. The average density for the lodes ranges from 2.33 g/cm3 to 2.71 g/cm3 with overall average bulk density of 2.68 g/cm3 for the North Bullion, Sweet Hollow and POD mineral resource. The Railroad project assay file comprised 75,890 analyses of variable length from a variety of sampled lithologies. Of the 75,890 samples in the Railroad project database, roughly nine percent (6,941 assays) are situated within the gold mineralized lodes. A parent block size of 10 m (X) x 10 m (Y) x 3 m (Z) was chosen for the North Bullion, Sweet Hollow and POD block model. This is deemed appropriate based on the current level of drill hole spacing in the resource area which ranges from 2 m to 120 m with rough sections that range from 20 m to 100 m spacing. The block model extents were extended beyond the mineralized wireframe to encompass the entire domain. Sub-blocking down to 5 m (X) x 5 m (Y) x 1.5 m (Z) was used to more effectively honor the volumes and shapes created during the geological interpretation of the mineralized wireframes or lodes. Grade was interpolated for the parent blocks and assigned to the sub-blocks. A comparison of wireframe volume versus block model volume was performed for each of the estimations to ensure there was no under- or overestimation of tonnages. Each block was coded with the lode number so that grade could be estimated as hard boundaries. The Indicated and Inferred North Bullion, Sweet Hollow and POD resource estimation of gold was calculated using inverse distance (ID2) for each of the seventeen lodes. Silver was not estimated. The North Bullion, Sweet Hollow and POD resource estimation was conducted using inverse distance squared and ordinary kriging all of which were reviewed for resource estimation quality and validation. Based upon the resultant validation of the block models it was decided to use the inverse distance squared estimation technique as it best honored the input composite grades. As such only inverse distance squared estimation technique was used for this estimation. Estimation was only calculated on parent blocks. All sub-blocks within the parent block were assigned the parent block grade. A block discretization of 3 m (X) x 3 m (Y) x 3 m (Y) was applied to all blocks during estimation. Each lode was estimated with hard boundaries, which means that only composite assays located within each lode were used to estimate the grade of the blocks within that lode. Some metallurgical test work has been completed to date, which includes analysis of the suitability of the oxide gold mineralization to cyanide soluble leaching methods and for sulphide material, bench scale roaster treatment. Bottle roll and column leach tests indicate the potential to achieve greater than 80% recovery for oxide material and greater than 85% recovery for sulphide material with existing roaster processing technology methods (Dufresne et al., 2017). The 2017 Sweet Hollow and POD oxide mineral resources were constrained by a pit optimization conducted using $1,350 per oz Au along with assumed costs for open pit mining and processing of oxide resources in Nevada. Sulphide mineral resources at North Bullion, Sweet Hollow and POD were constrained by a pit optimization conducted using $1,350 per oz Au along with assumed costs for open pit mining and processing of sulphide resources in Nevada. Underground mineral resources at North Bullion have been reported using $1,350 per oz Au along with assumed costs for underground mining along with the processing of sulphide mineral resources in Nevada. The North Bullion, Sweet Hollow and POD mineral resource estimate is reported in accordance with NI 43-101 and has been estimated using the CIM Estimation of Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves Best Practice Guidelines dated November 23rd, 2003 and CIM Definition Standards for Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves dated May 10th, 2014. Sampling Methodology, Chain of Custody, Quality Control and Quality Assurance: All Gold Standard sampling was conducted under the supervision of the Companys project geologists, and the chain of custody from the project to the sample preparation facility was continuously monitored. Core was cut at the companys facility in Elko and one half was sent to the lab for analysis and the other half retained in the original core box. A blank or certified reference material was inserted approximately every tenth sample. The North Bullion core samples were delivered to ALS Minerals preparation facility in Elko, NV where they were crushed and pulverized. Resulting sample pulps were shipped to ALS Minerals certified laboratory in Sparks, NV or Vancouver, BC. Pulps were digested and analyzed for gold using fire assay fusion and an atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) finish on a 30 gram split. Over limit gold assays were determined using a fire assay fusion with a gravimetric finish on a 30 gram split. All other elements were determined by ICP analysis. Data verification of the analytical results included a statistical analysis of the standards and blanks that must pass certain parameters for acceptance to insure accurate and verifiable results. Drill hole deviation was measured by gyroscopic down hole surveys that were completed on all holes by International Directional Services of Elko, NV. The scientific and technical content and interpretations contained in this news release have been reviewed, verified and approved by Steven R. Koehler, Gold Standards Manager of Projects, BSc. Geology and CPG-10216, a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101. ABOUT GOLD STANDARD VENTURES Gold Standard is an advanced stage gold exploration company focused on district scale discoveries on its Railroad-Pinion Gold Project, located within the prolific Carlin Trend. The 2014 Pinion and Dark Star gold deposit acquisitions offer Gold Standard a potential near-term development option and further consolidates the Companys premier land package on the Carlin Trend. The Pinion deposit now has an NI43-101 compliant resource estimate consisting of an Indicated Mineral Resource of 31.61 million tonnes grading 0.62 g/t Au, totaling 630,300 ounces of gold and an Inferred Resource of 61.08 million tonnes grading 0.55 g/t Au, totaling 1,081,300 ounces of gold, using a cut-off grade of 0.14 g/t Au (this release). The combined Dark Star North and Dark Star deposits, 2.1 km to the east of Pinion, has a NI43-101 compliant resource estimate consisting of an Indicated Mineral Resource of 15.38 million tonnes grading 0.54 g/t Au, totaling 265,100 ounces of gold and an Inferred Resource of 17.05 million tonnes grading 1.31 g/t Au, totaling 723,500 ounces of gold, using a cut-off grade of 0.2 g Au/t. The 2016 definition and expansion of these two shallow, oxide deposits demonstrate their growth potential. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 21, 2017) - Los Andes Copper Ltd. (TSXV: LA) ("Los Andes", or the "Company") is very pleased to announce the results of drill holes V2017-06 and V2017-07. Following the results already published for the 2017 campaign, these results provide further support to the continuity of higher grade mineralization near surface in the project's central core over an area of 350 metres north-south by 400 metres east-west. The key results from these holes are: V2017-06: 440.0 m @ 0.51 % Cu, 164 ppm Mo and 1.1 g/t Ag (0.56 % CuEq) from 64.0 m downhole Including: 56.0 m @ 0.81 % Cu, 72 ppm Mo and 1.6 g/t Ag (0.85 % CuEq) from 76.0 m downhole 30.0 m @ 0.64 % Cu, 292 ppm Mo and 1.5 g/t Ag (0.73 % CuEq) from 376.0 m downhole 36.0 m @ 0.62 % Cu, 265 ppm Mo and 1.4 g/t Ag (0.70 % CuEq) from 456.0 m downhole Including: 66.0 m @ 0.53 % Cu, 294 ppm Mo and 1.1 g/t Ag (0.61 % CuEq) from 588.0 m downhole V2017-07: 102.0 m @ 0.62 % Cu, 157 ppm Mo and 1.5 g/t Ag (0.66 % CuEq) from 44.0 m downhole 102.0 m @ 0.62 % Cu, 157 ppm Mo and 1.5 g/t Ag (0.66 % CuEq) from 44.0 m downhole 28.0 m @ 0.50 % Cu, 232 ppm Mo and 1.3 g/t Ag (0.57 % CuEq) from 284.0 m downhole Cautionary Statement: All thicknesses from intersections from drill holes are down-hole drilled thicknesses. True widths cannot be determined from the information available. Background Historical drilling was carried out on the Vizcachitas project in three exploration campaigns during 1993, 1996/1997 and 2007/2008. However, the higher grade central core had only been drilled in the 1990's campaigns and with generally shallower drill holes, therefore not properly reflecting the potential of this core area. During 2014, a complete review of the historical information was performed to better understand the project, including re-logging all of the 146 drill holes located within the property. The re-logging was led by Gonzalo Saldias, a Chilean geologist and one of the most recognized experts in Chilean porphyry systems. This detailed review showed that the historical logging and geological model had not properly identified the importance of the higher grade early diorite porphyry and hydrothermal breccias. The re-logging showed that these higher grade geological units extend over a distance of 1,400 metres north-south and 700 metres east-west. The mapping showed that these breccias have grades increasing with depth and demonstrates the potential for higher grades below the historical drilling. In 2015, Los Andes began a drill program to confirm a new geological model and to demonstrate the extent of the central core mineralisation. A first stage of this exploration campaign was completed in 2015/2016, with eight diamond drill holes totaling 3,661 metres. During 2017, Los Andes has carried out a second stage of this campaign with the purpose of demonstrating the northern and southern extension of the high grade core. Location of Drill Holes: Hole Easting Northing Elevation (metres) Azimut (degrees) Inclination (degrees) Final depth (metres) V2017-01 365,778 6,413,544 2,003 110 -60 (69.90) Abandoned V2017-01A 365,786 6,413,534 2,003 105 -60 851.25 V2017-02 366,278 6,413,255 2,090 290 -65 1,030.60 V2017-03 365,936 6,413,856 2,049 290 -80 (62.00) Abandoned V2017-04 366.200 6,413,056 1,978 110 -70 653.00 V2015-08 Ex 365.159 6,413,542 2,154 290 -75 1,001.00 V2017-05 365,996 6,413,879 2,080 270 -80 931.90 V2017-06 366,037 6,413,538 2,073 110 -65 857.00 V2017-07 366,099 6,413,337 2,046 110 -60 721.10 V2017-08 365,996 6,413,879 2,080 15 -70 400.25 V2017-09 365,785 6,413,377 1,993 120 -70 (85.50) Abandoned V2017-09B 365,785 6,413,382 1,993 120 -75 804.20 V2017-10 365,682 6,413,878 2,040 65 -75 1,001.00 V2017-11 365,745 6,413,745 2,024 85 -75 735.90 All coordinates are in UTM WGS84 A drill hole location plan is available on our website: www.losandescopper.com Summary of Drill Holes Drill Hole V2017-06 V2017-06 was drilled in a south east direction underneath the drill holes V201508 which was drilled in a north-easterly direction. The aim of the drill hole was to confirm the good mineralisation identified in this drill hole and then to test the eastward extension of this mineralisation. The top of bedrock was intersected at a depth of 15 metres and the drill hole continued through andesite and hydrothermal breccias to a depth of 802 metres when it intersected a tonalitic intrusive. The drill hole was stopped at a depth of 857.0 metres. From a downhole depth of 64 metres, the drill hole intersected 440 metre @ 0.51 % Cu, 164 ppm Mo and 1.1 g/t Ag (0.56 % CuEq) in andesites. This includes from a downhole depth of 76 metres, 56 metres @ 0.81 % Cu, 72 ppm Mo and 1.6 g/t Ag (0.85 % CuEq). This intersection confirms the near surface mineralisation identified within this eastern block. The mineralisation continues until the drill hole intersected the intermineral tonalite intrusive at a depth of 802 metres. Some of the better mineralisation is shown in the table below. Key intersections from drill hole V2017-06: Hole Number Depth From (m) Depth To (m) Length (m) Cu % Mo ppm Ag g/t CuEq % V2017-06 64.0 504.0 440.0 0.51 164 1.1 0.56 including 76.0 132.0 56.0 0.81 72 1.6 0.85 including 182.0 204.0 22.0 0.63 129 1.5 0.68 including 238.0 258.0 20.0 0.59 280 1.4 0.68 including 376.0 406.0 30.0 0.64 292 1.5 0.73 including 456.0 492.0 36.0 0.62 265 1.4 0.70 V2017-06 588.0 654.0 66.0 0.53 294 1.1 0.61 including 606.0 634.0 28.0 0.61 219 1.3 0.68 * Copper equivalent grade has been calculated using the following expression: Cu Eq (%) = CuT (%) + 2.5 x Mo (%) + 110.55 x Ag (%), using the metal prices: $ 2.2 / lb. Cu, $5.5 / lb. Mo and $15.2 / Oz (same reference prices as in reporting of 2015/2016 results). All thicknesses from intersections from drill holes are down-hole drilled thicknesses. True widths cannot be determined from the information available. Drill Hole V2017-07 V2017-07 was drilled in a south east direction underneath the drill holes V201505 and V2017-02 which were drilled in a north-easterly direction. The aim of the drill hole was to confirm the good mineralisation identified in these drill holes and then to test the eastward extension of this mineralisation. The top of bedrock was intersected at a depth of 33 metre and the drill hole continued through andesite and hydrothermal breccias to final depth of 721 metres. From a downhole depth of 44 metres, the drill hole intersected 102 metres @ 0.62 % Cu, 157 ppm Mo and 1.5 g/t Ag (0.66 % CuEq) in andesites. This intersection further confirms the horizontal extension of the near surface supergene mineralisation over an area of 350 metres north-south by 400 metres east-west within this block. The mineralisation continues to a downhole depth of 344 metros with an average grade over 300 metres of 0.48 % Cu, 135 ppm Mo and 1.2 g/t Ag (0.53 % CuEq). The mineralisation below this depth decreases as the drill hole intersected andesites and a post mineral dacite dyke. Key intersections from drill hole V2017-07: Hole Number Depth From (m) Depth To (m) Length (m) Cu % Mo ppm Ag g/t CuEq % V2017-07 44.0 146.0 102.0 0.62 157 1.5 0.66 V2017-07 284.0 312.0 28.0 0.50 232 1.3 0.57 V2017-07 394.0 412.0 18.0 0.49 105 1.4 0.53 * Copper equivalent grade has been calculated using the following expression: Cu Eq (%) = CuT (%) + 2.5 x Mo (%) + 110.55 x Ag (%), using the metal prices: $ 2.2 / lb. Cu, $5.5 / lb. Mo and $15.2 / Oz (same reference prices as in reporting of 2015/2016 results). All thicknesses from intersections from drill holes are down-hole drilled thicknesses. True widths cannot be determined from the information available. QA/QC Quality assurance and quality control procedures include the systematic insertion of duplicate and standard samples in to the sample stream. Drill core samples were sawn in half, labelled, placed in sealed bags and were shipped directly to the preparatory laboratory of ALS Minerals in Coquimbo, Chile. All geochemical analyses were performed by ALS Minerals in Lima Peru. All samples were assayed using the method ME-MS61, a four-acid digestion with an ICP-MS finish. Copper samples with grades above 0.6 % Cu were reanalysed using ALS method Cu-OG62, a four-acid digestion with an AAS finish. Mr. Amberg MSc CGeol FGS is the Qualified Person responsible for the preparation of this news release. Team Credentials Mr. Amberg MSc CGeol FGS is a geologist who is a graduate of the Royal School of Mines, London, has an MSc. from University College and is also a Chartered Geologist with the Geological Society of London. He has close to 30 years of diverse experience having worked in Asia, Africa and South America for both multinational and junior companies. He began his career in 1986 working with Anglo American in South Africa before moving on to an exploration position with Severin-Southern Sphere. In 1990 Mr. Amberg moved to Chile where he first worked with Bema Gold on the Refugio project before taking up a position with Rio Tinto. At Rio Tinto he was involved in exploration programs in the Atacama and Magallanes Regions and managed the Barreal Seco (now part of Las Cenizas) exploration program. In 1996 he joined Kazakhstan Minerals Corporation in Kazakhstan, setting up and managing offices for the drilling and resource estimation for JORC compliant feasibility studies on three large projects that are now operating mines. He became General Director for two joint ventures in KazMinCo where he managed all technical and local issues. In 2001 he returned to Chile where he started a geological consulting firm specialising in project evaluation and NI 43-101 technical reports. Mr. Amberg's clients included Rio Tinto, Barrick, Codelco, Anglo American, Pan Pacific Copper and various junior mining companies. He joined Los Andes Copper in 2012 as Chief Geologist and is now also the President and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Amberg MSc CGeol FGS is a Qualified Person under NI 43-101. Gonzalo Saldias is a geologist who is a graduate of Universidad Catolica del Norte, Chile. He has over 35 years of experience working within Chile and internationally; mainly on copper porphyry, epithermal gold silver and iron-oxide copper gold systems. For the last seven years, he worked for Antofagasta Minerals evaluating copper porphyry projects within Chile, assessing their geological and economical potential. Prior to that he had worked for ten years with Placer Dome Latin America, generating and evaluating exploration projects within the region. Prior to Placer Dome, he worked for Codelco as head of exploration geology for the El Salvador Division, developing the prospective areas near to the mine. He also worked for Northern Resources, Homestake, Utah, Anaconda and as an independent consultant. Dallas, Texas, 09/21/2017 /SubmitPressRelease123/ The flooding and devastation caused by Hurricane Harvey will affect Houston and greater Texas for years to come. As people slowly begin to return to their homes and rebuild, prosecutors in Harris County and the surrounding areas have already pursued looting charges against 14 people, according to media reports. The Harris County District Attorney has also stated that burglarizing a home in a disaster area could carry a life sentence under Texas law. Under state law, prosecutors can also pursue enhanced penalties for property crimes, such as burglary and robbery, which occur during a state of disaster. However, is there a difference between looting for material gain and looting for survival? If youre charged with stealing bottled water or groceries because youre desperate and starving, does the law allow any leniency? A natural disaster like a severe hurricane often forces courts to examine the individual and unique circumstances of a case and the environment in which it occurred. Just a handful of states have specific laws that address looting. In most states, prosecutors turn to theft statutes to pursue charges against individuals charged with looting. Looting for Survival vs. Opportunistic Theft The potential differences between looting for survival versus so-called opportunistic theft surfaced when an ABC News reporter announced on Twitter that he had observed individuals breaking into a grocery store and had reported them to the police. The reporter faced backlash online, with people responding looting a supermarket in a flood is also known as getting food and people taking food from supermarkets in a multi-day disaster are not looters, they are survivors. Most people tend to make a distinction between theft of things like food items, water, and first aid supplies versus breaking into an appliance store and making off with plasma televisions and expensive electronic equipment. The first items likely have little monetary value; the second are unrelated to basic needs, such as food and water. According to a Forbes report, social psychologists even make a distinction between looking of goods needed for survival, opportunistic theft of goods such as TV sets, and collective action, conditioned by the political environment. James Glass, a political science professor at the University of Maryland, calls the first type of looking justifiable, stating, When there is a breakdown of civil order, and when people fear they are going to starve or die of thirst, one could make a moral case in these sorts of circumstances for looting. Unfortunately, police may arrest people first and ask questions later. Anyone charged with a property theft crime following a natural disaster should speak with an experienced lawyer to discuss their options. Contact a Texas Criminal Defense Lawyer About Your Case If youve been charged with a crime, dont hesitate to speak to an experienced Texas criminal defense lawyer about your case. Sources: Dallas Criminal Defense Lawyer http://www.brodenmickelsen.com/ Broden & Mickelsen, LLP 2600 State St Dallas, Texas 75204 Main Phone: (214) 720-9552 source: https://www.brodenmickelsen.com/blog/criminal-charges-looting-hurricane-harvey/ Social Media Tags:Criminal Charges for Looting, Looting, Looting After Hurricane Harvey, Looting for Survival vs Opportunistic Theft, Texas criminal defense lawyer Newsroom powered by Online Press Release Distribution SubmitMyPressRelease.com Like Us on Facebook It's only fair to share... Pinterest Linkedin email Print By Nam Hyun-woo The 10th meeting of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Asia Network on Corporate Governance of State-Owned Enterprises took place Tuesday through Wednesday in Kuala Lumpur. This year's meeting was co-organized by the OECD, the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs, and the Malaysian Directors Academy, with the financial support of the state-backed Korea Institute of Public Finance. Themed "Managing risk and promoting business integrity in the state-owned enterprise sector," this year's gathering attracted government representatives from Asia as well as state enterprises, civil society, international organizations and corporate governance practitioners. "Governments in both mature and emerging economies are important owners of commercial enterprises and corporatized assets. These state-owned enterprises (SOEs) often supply fundamental services such as water, electricity and transportation that private companies depend upon for their competitiveness, and on which the citizens depend for their quality of life," said Cho Im-gon, executive director at the research centre for SOEs at the KIPF. "Ensuring that governments efficiently manage these assets is therefore crucial for the competitiveness of the broader enterprise sector, economic growth and sustainable development more generally." He noted that the two-day meeting has allowed participants to exchange information on recent developments in state ownership and governance practices among participating countries from the region and share good practices for managing risk and promoting business integrity in the state-owned enterprise sector. "In this context, I am proud to say that the KIPF has been an active participant in the OECD's various initiatives on SOE governance," said Cho, who attended the conference as a speaker. Cho also said that Korea's experience in developing and implementing online repository of both financial and non-financial information of all public institutions including SOEs is considered as best practice in SOE disclosure in international community. "I believe this OECD conference has been a great opportunity for Korea to actively share our experience with other emerging economies and developing countries," he said. Since its establishment in 2006, the OECD-Asia SOE Network has notably supported the dissemination and implementation in Asia of the OECD Guidelines on Corporate Governance of State-Owned Enterprises, the international standard for ensuring that SOEs operate efficiently, transparently and on equal footing with private enterprises. Through its annual meetings, the OECD-Asia SOE Network takes stock of emerging trends in state ownership in Asia, evaluates them against international standards and identifies elements of good practice to promote continued improvements in state ownership practices in the region. The Network also facilitates closer integration among state ownership practitioners in Asia. 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 Yi Whan-woo The Moon Jae-in administration decided, Thursday, to offer humanitarian assistance worth $8 million to North Korea "at an appropriate time" through the United Nations. It delayed the decision on exactly when to provide the aid, apparently considering disputes over the timing of assistance to North Korea, which is raising tensions with its continued provocations. The Ministry of Unification said the plan was approved during a meeting on cross-border exchanges and cooperation. Chaired by Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon, the meeting involved high-ranking officials from eight relevant ministries and two private experts. Under the plan, $4.5 million will be donated to help the U.N. World Food Programme (WFP) provide nutrition-rich supplies to North Korean children and pregnant women. The remaining $3.5 million will be spent to offer vaccines and medicinal treatments through UNICEF. This will be the first humanitarian assistance for the impoverished regime since President Moon took office in May. "We have consistently said we would pursue humanitarian aid for North Korea in consideration of the poor conditions children and pregnant women face there, apart from political issues," Minister Cho said. A unification ministry official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, "The government took concerns over humanitarian aid to North Korea into account before finalizing the decision." The official said the government will still consider inter-Korean relations and other relevant circumstances in determining the timing and actual size of the provision. When asked whether the size of the provision could diminish over time, the official added, "It's the government's policy to fully offer $8 million." The political parties did not comment on the government's measure. Two conservative opposition parties the Liberty Korea Party and Bareun Party and the centrist People's Party had slammed the government when the unification ministry initially announced the plan on Sept. 14. The plan was controversial because it came a day before North Korea fired off a Hwasong-12 intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) and it was found that Cheong Wa Dae detected signs of the IRBM test hours before making the announcement. The opposition bloc also raised concerns the plan is not in line with U.N Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 2375 in response to North Korea's sixth nuclear test on Sept. 3. Approved on Sept. 11, the resolution is aimed at capping North Korea's imports of crude oil and crippling its economy. The unification ministry said the WFP and UNICEF had approached the government in May and July this year to contribute in aiding North Korea. It also said humanitarian aid is not against the principles of the U.N., arguing it will be the needy in North Korea, not its ruling class, who will first suffer due to the UNSC's latest sanctions. A Cheong Wa Dae official said the announcement and the IRBM test were "only coincidental" and the government will remain unchanged in its principle of helping North Koreans on humanitarian grounds. South Korea's humanitarian aid efforts to North Korea had been halted since the latter's fourth nuclear test in January 2016. Seoul last gave aid to Pyongyang in December 2015 through the U.N. Population Fund under the government of Park Geun-hye. By Jun Ji-hye The remains of Dutch Korean War veteran, Johan Theodoor Aldewereld, will be interred at the U.N. Memorial Cemetery in Busan next week, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs said Thursday. Johan Theodoor Aldewereld The ministry said his body will arrive at Incheon International Airport Monday and temporarily lie in state at Seoul National Cemetery. On Wednesday, his body will be moved to the U.N. cemetery in Busan and buried there in accordance with the veteran's wish that he wanted to be laid to rest beside his comrades. During the 1950-53 Korean War, Aldewereld fought for South Korea under the U.N. flag against North Korean invaders. He arrived at the Korean Peninsula as an infantryman in August 1951 and participated in several major battles until being discharged from the service in July 1952. He died on Feb. 4 of this year at the age of 88 in his country. "The ministry will support the burial ceremony with the highest level of courtesy and protocol," the ministry said in a release. Aldewereld visited South Korea in May of last year for the first time since the war. The visit was part of the ministry's revisit event for the war veterans from U.N. allied nations and their families, which began in 1975. During his visit, Aldewereld attended the burial ceremony for his comrade, Nicolas Frans Wessels, at the U.N. cemetery. "Aldewereld was extremely impressed by the South Korean government that treated the war veterans with exceptional respect even 60 years after the war," the ministry said. "He was also impressed by how this country has developed after the war." After going back to the Netherlands, he sent a letter to the Dutch Ambassador to South Korea Lody Embrechts, delivering his gratitude to the South Korean government, the ministry noted. Senior officials from the two countries, including Ambassador Embrechts, and representatives from the U.N. Command will be in attendance at the burial ceremony. About 10 Dutch Korean War veterans and their families, who will visit South Korea, will also be present. This marks the sixth individual burial ceremony to be held at the cemetery, the only place in the world where fallen U.N. servicemen are buried. According to the ministry, 40,670 servicemen of the 21 U.N. allied nations were killed during the conflict, with 104,280 wounded and 4,116 missing. A total of 23,000 U.N. servicemen have been laid to rest at the U.N. cemetery. A chemist in a lab coat. Most people think chemistry is something done in lab, but you practice aspects of chemistry everyday. You might think of chemistry only in the context of lab tests, food additives or dangerous substances, but the field of chemistry involves everything around us. "Everything you hear, see, smell, taste, and touch involves chemistry and chemicals (matter)," according to the American Chemical Society (opens in new tab) (ACS), a non-profit science organization for the advancement of chemistry, chartered by the U.S. Congress. "And hearing, seeing, tasting, and touching all involve intricate series of chemical reactions and interactions in your body." So, even if you don't work as a chemist, you're doing chemistry, or something that involves chemistry, with pretty much everything you do. In everyday life, you do chemistry when you cook, when you use cleaning detergents to wipe off your counter, when you take medicine or when you dilute concentrated juice so that the taste isn't as intense. Related: Whoa! Enormous 'cotton candy' explosion in kids' chemistry lab According to the ACS, chemistry is the study of matter, defined as anything that has mass and takes up space, and the changes that matter can undergo when it is subject to different environments and conditions. Chemistry seeks to understand not only the properties of matter, like the mass or composition of a chemical element, but also how and why matter undergoes certain changes whether something transformed because it combined with another substance, froze because it was left for two weeks in a freezer, or changed colors because it was exposed to too much sunlight. Chemistry basics The reason why chemistry touches everything we do is because almost everything in existence can be broken down into chemical building blocks. The main building blocks in chemistry are chemical elements, which are substances made of a single atom. Each chemical is unique, composed of a set number of protons, neutrons and electrons, and is identified by a name and a chemical symbol, such as "C" for carbon. The elements that scientists have discovered so far are listed in the periodic table of elements, and include both elements that are found in nature like carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, as well as those that are manmade, like Lawrencium. Related: How are elements grouped in the periodic table? Chemical elements can bond together to form chemical compounds, which are substances made up of multiple elements, like carbon dioxide (which is made of one carbon atom connected to two oxygen atoms), or multiple atoms of a single element, like oxygen gas (which is made of two oxygen atoms connected together). These chemical compounds can then bond with other compounds or elements to form countless other substances and materials. Chemistry as a physical science Chemistry is typically considered a physical science, as defined by the Encyclopedia Britannica (opens in new tab), because the study of chemistry does not involve living things. Most of the chemistry involved in research and development, such as making new products and materials for customers, falls within this purview. But the distinction as a physical science becomes a bit blurry in the case of biochemistry, which explores the chemistry of living things, according to the Biochemical Society (opens in new tab). The chemicals and chemical processes studied by biochemists are not technically considered "living," but understanding them is important to understanding how life works. Chemistry is a physical science, which means it doesn't involve "living" things. One way a lot of people practice chemistry regularly, perhaps without realizing it, is in cooking and baking. (Image credit: Shutterstock) (opens in new tab) The five main branches of chemistry Traditionally, chemistry is broken into five main branches, according to the online chemistry textbook published by LibreText (opens in new tab). There are also more specialized fields, such as food chemistry, environmental chemistry and nuclear chemistry, but this section focuses on chemistry's five major subdisciplines. Analytical chemistry involves the analysis of chemicals, and includes qualitative methods like looking at color changes, as well as quantitative methods like examining the exact wavelength(s) of light that a chemical absorbed to result in that color change. These methods enable scientists to characterize many different properties of chemicals, and can benefit society in a number of ways. For example, analytical chemistry helps food companies make tastier frozen dinners by detecting how chemicals in food change (opens in new tab) when they are frozen over time. Analytical chemistry is also used to monitor the health of the environment by measuring chemicals in water or soil, for example. Biochemistry, as mentioned above, uses chemistry techniques to understand how biological systems work at a chemical level. Thanks to biochemistry, researchers have been able to map out the human genome, understand what different proteins do in the body and develop cures for many diseases. Related: Autoimmune disease: definition and examples Inorganic chemistry studies the chemical compounds in inorganic, or non-living things such as minerals and metals. Traditionally, inorganic chemistry considers compounds that do not contain carbon (which are covered by organic chemistry), but this definition is not completely accurate, according to the ACS (opens in new tab). Some compounds studied in inorganic chemistry, like "organometallic compounds," contain metals, which are metals that are attached to carbon the main element that's studied in organic chemistry. As such, compounds such as these are considered part of both fields. Inorganic chemistry is used to create a variety of products, including paints, fertilizers and sunscreens. Organic chemistry deals with chemical compounds that contain carbon, an element considered essential to life. Organic chemists study the composition, structure, properties and reactions of such compounds, which along with carbon, contain other non-carbon elements such as hydrogen, sulfur and silicon. Organic chemistry is used in many applications, as described by the ACS (opens in new tab), such as biotechnology, the petroleum industry, pharmaceuticals and plastics. Physical chemistry uses concepts from physics to understand how chemistry works. For example, figuring out how atoms move and interact with each other, or why some liquids, including water, turn into vapor at high temperatures. Physical chemists try to understand these phenomena at a very small scale on the level of atoms and molecules to derive conclusions about how chemical reactions work and what gives specific materials their own unique properties. Related: Nobel Prize in chemistry given for solvers of 'mirror-image problem' This type of research helps inform other branches of chemistry and is important for product development, according to the ACS (opens in new tab). For example, physical chemists may study how certain materials, such as plastic, may react with chemicals the material is designed to come in contact with. What do chemists do? Chemists work in a variety of fields, including research and development, quality control, manufacturing, environmental protection, consulting and law. They can work at universities, for the government or in private industry, according to the ACS (opens in new tab). Here are some examples of what chemists do: Research and development In academia, chemists performing research aim to further knowledge about a particular topic, and may not necessarily have a specific application in mind. Their results, however, can still be applied to relevant products and applications. In industry, chemists in research and development use scientific knowledge to develop or improve a specific product or process. For example, food chemists improve the quality, safety, storage and taste of food; pharmaceutical chemists develop and analyze the quality of drugs and other medical formulations; and agricultural chemists develop fertilizers, insecticides and herbicides necessary for large-scale crop production. Sometimes, research and development may not involve bettering the product itself, but rather the manufacturing process involved in making that product. Chemical engineers and process engineers devise new ways to make the manufacturing of their products easier and more cost effective, such as increasing the speed and/or yield of a product for a given budget. Environmental protection Environmental chemists study how chemicals interact with the natural environment, characterizing the chemicals and chemical reactions present in natural processes in the soil, water and air. For example, scientists can collect soil, water or air from a place of interest and analyze it in a laboratory to determine if human activities have contaminated, or will contaminate, the environment or affect it in other ways. Some environmental chemists can also help remediate, or remove contaminants, from the soil, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (opens in new tab). Related: Pesticide residue linked to lower fertility in women Scientists with a background in environmental chemistry can also work as consultants for various organizations, such as chemical companies or consulting firms, providing guidance on how practices and procedures can be completed in accordance with environmental regulations. Law Chemists can use their academic background to provide advice on or advocate for scientific issues. For instance, chemists may work in intellectual property, where they might apply their scientific background to copyright issues in the sciences, or in environmental law, where they may represent special interest groups and file for approval from regulating agencies before certain activities occur. Chemists can also perform analyses that help law enforcement. Forensic chemists capture and analyze the physical evidence left behind at a crime scene to help determine the identities of the people involved, as well as to answer other vital questions regarding how and why the crime was carried out. Forensic chemists use a wide variety of analysis methods, such as chromatography and spectrometry, which help identify and quantify chemicals. Additional resources: Find more specific answers to all your questions about chemistry at the American Chemical Society website. Watch this helpful Introduction to Chemistry video from the Khan Academy. Discover the history of chemistry and famous chemists. This article was updated on Nov. 5 by How It Works Editor Ben Biggs Researchers have found this giant ground sloth, discovered in an underwater sinkhole in Mexico, is more closely related to giant ground sloths found in South America than their northern counterparts. When professional diver Vicente Fito first came across a fairly large skeleton while diving in an underwater sinkhole south of Cancun, Mexico, he thought the bones belonged to a cow. However, something didn't quite add up. "After several dives, I realized there were some claws between the ribs," Fito told Live Science in an email. It turned out, Fito was staring at the remains of a new species of ancient giant ground sloth. That was in 2009, and now new research has revealed that the giant ground sloth is likely closely related to sloths from the northern part of South America. The finding furthers the understanding of how sloths fared during the Great American Biotic Interchange, the major exchange of land mammals between North and South America that peaked around 3 million years ago. [Image Gallery: 25 Amazing Ancient Beasts] (In misidentifying remains from a giant ground sloth, Fito is in illustrious company. When Thomas Jefferson described the claws of a giant ground sloth to the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia in 1797, he mistook them for a lion's.) The sloth that Fito found, now named Xibalbaonyx oviceps or underground claw egghead belongs to the Megalonychidae family of sloths. From this family, only the diminutive two-toed sloth, the adorably lethargic tree-dweller, survives today. X. oviceps, which may have lived nearly 12,000 years ago during the late Pleistocene period, was a true giant, weighing close to 1,100 pounds (500 kilograms), Sarah Stinnesbeck, a doctoral candidate in paleontology at the State Museum for Natural History Karlsruhe in Germany, and co-author of the recent study, told Live Science in an email. After professional diver Vicente Fito discovered the skeleton of the giant ground sloth in the underwater sinkhole in 2010, he brought Jeronimo Aviles, pictured, to the site to film the evidence. (Image credit: Eugenio Acevez) By analyzing the skull, the team discovered that the X. oviceps specimen had a deep jaw and a canine-like tooth that's triangular in cross section, according to Tim Gaudin, a biology professor at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, who was not involved in the current study. These adaptations would have allowed X. oviceps to eat tough plants, which may have included agave, a spiky succulent, according to Stinnesbeck. Coincidentally, Gaudin's team recently described another megalonychid ground sloth from the same region of Mexico that may turn out to be the same genus and species of sloth as X. oviceps. Gaudin's team used the jaw features shared by both X. oviceps and the specimen his team analyzed in February to draw a comparison between X. oviceps and Meizonyx salvadorensis, an extinct giant ground sloth from El Salvador. They also found that this Salvadoran sloth is more closely related to two types of giant ground sloth found in South America than those found in North America. Should Gaudin's team's sloth turn out to be the same as X. oviceps, this would offer deeper insights into how sloths may have dispersed during the Great American Biotic Interchange. "Knowing that these are southern sloths moving north is really interesting. And sloths, for some reason, appear to do pretty well, at least initially, in that exchange, until humans come along and sort of wipe them out," Gaudin told Live Science. The new study was published online May 22 in the journal PalZ (opens in new tab). Original article on Live Science. A group of modern frogs whose comically rotund bodies and giant mouths earned them the nickname "Pac-Man" frogs is attracting attention not for the size of their maws, but for the power of their bite. And their extinct relative, known as a "devil frog," may have packed even more of a mouthy wallop, researchers reported in a new study. Recently, researchers conducted the first measurements of bite strength in frogs. Initially, the scientists calculated the bite force in small "Pac-Man" frogs, also known as South American horned frogs. Then, the researchers scaled up their findings to determine bite force in an extinct relative, a giant, armored amphibian known as Beelzebufo ampinga, or "devil frog," that lived about 65 million to 70 million years ago. The scientists' findings showed that the extinct devil frog would have had a vise-like mouth grip even more powerful than that found in living horned frogs. Combined with its enormous size, Beelzebufo's bite strength could have allowed the animal to prey even on juvenile dinosaurs, the scientists reported in a new study. [Eye-Swallowing and Mouth Birth: Freaky Facts About Frogs] Most frogs have relatively weak jaws and feed on small prey that they subdue primarily with their sticky tongues, the study authors wrote. But roly-poly South American horned frogs in the genus Ceratophrys have an exceptionally powerful bite that allows them to snatch and hold prey almost as big as the frogs themselves. The researchers questioned how strong that bite would have been in similarly big-headed frogs that lived millions of years ago. The scientists began by looking at Cranwell's horned frogs, testing the bite force of eight frogs measuring between 1.6 and 3.8 inches (4.0 and 9.6 centimeters) in length, with heads that were 0.6 to 1.3 inches (1.5 to 3.2 cm) long and 0.9 to 1.8 inches (2.2 to 4.6 cm) wide. Researchers had the frogs clamp their mouths on a force transducer a device for measuring bite force made of two metal plates padded with leather strips to protect the frogs' jaws. A Cranwell's horned frog (Ceratophrys cranwelli) chomps down on a device that measures bite force. (Image credit: K. Lappin et al.) Once the researchers knew the frogs' bite force, they could scale that measurement up by adjusting parameters such as the frog's head and body size and estimating the accompanying changes in muscle size, the study said. Next to the small "Pac-Man" frogs, the extinct devil frog was gargantuan, with a body measuring about 16 inches (41 cm) long and a head reaching about 6 inches (15 cm) in width. The study's calculations predicted that at that size, the devil frog's bite would have been as powerful as that of a wolf or of an adult female lion or tiger. That certainly would make Beelzebufo capable of taking down small crocodiles or dinosaurs that shared its habitat especially if its hunting habits were similar to the aggressive and tenacious chomp of the "Pac-Man" frogs, the researchers explained. "Horned frogs have quite an impressive bite, and they tend not to let go," the study's lead author, A. Kristopher Lappin, a professor of biological sciences at California State Polytechnic University in Pomona, said in a statement. Lappin noted that he spoke "from experience," though he did not provide details as to what exactly that experience was. By comparison, the bite of the much larger and possibly dinosaur-consuming devil frog would have been "remarkable," Lappin said in the statement. "Definitely not something I would want to experience firsthand." The findings were published online yesterday (Sept. 20) in the journal Nature: Scientific Reports (opens in new tab). Original article on Live Science. Marine archaeologists have uncovered the wreck of a World War I German U-Boat off the coast of Belgium, thanks to a sharp-eyed reanalysis of sonar scans from an undersea survey that was carried out several years ago. The discovery of the wreck was announced at a news conference on Tuesday (Sept. 19) by the governor of Belgium's West Flanders province, Carl Decaluwe. "It's quite amazing that we found something like this," he told reporters, according to the Chicago Tribune. Archaeologists have identified the wreck as a Type UB-II submarine built by Germany during World War I, when up to 18 such vessels were based in occupied Belgian ports to carry out raids against British ships. [Sunken Treasures: The Curious Science of 7 Famous Shipwrecks] Damage to the hull of the submarine suggests it sank after hitting a marine mine, say the discoverers. It's thought that the remains of the 23 crewmembers are still inside the vessel. Marine archaeologist Tomas Termote, who made the first dives to the wreck in June, said the sub was first "discovered" by a government survey of Belgian waters in 2014, but was thought to be the wreck of a World War II landing craft, which are common in the area. "[It] was already in the government database," Termote told Live Science, "but by analyzing the multibeam sonar scans, we realized it wasn't just a normal wreck." Termote added that it became obvious from the scans that the wreck was a U-boat "pointed at both ends, with a tower in the middle," he said. The U-boat wreck is now entirely covered with weeds, anemones and barnacles after almost 100 years on the seafloor. (Image credit: Tomas Termote) Secret location Termote and his dive team found the 88-foot-long (27 meters) submarine lying on its starboard (right-hand) side at a 45-degree angle, at a depth of about 90 feet (27 m). The exact location of the wreck is being kept secret until it can be granted formal protection from looters under Belgian law, Termote said. The wreck is now entirely covered with anemones, barnacles and weeds: "For a trained eye, it is easily recognizable as a U-boat, but to a layman it's just a big heap of iron," Termote said. The discovery was a surprise because there was no record of a German sub sinking at that location, he added. "We did not expect another U-boat to be found in that specific area," Termote said. "I don't think anybody expected this, because one thinks almost all the [U-boat] wrecks are accounted for nowadays." To date, 10 German U-boats have been found in Belgian waters, making this the 11th such discovery, he said. [Photos: British Warships from WWI and WWII Discovered Near Norway] A squadron of 18 Type UB-II German U-boats were based in occupied Belgium during World War I. (Image credit: Tomas Termote/Archive) Although the sub's hull is mostly intact, heavy damage near the bow suggests it sunk after hitting a marine mine. One of the torpedo tubes, at the front of the vessel, had been blown away by the blast, Termote said. "All the pieces are lying in the sand next to the wreck, so it must have been instantaneous," he said. "The explosion happened and it sank immediately." Both of the remaining crew hatches were firmly closed, while the third hatch had been torn away, likely as the result of fishing activity since the vessel sank, Termote said. Curiously, both of the periscopes on the wreck are bent at a forward angle, and Termote thinks this damage may have been caused when the U-boat was rammed near the surface by a British warship. "One possibility is that [it] got rammed, and the British reported [it] was sunk," he said. "But [it] probably escaped underwater, and got hit by a mine just before reaching friendly waters." The U-boat hull is mostly intact and probably still holds the remains of the 23 crewmembers that were onboard when the vessel sank, according to marine archaeologist Tomas Termote. (Image credit: Tomas Termote) War grave Termote and his colleagues have made two dives to the wreck and hope to make another dive to try to learn the vessel's official identification number. "It's still a bit of a mystery," he said. "There are three possible identification numbers which it could be, so I hope to find out in the next diving session." Termote said identifying the wreck may be challenging because the only way to find out the number is from markings on the propeller. He added that the governor of West Flanders province, who authorized the dives to the wreck, had notified the German ambassador of the discovery. "The Germans will want to know which U-boat number it is, and we will try to get that solved so they can inform the families [of the crew]," Termote said. "I hope we can do a ceremony next year on the wreck site with the German Navy, to pay our respects." Termote said it's unlikely that Germany would want to salvage the U-boat or recover any of the remains. "It's almost full of sand and silt, and you'd have an enormous job to suck out the sand. And at a depth of 90 feet it would take many dives and many divers to do that," he said. "So, salvaging the wreck would be a very costly affair, and I think the best solution is to try to identify her and then leave the crew to rest there," Termote said. Original article on Live Science. The grinding of giant chunks of Earth's outer layer responsible for burping volcanoes, crushing temblors and burgeoning mountains, among other things may have started half a billion years earlier than previously believed. Precisely what Earth looked like before plate tectonics, which drive these chunks of crust around, bumping and grinding into one another, is an open question. During the Archean eon 4 billion to 2.5 billion years ago, there was water and rock on Earth, but little oxygen in the atmosphere. Simple life arose in this era, possibly around hydrothermal vents, though no one knows exactly when. The earliest chemical traces that could be evidence of life date back to just before 4 billion years ago. More widely accepted as evidence of early life are fossils in Australia of microbial mats, called stromatolites, which date back 3.5 billion years. Whatever the Earth looked like before plate tectonics, these powerful forces define the world as it is today. The diving and crashing of tectonic plates not only created the continents we know and live upon today, it also recycles minerals and nutrients through Earth's system. One 2014 study in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, for example, argued that the formation of continents on early Earth brought phosphorous to the surface, feeding microbes that then oxygenated the atmosphere. [What Was the First Life on Earth?] No one has ever been able to show exactly when plate tectonics began. Several studies had pegged the beginning of plate tectonics at around 3 billion years ago, but the new research suggests this dynamic started 3.5 billion years ago only about a billion years after the formation of the planet. "This is far from a settled issue," said Roberta Rudnick, a geochemist at the University of Santa Barbara, who was not involved in the current study but who has done research on the origin of continents. Early Earth mysteries Part of the problem, said study leader Nicolas Greber, a research associate at the University of Geneva in Switzerland, is that there just aren't that many rocks left on Earth that date back billions of years to when the planet had just formed. Of those rocks that are that old, most have been altered by weathering and chemical processes over the eons. [Photos: The Six Most Famous Rocks on Earth] To try to tease out the origins of the crust, geoscientists typically turn to shales, which are fine-grained sedimentary rocks. Because these are rocks made of the eroded remains of earlier rocks, they should capture a well-mixed representation of those earlier rocks. Today, Earth's crust comes in two flavors. Oceanic crust is mafic, made of dark, iron-and-magnesium-rich rocks like basalt that come directly from the melting of Earth's mantle (the layer just beneath the crust). Continental crust is felsic, made of lighter- colored rocks rich in silicon and aluminum, Greber told Live Science. One example is granite, he said. Felsic rocks form from the melting of mafic rocks. [In Photos: Ocean Hidden Beneath Earth's Surface] Half Dome, the granite cliff in Yosemite National Park, is made up of granites. New research finds that felsic rocks like granites have dominated the continental crust for 3.5 billion years. (Image credit: Copyright Basil Greber) Early Earth would have sported a mafic crust, Rudnick told Live Science. It's an open question when felsic rocks first started forming. Figuring out when felsic continental crust formed would mean identifying a start date for plate tectonics. That's because subduction zones places where tectonic plates crash into each other and oceanic crust slides beneath the continental crust serve as the primary factories for felsic rocks. Subduction zones bring water down into the crust, which lowers the melting point of rock by disrupting the bonds in the minerals within the rock. This leads to the formation of the felsic rocks that make up continents, Rudnick said. Previous work used the ratios of various minerals in shales to try to determine when the continents became felsic, and many of those studies put the timing at around 3 billion years ago. But those measurements were vulnerable to all the changes that 3.5 billion-year-old rocks have been through while on Earth, Greber said. Certain minerals might weather out more readily than others, for example, leaving a skewed record behind. The titanium test Greber and his colleagues tried a different approach. They studied shales for their ratios of particular isotopes of titanium. Titanium is insoluble and doesn't get washed away during weathering. It's biologically inert and not affected by atmospheric processes, the researchers wrote in their new study, published today (Sept. 21) in the journal Science. Ratios of titanium isotopes also help distinguish between felsic and mafic rocks. Isotopes are different forms of an element with different numbers of neutrons. Because of the ways that minerals crystallize during the melting of basalt and the formation of felsic rocks, certain titanium isotopes are less common in felsic rocks, Greber said. "It's such a beautiful tight correlation," Rudnick said. "It's really quite spectacular." Greber, who did most of the research while at the University of Chicago, tested 48 shales and 30 composite shale samples from various locations around the world. The rocks came from well-studied collections, Greber said. The oldest dated to 3.5 billion years ago. Throughout that time span, Greber and his colleagues found, the average titanium ratio remained remarkably constant. That finding suggests that felsic rocks were a major component of continental crust for at least 3.5 billion years, Greber said. If so, the most likely explanation is that plate tectonics and subduction zones were already present for at least that long. [In Images: How the North American Continent Grew] There are questions left to answer, Rudnick said. While the average titanium ratio was fairly constant, there's a lot of scattering in the data, she said, meaning there were pretty big swings between felsic and mafic between individual shale samples. Greber and his team think that's just a side effect of the geographical location where each shale was found, with some being a bit more basalt-rich, and others more granite-rich. But the scatter still seems odd, Rudnick said. Shales are supposed to be a homogenous mix of the continental crust, so there shouldn't be that much variation between them. Future research should try to get to the bottom of the scatter, Rudnick said. One key experiment, she said, would be to test titanium isotopes directly for weathering to be sure that they really aren't strongly affected. "I think this is a very interesting and very provocative paper, and that it will spur lots of further investigations," she said, "which is always what you want." Original article on Live Science. This ancient marsupial relative may not have actually been able to outcompete placental carnivores but rather developed in their absence. More than 40 million years ago, on a small island that has since coalesced with other islands to become modern-day Turkey, an odd beast the size of a domestic cat lived in the trees: a bone-crushing marsupial relative. Now, in a new study, researchers have described the near-complete skeleton of this ancient creature. The remains of the marsupial relative, called Anatoliadelphys maasae, were found in the Turkish Uzuncarsdere Formation, according to the scientists. While today the most beloved and, arguably, most thrilling marsupials such as kangaroos and wallabies live in Australia, this isn't the only place they're found now a slew of mouse-size opossums currently populate the Americas. Some insect-eating marsupials the size of mice or rats were also around in the Northern Hemisphere North America and Europe during the middle Eocene period, 43 million to 44 million years ago. [10 Extinct Giants That Once Roamed North America] Still, Murat Maga, a coauthor of the recent study and assistant professor of pediatric medicine at the University of Washington, was surprised to have found a marsupial relative in that spot at all, he told Live Science. For Robin Beck,study coauthor and a lecturer in biology at the University of Salford, in the United Kingdom, the size of this creature was one of the big shocks. "Here you have, at this site in Turkey, an animal that's much bigger it's about 10 times bigger than the biggest marsupial relative from Europe or North America at about this time," Beck told Live Science. "And it has these big, big jaws [with] big crushing teeth ... The teeth are very worn, as well, so it was obviously crunching away at something pretty hard." This near-complete ancient marsupial skeleton likely dates from the middle Eocene period, 43 million to 44 million years ago. (Image credit: Murat Maga) Marsupials and their closely related marsupial relatives are thought to have trouble competing against placental carnivores. But, the researchers think that this tree-climbing oddball, which may have been a bone-eating scavenger or a carnivore that fed on hard-shelled invertebrates such as snails (or both), didn't actually have to outcompete them. It may simply be that this island didn't have any placental carnivores, they said. As far as Beck and Maga know, no placental carnivores have yet been discovered on the island that Anatoliadelphys maasae inhabited. And so, this creature may have been able to fill the ecological niche on the island for a predator, according to Chris Beard, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Kansas, who was not involved in this research. This may also explain why the marsupial relative is no longer alive. Once Turkey came together 25 million years ago to form a land bridge, Anatoliadelphys maasae would have been subject to predation by the placental carnivores from Asia and the Middle East. Consider this thought experiment, proposed by Beard: What would happen to lemurs, primates that live only on the island of Madagascar and nearby islands, if Madagascar became attached to continental Africa? Would lemurs continue to survive in a new world pulsing with leopards, baboons and pythons? "If I would make a prediction, I would predict that they would probably all go extinct just because they can't compete with the African mammals, which have been evolving on a much larger landmass," Beard told Live Science. The study was published Aug. 16 in the journal PLOS ONE. Original article on Live Science. Human-like fossil footprints estimated to be 5.7 million years old were reported stolen on Sept. 12 from a dig site in Crete. A man who recently stole 10 fossil footprints of ancient human relatives from a dig site in Greece failed to hide his own tracks from the police, who apprehended him last week, according to news sources. The purloined human-like footprints, which are estimated to be 5.7 million years old, are part of a group of 40 prints in Trachilos, on the island of Crete. They were reported missing on Sept. 12 by a visitor to the location, who notified authorities that the site appeared to have been vandalized and that chunks of rock holding some of the ancient fossils had been removed, reported the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (A-MNA). It's still unclear what the thief's intentions were for the stolen fossils, but they were already so well-documented that it would have been next to impossible for him to pass them off as unknown, serendipitous discoveries, representatives from the NHMC explained in a statement. "If anyone thought that they could profit from this act, they are out of luck," they said. The footprints were discovered in 2002 by a paleontologist while he was on vacation, and he initially identified them as belonging to a type of mammal. He returned to the site in 2010 to examine them in greater detail with another paleontologist, and they eventually determined that the footprints belonged to a hominin a group that describes modern and extinct humans, and our extinct relatives. They announced these findings in a study published Aug. 31, 2017, in the journal Proceedings of the Geologists' Association. The shape of the fossil footprints closely resembles those of modern humans. (Image credit: Andrzej Boczarowski) The study described the prints' maker (or makers) as bipedal, with a large, rounded ball at the front of the foot and what appears to be a row of forward-pointing digits that include a larger "big toe." All of the tracks are similar in size, with consistent outlines, the researchers said, and in shape and structure, the prints strongly resemble those of other early humans and their ancient bipedal relatives. However, the study authors proposed that the prints also could have been made by an unknown primate that was not part of the human family tree but had evolved a similar bipedal adaptation for walking. Original article on Live Science. While Hurricane Maria slammed Puerto Rico with pounding rainfall and dangerously strong winds yesterday (Sept. 20), astronauts at the International Space Station experienced the storm from a far more serene location roughly 250 miles (400 kilometers) above Earth. NASA astronaut and Expedition 53 Cmdr. Randy Bresnik shared his aerial views of Hurricane Maria on Twitter. His photos, taken through the windows of the International Space Station (ISS), show the enormous storm stretching across the horizon like a thick blanket of snow. Closer views of the hurricane's center reveal some interesting shapes forming in the cloud tops. "Amazing cloud formations radiating out as we speed by," Bresnik tweeted from the ISS today (Sept. 21). [In Photos: Hurricane Maria Seen from Space] The eye of Hurricane Maria spins beneath the International Space Station in this close-up shot captured by NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik. (Image credit: NASA/Randy Bresnik/ Twitter The images show a section of extra-tall cumulonimbus clouds towering near the eye of the hurricane. According to NASA, these higher cloud formations are called "hot towers" and can grow higher than the troposphere, at an altitude of about 9 miles (14.5 km). "These towers are called 'hot' because they rise to such altitude due to the large amount of latent heat," NASA officials said in a statement. "Water vapor releases this latent heat as it condenses into liquid. Those towering thunderstorms have the potential for heavy rain." See more Satellites have been monitoring the storm space, too. These satellites collect data about cloud temperatures, rainfall rates and other meteorological information that can help weather forecasters track the storm's path and intensity. One of those satellites, NASA's Terra satellite, has been measuring Maria's clouds and recording temperatures across the entire storm. A new 3D thermal map created with the satellite's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument shows the same "hot tower" cloud formation that Bresnik spotted from the space station. This 3D thermal image of Hurricane Maria was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument on NASA's Terra satellite on Sept. 20, 2017. (Image credit: NASA) "Colder clouds, which are generally higher in the atmosphere, are shown with white. Somewhat warmer, lower clouds appear purple," NASA officials wrote in the image description. "The image reveals a very well-defined eye surrounded by high clouds on all sides an indication that the storm was very intense." Indeed, the storm was "very intense" when it ravaged Puerto Rico yesterday, making landfall as a Category 4 storm. The National Hurricane Center recorded maximum sustained wind speeds as high as 155 mph (250 km/h) and rainfall rates of about 7 inches (18 centimeters) per hour. The hurricane is now moving through the Atlantic Ocean with its eye traveling just northeast of the Dominican Republic. Weather forecasters say Hurricane Maria probably won't make landfall on the East Coast of the U.S., but a hurricane warning remains in effect for the Caribbean islands of Turks and Caicos and the Bahamas. You can follow the latest updates on Hurricane Maria here. Email Hanneke Weitering at hweitering@space.com or follow her @hannekescience. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com. Researchers carefully conserve an Osiris statuette found within the favissa. It's possible the statue of the god Ptah was placed with the Osiris statuettes because Osiris was the god of rebirth. After years of being washed, perfumed and fed in ancient Egypt, the statue of a revered Egyptian deity was given a proper burial with other "dead" statues more than 2,000 years ago, a new study finds. Ancient Egyptians buried the statue of the deity Ptah the god of craftsmen and sculptors with other revered statues, including those of a sphinx, baboon, cat, Osiris and Mut, in a pit next to Ptah's temple. The statue of Ptah had likely sat in the temple for years, but it and the other sacred objects were respectfully buried after they accumulated damage and were declared useless by the ancient Egyptians, the researchers said. [See Photos of the Ptah, Sphnix and Other Statues] "We can consider that when a new statue was erected in the temple, this one [of Ptah] was set aside in a pit," said study co-researcher Christophe Thiers, director of the French-Egyptian Center for the Study of the Temples of Karnak. "The other artifacts were also previously damaged during their 'lifetime' in the temple, and then they were buried with the Ptah statue." Archaeologists discovered the pit in December 2014 at Karnak, an Egyptian temple precinct, and spent about a month excavating its rich assemblage. The pit held 38 objects, including: Fourteen statuettes and figurines of Osiris. Eleven fragments of inlay from statues. The inlay included that of an iris, a cornea, a false beard, a cap, a strand of hair and an inlay plaque. Three baboon statuettes (representing the god Thoth). Two statuettes of the goddess Mut (one with hieroglyphic inscriptions). Two unidentified statuette bases. One head and one fragmentary statuette of a cat (Bastet). One small fragmentary faience stele (a stone slab) recording the name of the god Ptah. One head of a statuette of a man in gilded limestone. One lower part of a statue of the seated god Ptah, sawn and repaired. One sphinx. One unidentified metal piece. The favissa contained 38 objects, including (starting at the top left and going clockwise) a male head made of gilded limestone, the lower part of the limestone statue of the god Ptah, a statuette of Osiris and a limestone sphinx. (Image credit: Copyright J. Maucor/CFEETK-CNRS-MoA; Copyright Antiquity) It appeared that the artifacts were buried in a certain order. After digging the pit, also known as a favissa (a cache of sacred objects that are no longer in use), the ancient Egyptians would have put down the lower part of Ptah's limestone statue. The statue was large, and it probably took two to three people to carry it, the researchers said. Next to the statue, the Egyptians would have placed a wooden effigy of the god Osiris that had metal applique, including a beard and two feathers in its crown. Then, the other artifacts would have been distributed around these two artifacts, which were then covered with about 8 inches (20 centimeters) of backfill. This is where the ancient Egyptians placed a statue of a small limestone sphinx. The pit was then covered with more backfill. At the top, the Egyptians placed a small male head made of gilded limestone, likely for protection, the researchers said. The objects were made at different times, the researchers found. The statue of Ptah dates to the New Kingdom; the style of the sphinx supports a late Ptolemaic date; and the gilded head dates to the early Ptolemaic period, the researchers said. However, by studying the site's rock layers, the researchers found that the artifacts were buried by the temple's priests during the second half of the Ptolemaic period, between the second century B.C. and the middle of the first century B.C., the researchers wrote in the study. [7 Amazing Archaeological Discoveries from Egypt] Rebirth awaits The vast number of buried Osiris figurines and statues intrigued the archaeologists. Osiris was the god of fertility and of the dead in the underworld, but also of rebirth. It's possible the priests placed Osiris with Ptah because of his role in rebirth and regeneration, the researchers said. "[Ptah] is waiting for rebirth," study lead researcher Guillaume Charloux, an archaeologist with the French-Egyptian Center for the Study of the Temples of Karnak, told Live Science. "It's protected by the sphinx. It's surrounded by the Osiris statues. We have the feeling here that it's waiting for rebirth, like mummies of pharaohs." The study was published online today (Sept. 21) in the journal Antiquity. Original article on Live Science. Nearly 450 people in San Diego have become infected with hepatitis A over the last 10 months, making it the largest outbreak of the illness in California in decades. On Tuesday (Sept. 19), officials in San Diego said the number of hepatitis cases in the city had climbed to 444, up from 421 last week. Of those infected, 305 have been hospitalized, and 16 have died. (For comparison, the city had just 22 cases of hepatitis A in 2015.) Also this week, Los Angeles declared its own hepatitis outbreak, with 10 cases reported so far. And Santa Cruz County, in northern California, has reported 69 cases of the virus since April. The outbreaks in all three areas are occurring primarily among people who are homeless or who use illegal drugs. But what's causing hepatitis to spread in these areas? [27 Devastating Infectious Diseases] In general, people become infected with hepatitis A through the "fecal-oral" route that is, when small amounts of stool from an ill person contaminate objects, food or drinks that are then touched and ingested by another person, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). San Diego officials say the outbreak there is being spread from person to person "through contact with a fecally contaminated environment." This type of contamination can occur when people with the illness don't properly wash their hands after going to the bathroom, according to the CDC. More than 50 percent of hepatitis cases in San Diego are in homeless people, who are known to be at increased risk for hepatitis A, in part because homelessness presents challenges to keeping good hygiene, such as limited access to toilets and hand-washing facilities, according to a 2009 paper published in the journal Public Health Reports. Clusters of hepatitis A cases have also occurred in some facilities with shared restrooms, including jails and residential drug treatment facilities, San Diego officials said. The infection can also spread through the sharing of equipment related to illicit drug use, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. On Sept. 1, San Diego declared a local public health emergency because of the hepatitis outbreak. The city has taken several steps to combat the outbreak, including vaccinating about 19,000 people against hepatitis A to prevent future illnesses, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported. Officials have also installed 40 hand-washing stations throughout the downtown area and have disinfected some city streets with bleach. The strain of hepatitis involved in the San Diego outbreak is the same as the one in the Santa Cruz outbreak, which suggests the outbreaks are related, according to the County of San Diego's Public Health Services Division. (The strain involved in the LA outbreak has not been reported, but five of the LA cases involved people who visited either San Diego or Santa Cruz before their infection began, officials said.) The hepatitis A virus can infect the liver and cause inflammation and damage to the organ, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Symptoms can include dark-yellow urine, fever, joint pain, nausea and vomiting. People with the infection usually get better on their own without treatment, the NIH says. But in some cases, the infection can lead to liver failure, particularly in older adults or people who have other liver diseases. In general, the hepatitis A vaccine is recommended for children at age 1; travelers to countries that have high rates of hepatitis A; users of illegal drugs; people with chronic liver diseases, such as hepatitis C; men who have sexual contact with other men; and people who work with animals infected with hepatitis A, according to the CDC. Because of the outbreak in San Diego, officials there are also recommending that people get the vaccine if they are homeless, have close contact with the homeless or illicit drug users, or work in jobs where they handle food. It's also recommended that any person who wants to obtain immunity against hepatitis A get the vaccine, San Diego officials said. Original article on Live Science. About 1 in 12 deaths worldwide could be prevented if people got 30 minutes of physical activity a day on most days of the week, a new study found. The study analyzed information from more than 130,000 people ages 35 to 70 in 17 countries. The researchers examined whether participants met physical activity guidelines, which recommend that people get 150 minutes of moderate activity per week, or 30 minutes a day, five days a week. The researchers considered not only leisure-time physical activity (like going to the gym), but also non-leisure-time activity, including activity done at work, on the way to work (such as walking or biking to work) or at home (such as household chores). The scientists found that, no matter the type of activity, people who met physical activity guidelines were about 30 percent less likely to die during the study period, compared to those who did not meet physical activity guidelines. What's more, those who met the guidelines were 20 percent less likely to develop heart disease than those who didn't meet the guidelines. Based on these results, the researchers estimated that, if everyone met the physical activity guidelines, 8 percent of deaths and 5 percent of heart disease cases worldwide would be prevented over seven years. [4 Easy Ways to Get More Exercise] "Meeting physical activity guidelines by walking for as little as 30 minutes most days of the week has a substantial benefit," study lead author Scott Lear, a researcher at St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver, Canada, said in a statement. "Physical activity represents a low-cost approach to preventing cardiovascular disease, and our study provides robust evidence to support public health interventions to increase all forms of physical activity." Previous studies on the benefits of exercise have looked mainly at people living in high-income countries, and focused on leisure-time activity. But it wasn't known whether findings in high-income countries would apply to middle- and low-income countries, where leisure-time activity is much less common, the researchers said. The new study included people living in a mix of high-, middle- and low-income countries: Canada, Sweden, the United Arab Emirates, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Poland, Turkey, Malaysia, South Africa, China, Colombia, Iran, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Zimbabwe. Participants completed a questionnaire about the types of physical activity they engaged in over a typical week, and this information was used to calculate their average activity levels. None of the participants had heart disease at the start of the study. They were followed for about seven years to see whether they developed heart disease or died. Overall, about 18 percent of participants (or 23,631 people) did not meet physical activity guidelines. Among this group, 6.4 percent died during the study period, compared with 4.2 percent in the group that met the guidelines. In addition, 5.1 percent of those who did not meet the guidelines developed heart disease during the study, compared with 3.8 percent of those who met the guidelines. The more physical activity people engaged in, the lower their risks of death and heart disease were.. Even extremely high levels of exercise (2,500 minutes per week, or about 6 hours a day) were not harmful, the study said. Many people who engaged in high levels of physical activity did so primarily though non-leisure-time activities. This finding highlights the idea that, in order to realize the full benefits of physical activity, it needs to be incorporated into daily life, Learsaid. "Going to the gym is great, but we only have so much time we can spend there. If we can walk to work, or at lunch time, that will help too," he said. The study's findings were published online today (Sept. 21) in the journal Lancet. Original article on Live Science. 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History of Chennai Tourist Destinations in and around Chennai Educational Institutes in Chennai The Indian Institute of Technology Madras Anna University College of Engineering, Guindy Central Leather Research Institute Structural Engineering Research Centre Indian Maritime University Parthsarathy Temple Vadapalani Temple Kadaswamy Temple Marundeeswarar Temple Makka Masjid Grand Mosque Thousand Lights Mosque Armenian Church Santhome Cathedral St. Mary's Church Beaches in Chennai Churches in Chennai Shopping in Chennai Chennai Cuisine Facts about Chennai Chennai's previous name was Madras. The name was originated from Madrasapattinam. Chennai is popularly called as the 'Gateway to South India'. The Tidel Park in the city is the largest IT Park in Asia. The Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus (CBMT) located at Koyambedu is Asia's leading bus terminal. The Anna Centenary Library in the city is Asia's largest library. Chennai's Vandalur Zoo is the first and largest public zoo in the country. How to Reach Chennai By Air: By Train By Bus By Sea Transportation within the City By Bus By Auto-Rickshaw By Taxi Chennai Fact City Name Chennai State Tamil Nadu District Chennai District Headquarters Chennai Tehsil/Taluk Egmore Nungambakkam, Fort Tondiarpet, Mambalam Guindy, Mylapore Triplicane, Perambur Purasawalkam Ward 200 Lat Long 13 04' N 80 17' E Area 426 km sq (164.8 sq mi) Population as per 2011 7088000 Official Languages Tamil Time Zone IST (UTC+05:30) STD Code 44 Transport Air, Road, Rail, Sea Vehicle Registration TN-01 to TN-14, TN-18, TN-22, TN-85 Food/Cuisine and Spices Hot filtered coffee, vegetarian and non-vegetarian food - Idli, Dosa, Appam, Vada, Upma served with tomato chutney, coconut chutney and sambar, rice dishes, legumes and lentils, curry leaves, mustard seeds, coriander, ginger, garlic, chilli, pepper, cinnamon, cloves, green cardamom, cumin, nutmeg, coconut and rosewater, parothas, puliyogare, aviyal, thogayal, thayir sadam, chicken, pepper chicken, chicken stew, many items made of coconut curry, sweet pongal, kesari, etc. Special Chennai drinks are tender coconut -spicy buttermilk, variety of fruit juices, etc. Religion Islam, Christianity, Hinduism Fairs and Festivals Natyanjali Dance Festival, Dance and Music Festival, Travel and Tourism Fair, Pongal, Arubathimoovar, Mamallapuram, Chitthirai, Mahamagam, Kanthuri, Velankanni, Navratri and Saral-Vizha, Kavadi Festival, Natyanjali Dance Festival, Summer Festival, Tayagaraja Festival, Karthigai Deepam, etc. Monuments Fort St. George, Freemasons Hall, Government Museum, Kamaraj Memorial House, MGR Memorial, Senate House, Thousand Lights Mosque, Valluvar Kottam, War Memorials Places of interest Marina Beach, Kapaleeshwarar Temple, San Thome Basilica, Parthasarathy Temple, Arignar Anna Zoological Park, Santhome Basilica, Marundeeswarar Temple, Ashtalakshmi Kovil, Fort St George, Vivekanandar Illam, Government Museum, Guindy National Park, Covelong, St. Thomas Mount, Elliot's Beach, Madhya Kailash, Valluvar Kottam, Kalikambal Temple, VGP Universal Kingdom, Queens Land, Kishkinta, Mayajaal, Birla Planetarium, Church of Our Lady of Light, Golden Beach, Ampa Skywalk, Lighthouse, Thousand Lights Mosque, Ravishwarar, Saint Patrick's Cathedral, St. George's Cathedral, St. Mary's Church (Fort St. George), Varasiddhi Vinayaka Temple, Armenian Church, Sri Lanka Mahabodhi Centre, ISKCON Temple Chennai, Puzhal Aeri, etc. Hotels Hyatt Regency, The Raintree Hotel, Anna Salai, Radisson Blu Hotel, Courtyard, Radisson Blu Hotel City Centre, The Accord Metropolitan, Sheraton Park Hotel and Towers, Taj Club House, Vivanta by Taj - Connemara, etc. Markets Pondy Bazaar, Anna Salai (Mount Road), Panagal Park, T- Nagar, Anna Nagar, George Town, Egmore, Mylapore, Burma Bazaar, Tirunelveli, Kumbakonam, Thanjavur, Mahabalipuram, Kanchipuram, Parrys Corner, Mint Street, Malls- Abhirami Mega Mall, Alsa Mall, Ampa Skywalk, Chennai Citi Centre, Chennai Trade Centre, Coromandel Plaza, Express Avenue, Spencer Plaza, Phoenix Market City, Forum Vijaya Mall Important Landmarks IIT Campus, Race Course, Guindy National Park, MGR Film City, KSRTC, Marina Beach Important Roads Connecting the City Great Northern Trunk Road, National Highway 45 Poonamallee Road, Tiruvallar High Road, Tiruvottiyur high Road, National Highway 4, National Highway 5 Industries Mil Industries Limited, Autotech Industries India Private Limited, Madras Engg Industries Priv Limited, Automotive Electronics, Software Retail, Manufacturing, Madras Stock Exchange, Royapuram Fishing Harbour, Kollywood, Madras Bashai, Madras Cloth, Information Technology (IT) and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) services etc. University/College A.M.E.T University, Anna University, B. S. Abdur Rahman University, Bharat University, Divine Hands International University (DHIU), Dr. M.G.R. Educational and Research Institute, Hindustan University, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Indian Maritime University, Institute of Mathematical Sciences, The Tamil Nadu Dr. M. G. R. Medical University, Tamil Nadu Dr. Ambedkar Law University, Tamil Nadu Teachers Education University, Tamil Nadu Physical Education and Sports University etc. Chennai or Madras, as it was called before is the capital of Tamil Nadu and is situated on the Coromandel Coast of Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area in India. The population of Chennai is 7,088,000 as per the 2011 census. The city is governed by the Corporation of Chennai consisting of a Mayor and councillors.The flourishing economy of the city is credited to its key industries - automobile, software services, hardware manufacturing, petrochemicals, textiles and financial services.From the beginning of the 3rd century A.D. till the end of 9th century, Pallavas held sway over this region. The region was brought under Chola rule when the Pallavas were defeated by Aditya-I by about 879 A.D. Jatavarman Sundara Pandya rose to power and the region was brought under Pandya rule in 1264 A.D. followed by Bahmini kingdom and Delhi Sultanate under Khilji dynasty. During 1361, the son of Vijayanagar King, (Kumara Kampana II) conquered and established Vijayanagar rule in Tondaimandalam - as the province was then called.Venkatapathy Nayak, one of the chieftain (Nayaks) of the Vijayanagar ruler who was in-charge of the area of present Chennai city offered a piece of land to the English in 1639. Fort St. George was founded on this piece of waste land as a trading post. The settlement which grew up around the Fort was named as Chennapatanam in honour of Chennappa Nayak, father of Venkatapathy Nayak.The intervening space between the older area which was called Madraspatnam and Chennapatanam came to be quickly built over with houses of new settlers and gradually the two villages virtually became a single town.Chennai boasts of rich historical legacy which lends an inexplicable charm to the city. The Portuguese arrived here in the 16th century and were followed by the Dutch, and the East India Company. The British were able to establish their undisputed supremacy in the city and the Fort St. George became the nucleus around which the British authority grew and expanded. Slowly, the city became a major naval base as well as central administrative centre for the British in South India.After Indian independence in 1947, it became the capital city of Madras state, which was later renamed as Tamil Nadu. The city which was known as Madras was officially renamed as Chennai on 17 July 1996.Over the years, Chennai has become a hot-spot of tourism in India. There are many tourist attractions in this city which are frequented by visitors every year. Some of them are- with its glittering golden sand and the blue strip of sea is said to be the second longest beach of the world.,, - a sacred shrine with Dravidian architecture was built in the 10th century by the Vijayanagar kings. It is said that the original Kapaleeshwarar temple was built by the Pallavas in the 7th Century and was demolished by the Portuguese to build the Santhome Church.- also called Santhome Church is built over the tomb of Saint Thomas, one of the twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ.- This 8th century Hindu Vaishnavite temple originally built by Pallavas is primarily dedicated to Lord Krishna, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, and is among the 108 divyadesams or sacred abodes of Lord Vishnu.- sprawling over an area of 6.02 km sq it is one of the largest zoological complex in South East Asia., - The Shiva Lingam here is said to be naturally formed and not sculptured by anyone. It is white in colour as legend has it that the divine cow Kamdhenu poured her milk on the lord.- this temple is dedicated to Sri Mahalaksahmi, the Consort of Sriman Narayanan/ Shri Mahavishnu, Per the Vedas and Puranas Goddess Lakshmi emerged out of the oceans when the Devas and Asuras churned the Milky Ocean and grants Eightfold Achievements (Ashta Siddhis) and Eightfold Wealth (Ashta Iswaryam)., - This fort holds great historical importance as it is considered to be the first establishment of the British in India and houses relics belonging to the colonial period., - popularly called Vivekananda House is maintained by Sri Ramakrishna Math and is an important landmark in Chennai as Swami Vivekananda stayed here for nine days after his triumphant return from the West.- Next only to KolkattaKolkata, it is the second oldest museum, spread over six independent buildings it has 46 galleries rich in archaeological, numismatic and largest Roman collections.- situated adjacent to the Children's Park houses an impressive collection of some of the popular Reptiles like The King Cobra, Python, Turtle and Monitor Lizard. Extraction of venom is an absorbing activity here., - Spanning 2.70 kmGuindy National Park, is unique as it supports the rarest vegetation- the tropical dry evergreen scrub and thorn forests. It boasts of more than 350 species of plants including century old gigantic Banyan Trees apart from a host of rare animals, bird and reptiles., - This beach with glittering white sand, fascinating and colourful sea-shells and flanked by attractive palm trees offers a picturesque sight to the tourists. St. Thomas Mount - An Old Portuguese Church built around 1514 stands on the tiny hillock where St. Thomas an apostle of Christ is believed to have been martyred., - Being the cleanest beaches in Chennai it is a popular place for relaxing and soaking in the sun. It lies towards the south of the Marina Beach. and many more.Apart from these and many more, there are other places near Chennai which are equally preferred by travel lovers. A few of those places are- has exclusive shore temples from the 7th century, with fascinating architectural designs and carvings. There is a huge Crocodile Farm too which is a breeding place for reptiles. Crocodiles living in ana homely environment can closely be observed.- this sea shore town 60 kms from Chennai is best known for watching Flamingos. Beach Activities are also an added attraction of this area. Between October and March over 20,000 migratory birds are said to visit Pulicat for breeding.- one of India's seven sacred cities, it is a treasure trove of Hindu temples with their grand structures and architectural finesse from different dynasties. The most authentic silk saris, Kanjivaram sarreessarees are a hot pick for sarree saree lovers.- Bas-relief remains from the 7th and 8th century Pallava Dynasty is the exotic attraction of this town. Apart from these, the Beach, Shore Temples, Five Rathas and Sculpture Work Shops also attract millions of local and International tourists every year.- opened up archaeological research when Robert Bruce Foote, a British geologist, discovered a stone hand axe of Stone Age man in 1863. The place shows evidence about the 1, 00,000 years Palaeolithic Age antiquity of this region.- a lake 85 kms from Chennai and at an altitude of 122 m was established as as Bird Sanctuary in 1858. November to March is the peak season when it attracts thousands of birds like: Darter, Egrets, Grey Pelican, Grey Heron, Grebes, Siberian Painted Storks, Spoonbill, Spot Bill Duck, Teals, and White Ibis from different parts of the globe., - a road drive of about 3 and-a-half hours from Chennai, Tirupati is home to one of the most holy and ancient Shri Venkateshwara temple, Surrounded by seven panoramic hills and home to perennial waterfalls, lush valleys and verdant forests, Tirupati attracts scores of Hindu pilgrims.- This ancient city has been the seat of majorlymajorly all the dynasties that ruled south India, and still bears vestiges of its regal past. It also played a major part during First War of Independence against the British. Forts, temples, picnic spots abound. It has one of India's finest hospitals, the American-founded Christian Medical College, which attracts medical students and patients from across the country.- now called Puducherry was a French colony till 1954, and the old city still bears the stamp of the colonial era in its quiet, bougainvillea draped town houses, clean streets, and French food outlets. It is internationally famous for Sri Aurobindo Ashram which draws large number of spiritually inclined visitors. ,- about three and-a-half hours' drive from Chennai is known for the production of gold jewellery, aquaculture and paddy production. Apart from Shri Ranganathaswamy temple, the calm and refreshing Mypadu beach and Pulicat Lake cum bird sanctuary are exquisite natural attractions for tourists.- is about five hours' drive from Chennai. It isIs a hill station and is a famous weekend getaway. Trekking trails and paragliding is a major draw for visitors. Punganur Lake, Velavan temple, Jalagamparai waterfalls and Nature Park offer spectacular views.- at a driving distance of almost six hours from Chennai, this 'place of the singing waves' (Tharang means wave) was a Danish colony. Fort Dansborg, showcasing Danish architecture, still stands tall and is an attraction for tourists apart from Zion church, and the ancient Masilamani temple. ,This city also has some of the best educational institutes in the country.Religious Places in ChennaiThere are quite many beaches in Chennai. In some of the beaches, you can indulge yourself into water sports, while near some others you can also see fishing villages. Some of the popular beaches in Chennai are Marina Beach, Covelong Beach and Elliot's Beach.The churches in Chennai reflect the rich architectural heritage as well as the culture of the religious Christians who built them around 500 years ago. Some of the popular churches in Chennai are St. Mary's Church, Santhome Basillica, Velankanni Church, The Armenian Church, C.S.I. Holy Cross Church, St. Thomas Mount, St. Andrews Church, St. George's Cathedral and Descanso Church.When it is about shopping in Chennai, you always do not have to head to the shopping malls. Some of the areas in this city where you can happily go for shopping, include Pondy Bazaar, Anna Salai (Mount Road), Panagal Park, T-Nagar, Anna Nagar, George Town, Egmore, and Mylapore.You will get a traditional range of cuisine in Chennai. Some of the cuisines you should not miss out when you are in this city are idli, dosa, upma, sambar, rasam, kootu, chutney. While these are usually taken as lunch, the evening snacks consist of onion pakoda, murukku and vada. These snacks are mostly taken with filtered-coffee. The famous sweet dishes you will get in Chennai are payasam, kesari, sweet pongal. The chettinad pepper chicken is one of the most popular cuisines of Chennai.There is an International airport in Chennai. International flights arrive at Anna Terminal and domestic flights arrive at Kamraj Terminal. Chennai is well-connected to Thailand (Bangkok), Sri Lanka (Colombo), U.A.E (Dubai), Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur), Kuwait, Muscat (Bahrain) and Singapore. Pre-paid taxis ply from the airport to downtown Chennai city. The taxis come in two varieties - the standard black taxi and the private call taxi.: Chennai Central and Egmore, are the two train terminus for long distance trains from other parts of India.: Chennai is well-connected to other parts of India by the 'Golden Quadrilateral' transport project. Volvo air-conditioned services operated by the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation, run from Chennai to cities like Pondicherry, Vellore, Hosur and Trichy.: There are two ports in Chennai - Chennai Port and Ennore Port. Regular ships ply from Chennai to Port Blair in Andaman and Nicobar Islands.: Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) buses ply throughout Chennai city. MTC buses are operated and owned by the Tamil Nadu government. The bus fare is very affordable.: Auto-rickshaws are suitable for only short distances. If you call an auto-rickshaw, it is better to negotiate the fare with the driver before commencing the journey.: Chennai taxis have digital metres. They are reliable means of transport.The city map of Chennai by Maps of India will help you to be acquainted with the city in a better way. The map will aid you to locate all the important national highways in the city, the important railway lines, areas which are rich in vegetation, important water bodies in the city, popular hotels and hospitals, the cinema halls in different parts of the city, and other important landmarks in the city. Arvind Kejriwal Biography Arvind Kejriwal is the present Chief Minister of Delhi. He is also one of the most controversial and popular figures of contemporary Indian politics, having gained prominence in 2012 from Jan Lok Pal Bill Andolan with Anna Hazare. Within such a short span of time, he has generated tremendous discussion after becoming the Chief Minister of Delhi thrice and resigning within 50 days in support of the Jan Lokpal Bill during his first term as the CM. Also, in the general elections of 2014, he contested from the most-hyped Lok Sabha seat of Varanasi against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. However, the verdict of the people was not in his favour. For someone who believes that change begins with small things, Kejriwal has embarked upon a rather tough mission of making India corruption-free through the more popular means of seeking public support standing for elections. In 2020, his party emerged victorious again with 62 seats in the capital. His Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) came out with flying colours in the 2015 assembly election in Delhi, bagging 67 out of the 70 seats. It was a historic victory for the newly formed party that managed to sway away public opinion from the major political parties of the country. In the 2013 Delhi assembly elections too, the AAP had sprung a surprise in the political race by bagging 27 seats. More drama was to follow as the Congress extended its support to the AAP and a government was formed under Kejriwals leadership. The Man An average, bespectacled Indian with a soft demeanour, Arvind Kejriwal, born in Siwani, Haryana on August 16, 1968, began his career with Tata Steel after graduating in mechanical engineering from IIT, Kharagpur in 1989. This was not to hold his interest for too long as he left the same in 1992 to have a shot at the Indian Civil Services exam. Kejriwal successfully entered the Indian Revenue Services and began his career as a bureaucrat in the New Delhi Income Tax Department. Arvind Kejriwal soon married Sunita, an IRS officer; they now have a daughter and a son. He has also authored a book Swaraj that came out in 2012, in both English and Hindi. Social Service In 2000, Arvind Kejriwal quit his IRS job and gave vent to the feelings of social activism and started an NGO, Parivartan, in Kaushambi, Ghaziabad to fight against corruption and bring change in the field of education and the public distribution system in India. Kejriwal strongly feels that political corruption is the root cause of corruption in the country as can be seen from the various scams involving political figures that have been exposed by the media. In fact, Kejriwal used the RTI Act very effectively to expose deficiencies in the public services domain. Arvind Kejriwal had met several social activists and personalities like Mother Teresa and was impressed by their vision and thoughts early on. Soon enough in the public eye, Arvind Kejriwal gathered many followers. He was awarded for his initiatives with the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award for Emerging Leadership in 2006. He was also able to meet and garner ample support from Anna Hazare, who was rising as an anti-corruption Gandhian. The two joined hands with others like Kiran Bedi, Prashant Bhushan, etc., to ramp up the momentum of the anti-corruption movement. Kejriwal became the architect of the Jan Lokpal Bill movement, aiming to bring an ombudsman over the government and a strong RTI (Right to Information) in the country. New Chapter in Kejriwals Life As Hazares movement began to lose steam over slow-progressing talks with other political parties, Arvind Kejriwal decided to rejuvenate it through the political route. This brought in major differences in opinion between Anna, who did not want to politicise the movement, and Kejriwal, who thought otherwise. The two parted ways and in November 2012, and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) came into existence. When the assembly elections concluded in Delhi in December 2013, nobody had imagined that the AAP would win 27 of the 70 seats. While the party was nowhere close to the required majority, the event was hailed as a mass transformation in which the common man had finally stood up against decades of corruption and exploitation. However, fate had decided to enthrone Kejriwal. The Congress party extended its support, asking AAP to form the government. They did so and Kejriwal became the seventh Chief Minister of Delhi. However, the government was not to last long as the BJP and the Congress opposed some aspects of the Jan Lokpal Bill, leading to confrontation in the assembly. February 14, 2014 was the last day of the AAP government, as the opposition wouldnt let it table the Jan Lokpal Bill without getting it approved from the Centre first, which Kejriwal deemed unnecessary and a hurdle. But fate had something else to offer to Arvind Kejriwal. When re-elections were held in Delhi in 2015, the AAP created a historic moment by achieving a stupendous victory, winning 67 out of the 70 seats. These numbers proved that Delhi and its common man not only supported and trusted Kejriwal but also wanted a change in politics and the society. His tenure has been full of confrontation with the Central Government and the different Lt. Governors appointed by the centre. Moreover, the last 4 years have also been marked by the exit of several important personalities from the AAP, such as Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan. In the 2019 General Elections, the AAP led by him suffered a setback when it failed to win a single Lok Sabha seat in the 7 constituencies of Delhi. Arvind Kejriwal Facts and Information: by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, September 20, 2017 Net neutrality advocates are blasting the Federal Communications Commission over "misleading information" about mobile carriers' network investment in the forthcoming annual report on mobile competition. A draft of the FCC's 121-page report says that network investment by the wireless carriers dropped by 9% in the year following 2015, which is when the agency adopted net neutrality rules. But advocacy group Free Press says the FCC's draft leaves out key historical context. "The easily verifiable truth is that wireless industry investments peaked in 2013, as carriers completed the bulk of 4G LTE deployments," Free Press writes in a letter to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. "Whats more, this is by no means the only years-long downturn for the wireless sector: such periods of slower spending are natural." advertisement advertisement The FCC's net neutrality rules reclassified broadband as a utility service and imposed some common carrier rules on providers, including prohibitions on blocking and throttling content, and creating paid fast lanes. Pai, who is urging the agency to reverse the decision to treat broadband service as a utility, has argued that the 2015 rules resulted in a decrease in investment. He recently cited the recent 9% drop in investment in a speech delivered at Mobile World Congress Americas, where he argued that the decrease in capital expenditures was the "most concerning emerging issue" the FCC was seeing. "I think you know where Im going next," he added. "The FCC is currently examining whether we should change our Internet regulations in order to encourage greater deployment and investment and bring digital opportunity to more Americans." Free Press countered in its letter that there was also a drop in investment between 2013 and 2014 -- before the net neutrality rules were passed. The group also noted that the carrier AT&T told the FCC in 2010 that capital expenditures are "lumpy," because providers may make investments one year, but then focus on acquiring new customers the following year. by Mike Azzara , Op-Ed Contributor, September 21, 2017 This post is a slightly edited version of an earlier AI Insider. I have a confession: AI ethics makes my brain hurt. The issues and questions are that big. Never mind corporate behavior; people, governments, policies and global geopolitics will all evolve differently depending on how we answer those questions. My brain is hurting right now. But if youre a marketer planning to use AI, youre going to hurt a lot more than your brain if you dont start examining the ethical questions. If you dont think through the issues and questions that pertain to you, you will end up damaging your brands reputation. As more and more people come to understand the Web-cookied, location-based, sensor-instrumented digital envelope in which they live their lives and who is watching them they will begin to ask questions, themselves. And if youre using AI to power chatbots or digital ads, customers may be coming to you with their questions. As tech angel investor Esther Dyson told me in an interview at the time, The advertising community has been woefully unforthcoming about how much data theyre collecting and what they're doing with it. And its going to backfire on them, just as the Snowden revelations backfired on the NSA. Some prescriptive advice that emerged from that work came from big data ethics thinker Kord Davis (he wrote the book, literally). Davis recommends companies do three things: explicitly align corporate values with what they do and dont do with big data and AI algorithms; openly discus their policies relating to data privacy, personally identifiable customer information, and data ownership; and be prepared to have lots of internal disagreements, because ethics are highly variable, personal issues. Meanwhile, Dyson says, Ethics dont change circumstances change, but the same standards apply. When I told her about Davis' idea to connect company values to big data/AI actions, she said, Connecting company values to your big data activities is another way of saying the circumstances have changed but the same standards apply. Touche! Another writer and thinker on big-data ethics is Jonathan King, vice president, cloud portfolio management and strategy at Ericsson and a visiting scholar at Washington Universitys School of Law in St Louis. He and his writing partner, Neil Richards, a law professor and recognized expert on privacy and First Amendment law, advise you to focus on four areas: Privacy: They say it isnt dead, and its not just about keeping information hidden. Ensuring privacy of data is a matter of defining and enforcing information rules not just rules about data collection, but about data use and retention. Shared private information: King and Richards say you can share information and still keep it confidential. Again, this relies on the information rules mentioned above. Transparency: They say, For big data to work in ethical terms, the data owners (the people whose data we are handling) need to have a transparent view of how our data is being used or sold. Identity: This is a really big brain-hurter. They say, Big data analytics can compromise identity by allowing institutional surveillance to moderate and even determine who we are before we make up our own minds. That identity issue is the My Tivo Thinks Im Gay problem writ large. Coincidentally, I ran into it during the time I worked on this project. I researched the Broadway play Tales From Red Vienna, but decided not to get tickets. For the next month, everywhere I went on the Internet the Red Vienna ad stalked me. Marketers make jokes about the stalking nature of simple retargeting today, but theres a creepiness to it that I dont think people will ever shake. What happens when AIs can predict much more intimate things about us, including what we may want to do or think next? How will people react? And, therefore, how will we want to handle such knowledge? Were far from there yet, but the time to start asking those questions is now. Similarly, how will we learn the things we dont know we need to know if AI predicts our future based on past performance, limiting the real-life serendipity that we were all heir to before the digital envelope encapsulated us? This is one of the big ethical issues marketers must explore, as it could cause people to evolve differently. Witness the disconnects that occurred in last years presidential election: It seems to me that a whole lot of people failed to learn things they didnt know they needed to know. Importantly, our work didnt suggest any simple single answers to any of these big questions. The point is for every organization to engage in open discussion to formulate policies that align their values with their AI/big data behavior, accounting for all four of the issues mentioned above. Does your brain hurt yet? by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, September 21, 2017 Three Facebook users are asking a federal appellate court to revive a lawsuit accusing Facebook of violating their privacy by tracking their activity on health sites. "Long-standing constitutional, statutory, regulatory, contractual, and common law rules place important limits on intrusion into private matters, particularly involving ones own health," the Facebook users argue in papers filed this week with the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. "These limits apply to social networking companies just as much as anyone else." The legal dispute dates to last year, when Web users proceeding under the pseudonyms "Winston Smith," "Jane Doe 1," and "Jane Doe 2," alleged in a class-action complaint that Facebook gathered data about users' visits to health sites, including ones operated by the American Cancer Society, Melanoma Research Foundation and University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Facebook gathered this data via the "Like" button, according to the court papers. They also alleged that Facebook uses the data gleaned from health sites to sell targeted ads based on medical topics. advertisement advertisement All three say they exchanged communications with health care providers about conditions that they or a family member suffered from. Smith alleged that he had melanoma, while Jane Doe 1 said she had back pain, and Jane Doe II said her husband had an intestine transplant. Smith and the other users claimed that Facebook violated federal and state privacy laws, including the federal wiretap act, which prohibits companies from intercepting transmissions without at least one party's consent. The web users also sued the health sites for allegedly violating their own privacy policies, which promised to refrain from sharing users' personally identifiable information. In May, U.S. District Court Judge Edward Davila in the Northern District of California dismissed all claims against Facebook and the health sites. Davila ruled that the users consented to Facebook's data-gathering efforts, because the company discloses online that it collects information from third-party sites that use Facebook services, including the "Like" button and Facebook log-in button. He also ruled that he lacked jurisdiction over the health site operators because they aren't based in California. Smith and the other users are now appealing Davila's decision to dismiss their claims against Facebook. Among other arguments, they say Davila should not have found that they consented to share information about their visits to health sites with Facebook. "No reasonable person would have believed that the specific data at issue was being disclosed to, tracked, acquired and sold by Facebook," they argue. They add that any disclosures by Facebook about data collection conflicted with the promises made by the health sites themselves. "No reasonable user who viewed Facebooks and the health care entities disclosures would have understood that Facebook was collecting the information at issue," they write. Facebook is expected to file a response next month. by Ray Schultz , September 21, 2017 Netflix customers are being targeted by a new email scam designed to access their banking information. The emails, which look identical to official messages from Netflix, tell recipients that their accounts are disabled, according to an article in Good Housekeeping. However, the accounts can be reactivated if the customers update their financial information. The link takes victims to a fake web page, where they are asked to input their banking details. Good Housekeeping warns readers that by clicking on the link and entering your payment information, you may be giving hackers direct access to your banking details. The scam appears to target consumers in the UK. But the magazine is also warning U.S. readers to beware, and police departments and other sources are advising consumers not to click on the link. advertisement advertisement Tweeps, beware this Netflix email scam, writes blogger Henry Hyde. DO NOT click any links in the email. The magazine does not speculate about how the scam artists got the email addresses of Netflix customers. But Netflix has acknowledged the problem. "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, Netflix spokesperson said to Good Housekeeping. The spokesperson continued: 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. Good Housekeeping advises consumers to follow these rules: Always check who the sender is. Never download any attachments or click directly on any links. Keep an eye out for bad grammar or any typos. Finally, the magazine advises readers who do fall prey to the scheme to monitor their bank transactions and change their passwords to Netflix and any other accounts that use the same password and username combo. by Ray Schultz , September 21, 2017 Intema Solutions Inc., an email technology vendor based in Montreal, has introduced an email graphic editing tool called Canvas. Integrated in the companys email marketing platform, eFlyerMaker, Canvas enables marketers to customize email newsletters, create written and visual content and launch campaigns, the company says. The firm developed Canvas after customers expressed the need to create content without ever having to exit eFlyerMaker. Graphic design is to email what it is to advertising, says Intema Solutions CEO Roger Plourde.Visuals are the most convincing components of email campaigns. Canvas comes with a selection of 140 fonts and three editor modes: Drag&Drop, Classic WYSIWYG, and basic HTML. According to the company, eFlyerMaker has been upgraded to include behavioral segmentation. This enables marketers to select segments automatically based on predefined activities. advertisement advertisement This segmentation tool has been integrated with the firms artificial intelligence MatcherAnalytics predictive functionality. The company has been around for ten years, and its email solution has been on the market for a little less than two. Most of its customers are outside of Canada, and many are U.S. companies, according to Plourde. The email tool, a SaaS solution, is useful for companies of varying sizes. Being a Canadian company, we must be able to accommodate small and medium-size companies, Plourde says. But he adds: Our email software has a module that uses AI with predictive algorithms; this feature is more useful to enterprise companies. Canvas will enable users to simplify their work because they can create their email graphics right within the application, Plourde states. They can even export their graphic design to use it on other supports such as web and print. The old saying of a picture is worth 1000 words stands for email, Plourde continues. He adds that Canvas makes it possible to use images in email without exceeding technology boundaries. A new study has investigated how mothers and fathers cause new genetic mutations in their children, and how some of these mutations may lead to negative outcomes. Share on Pinterest Dr. Kari Stefansson and his colleagues are looking at how the parents age and sex determine new genetic mutations in the offspring. Characteristics that we inherit from our parents starting with very basic features such as eye color or hair texture shape not just our identity, but also the state of our health, both earlier and later in life. That being the case, the study of genetics has become central to understanding who and what we are, as well as how our bodies are likely to develop in time, and how we might respond to internal or external factors. For instance, recent studies have revealed the importance of genetic factors to conditions including Alzheimers disease, brain cancer, and diabetes. Given the importance of understanding the role of genetic factors to our health profile, scientists are constantly striving to decipher the mysteries of the human genome. A new study conducted by researchers at deCODE genetics in Reykjavik, Iceland, has revealed that the parents age at the time of conception influences de novo mutations (DNMs) in children that is, genetic changes that are seen in the offspring, but not in their parents. Senior study author Dr. Kari Stefansson, the chief executive officer of deCODE genetics, told Medical News Today that this research is very important to understanding how and why rare childhood diseases occur. Now [] it is clear, he said, that DNMs are responsible for a very large percentage of rare diseases of childhood. So its extraordinarily important from a clinical point of view to understand the way in which DNMs are generated, to understand whether they are coming from the mother or father, how they are when they come from one but not the other. The researchers findings were published yesterday in the journal Nature and are available online. A new study of people living in Sweden has found that children with inflammatory bowel disease have a higher risk of cancer especially gastrointestinal cancers both in childhood and in later life, compared with individuals without the disease. Share on Pinterest Researchers have found that cancer risk is higher among children affected by inflammatory bowel disease, and that this risk lasts into adulthood. The international team of researchers, including members of the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, report the findings in the BMJ. They note that the raised risk of cancer for children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) carries on into adulthood and has not reduced following the introduction of new ways to manage the disease, such as with biological agents. They also point out that, while they found a higher relative risk of cancer, the absolute risks are low. Compared with healthy individuals, there was one extra case of cancer for every 556 people with IBD followed for 1 year. IBD results from chronic inflammation of the gut, or gastrointestinal (GI) tract. It can strike at any age, but most people who are diagnosed are between 15 and 40 years old. There are two types of IBD: Crohns disease and ulcerative colitis. While they share some features, there are also some key differences. For example, in Crohns disease, the inflammation affects any region of the GI tract between the mouth and the anus and can occur in all layers of the tissue. In ulcerative colitis, however, the disease affects the colon and the rectum and tends only to occur in the innermost layer of tissue. IBD is classed as an autoimmune disorder that is, a disease that arises when the immune system mistakenly attacks the bodys own tissue: in this case, the gut. The exact causes of IBD are still unknown, but scientists suggest that environmental factors might trigger the disease in people whose genetic makeup makes them more susceptible to it. In the United States, around 3 million people (or 1.3 percent of adults) reported having received a diagnosis of Crohns disease or ulcerative colitis in 2015. Previous studies lack details In their study paper, the researchers explain that while a number of studies have identified a link between IBD and a higher risk of cancer, few have examined lifetime cancer risk of IBD that starts in childhood, and those that do lack details of absolute and relative risks. For their investigation, the team used data from a nationwide register of people living in Sweden. They compared cancer rates in people with childhood-onset IBD which is diagnosed before the age of 18 to rates of cancer in the general population. Their analysis included 9,405 people with childhood-onset IBD and 92,870 individuals from the general population matched for birth year, age, sex, and place of residence. The researchers calculated the risk of cancer in the two groups before the age of 18, before age 25, and over the whole study period from 1964 to 2014 up to an average age of 30 years. After excluding the effect of other factors that might influence the result, the team found 497 first cancers in people with childhood-onset IBD, which is equivalent to a rate of 3.3 per 1,000 person-years. This compared with 2,256 cancers in the matched individuals, which is equivalent to 1.5 per 1,000 person-years. This corresponds to one extra case of cancer for every 556 patients with inflammatory bowel disease followed for a year, compared with reference individuals, they note. Higher cancer risk persists over time The team also found that the cancer risk increased in the first year following IBD diagnosis and stayed high over 5 years of follow-up and beyond. This was especially the case for cancers of the colon, rectum, small intestine, and liver. Risk factors for any cancer linked to childhood-onset IBD included long-standing colitis, chronic liver disease, and a family history of early-onset cancer. The authors note that they do not rule out that drugs may be a factor in the higher risk of cancer in childhood-onset IBD, but they explain that their study was not big enough to assess this. However, they do suggest that the main driver underlying the higher risk of cancer could be the extent and duration of chronic inflammation of the IBD. They also emphasize that because this was an observational study, it could not determine whether IBD causes cancer. Nevertheless, the researchers suggest that the studys biggest strength is the large number of participants. They also outline some weaknesses, such as the fact that they had no information about smoking or about disease severity, disease extent, or disease behavior. They conclude, Childhood-onset inflammatory bowel disease is associated with an increased risk of any cancer, especially gastrointestinal cancers, both during childhood and later in life. The higher risk of cancer has not fallen over time. Kwabena Agyemang Appiah Kuby, host of Adwuma Ooh on Atinka FM, says he didn't marry again after divorce upon an advice by his mother. According to him, the mother has advised him to only remarry at age 40, by which time he would be matured enough to stay in marriage. I am still not married because of the advice my mother gave me that I wait and marry at 40 because of what I went through in my previous marriage, he told NEWS-ONE. But the 36-year-old, who is otherwise called Roman Fada, is not sure if he can continue to heed to the mother's advice, as he has recently announced he is searching for a new wife. His reason is that staying in marriage is beyond age. What he really need is a God-fearing woman to marry. He does not want to experience the ordeal he went through in his previous marriage again. I personally wasn't worried much about the divorce even though I was hurt, I took inspiration from pastor Chris, Obaapa Christy, Rev Owusu-Bempah, Archbishop Duncan Williams and other high-profile personalities who find themselves in the same situation, he said and refused to give further details about what collapsed his marriage. My family was very affected by the divorce. I felt I had let people down, including Daddy Lumba, who had invested in the marriage even though the divorce wasn't my fault. This time around, I have to take my time to check and balance before going into another relationship, the Adwuma Ooh host stated. Roman Fada is an old student of Accra High Secondary School. From there, he moved to Manifold Tutorial College, where he mastered his skills in radio presentation. After his end of school attachment at Radio Mercury, now New Mercury 2002, he was employed at Sika FM before finally being poached by Atinka FM in Accra to host Adwuma Ooh, which is aired every week day from 10:30 am to 12:00 pm. He is also famous for his Tete Dwom Show, where he plays old highlife songs to entertain his listeners on Saturdays from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm, all on Atinka 104 FM. 28 dead goats confiscated from Nagdhunga A police team deployed from the Metropolitan Police Circle, Nagdhunga, on Thursday confiscated 28 dead goats from a bus heading towards Kathmandu. The chief executive officer (CEO) of Speech Music Production, Enock Agyapong, has expressed concern about the myriad of challenges confronting the creative industry, saying if nothing is done it will collapse. He hinted that if the stakeholders in the creative industry want the industry to be recognised on the international scene, they need to structure the industry to meet international standard. Enock Agyapong added that the industry can only survive when legal and proper policies are put in place. The music producer stressed that the stakeholders need to work out mechanisms, employ professions to train them in the area of filmmaking, music production, distribution, among others, in order to boost the image of the industry. In an interview with BEATWAVES yesterday, Enock Agyapong explained that without effective structures and policies in place we cannot claim Ghana has an industry called creative industry. We don't need anything but good structures and policies. There are no structures put in place to streamline the operations of the industry players, he added. The Speech Music Production CEO mentioned that in order to revamp the creative arts industry, stakeholders would also need to engage authorities, including the Ministry of Tourism, Arts & Culture, sit one-on-one with them and have a stakeholders meeting and if they don't understand why, we let them understand, we need to dialogue According to him, a number of stakeholders who have invested so much in the movie industry are struggling to get their moneys back because they have come to realise that without proper structures and policies put in place to streamline the operations of the industry, their investment would not be profitable. Enock Agyapong called on government to develop interest in funding some of the activities of the creative industry, especially music and movie industries, because of their role in providing employment for the youth in the country. Gospel Minister Barry, also known as Alan Barry Neequaye is set to release his second music album, shortly after being nominated for contemporary artiste of the year in the Holy Pop Music Awards 2017. After a colourful social media campaign, the Claimed Phrases album is scheduled to be released on the 25th of September 2017, under the Glory House Records label. Produced by Reynolds the Gentleman, the Claimed Phrases album is anticipated to be the first of its kind in Ghana, offering a fresh acoustic worship sound. Barry explained, We will be releasing the album on the glory house records website, so that everyone can download and share it. Ato Turkson, the CEO of Glory House Records, Ec12one host and Host of Cross Effect on Sweet Melodies; Ato Turkson explained, Glory House records is a home for unconventional Gospel music and we are proud and excited about this project. Learn more about the Claimed Phrases album here: Popular actress, Afia Schwarzenegger, was Wednesday spotted at the premises of the Accra Circuit Court complex for the case in which her husband has been charged for circulating a nude video involving her and another man in bed. The actress cum comedienne known in private life as Valentina Nana Agyeiwaa was seen moving from one courtroom to another in search of the exact court that will adjudicate on the matter. But the case apparently could not be heard because the prosecution did not receive the full details pertaining to the case. A source close to the case, however, informed Graphic Online that there is a likelihood that hearing will commence at the circuit court that has jurisdiction over domestic violence and gender-based crimes on Monday, September 25, 2017. The husband of the actress, Lawrence Abrokwa, is expected to appear before the court and answer charges of assault, threat of harm and publication of obscene material. Out of court settlement? Abrokwah was arrested by the Achimota Police Command on September 8, 2017, however, after initial interrogations in the presence of his lawyer, Mr Maurice Ampaw, he was granted bail. The case was expected to end up in court on September 11, 2017 but that did not happen leaving the hundreds of journalists that thronged the court premises disappointed. It is unclear why the case has finally ended up in court after Abrokwah was reported to have initiated plans to settle the matter out of court amicably. Earlier reports suggested Abrokwa's legal team were making frantic attempts to settle the matter out of court. They are, therefore, said to have petitioned the Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service (CID) and the Attorney Generals Department (AG) to take a second look at the matter and possibly consider an outofcourt settlement. Video In the video, Abrokwa is said to have entered the room with a substance he claim was acid, threatening to pour it on his wife and her partner. Both stood up in shock with the man trying to cover his nakedness with a blanket. Afia Schwarzenegger, who was spotted in a headscarf and clothed in a white towel, was also seen trying to shield her nakedness from the camera. The husband is heard reprimanding his wife for infidelity, while she is heard screaming and wailing uncontrollably. BBnZ Live label mates, Shaker and Ko-Jo Cue have announced their first ever collaborative album titled Pen & Paper. This was made known at a press soiree held on Tuesday, September 19, 2017, at BBnZ Live new office located at Nima Police Station in Accra. According to the duo, the upcoming album is a complete Hip-hop project and would take every listener back to the basics. Addressing the press, Shaker and Kojo said: We took it back to the basics with this project and made it all about the art. Just like any other project, they faced little issues and that has to do with cutting down the number of tracks from 20 to 12. To them, every single track recorded worth the time and energy invested hence, it was difficult to oust some. The 12-track album, according to the duo, is targeted at winning many awards at next years Ghana Music Awards including the Album of the year, Hip-hop Album of the year and Video of the Year. Mr Kwame Blay, a founding member of BBnZ Live, also disclosed that the label has plans in place to push the album to the maximum length. He said the marketing, distribution and other strategic plans to help push the album are already in place. The official video for the title track is scheduled for release on Wednesday, September 20 following the album announcement. The video was directed by Esianyo Kumordzi. The album release date will be announced on September 27, according to the management. 21.09.2017 LISTEN Morientez, "The Serenader" as he is fondly called, is a household name in the industry and needs no introduction. The talented and industrious musician known for smash singles like Cinderella, Anointing, Leba, One More Night, Gboriwa Ft. Dremo, Forever Yours, and Sofunmi, is not about to call it quit with his music career now or anytime in the future. Incase you missed him, Morientez took a time-out to restructure his identity and sound. He has also been playing shows in some parts of the U.S and was recently recognized by the DJs association of Texas for his contribution to the music industry and general showmanship. Ima is a mellow love-struck pon-pon tune that you will want to put on repeat all day. Produced by fast-rising amazing music producer - Kel P and mixed and mastered by Mix Monster, Ima is just a tip of the iceberg for what's to come in the coming weeks and months from Morientez. BUY/ STREAM ON iTUNES : http://apple.co/2ytj942 Reggie Rockstones extensive knowledge in music and his authority in the Ghanaian music industry earned him the name Grandpapa not just for coining hiplife that has seen many a young Ghanaian musician employed, but also for the fact that every popular musician in Ghana now has in one or the other being inspired by him. His firm grasp of the Ghanaian music terrain and experience spanning decades has also gifted him the eye to see who will excel or not in the industry. And that is what Reggie Rockstone is banking on as he reveals that upcoming Ghanaian afro pop artiste, VVICE, (real name Randy Allotey), is the next big act to hit Ghana. The hiplife grandpapa thinks VVICEs career will boom like his did, with his latest single, Ajo, as happened with his song, Tsooboi. Theres something very special about this guy, recently, he sent me a song titled Ajo. It blew me off so much, so that I did a verse for it. If you hear Ajo and you know music, it will fall on you. The same happened with my career when I put out Tsooboi and those who heard it and knew music went for it. It became big. The same will happen for Ajo, he said. According to Rockstone, theres not a single big artiste here in Ghana, more or less, who didnt interact with Grandpapa in their career, from as far back as Lord Kenya, Obrafour, Tic Tac and Sarkodie amongst the many others. But in the case of VVICE, I am paying extra attention to him because of his determination. I just feel this guy is a big act and I must do everything to let him make it, he stated. VVICE is also a beat producer and is set to release other hit songs featuring some of Ghanas top artistes. The kidney is an important organ responsible for many functions in the body including removal of waste and toxins from the food and chemicals we expose ourselves to, removal of acid from the body, regulation of blood pressure and the regulation of substances necessary for production of blood and bone. The kidneys perform these functions every minute, 24 hours a day, year after year and when we loose up to 80% of kidney functions, we begin to have symptoms of kidney disease such as weakness, nausea, vomiting, itching skin, difficulty breathing, chest pain, leg and eye swelling and loss of appetite. At this stage of kidney disease, it is important to see a kidney specialist to possibly recommend the start of kidney replacement therapy in the form of dialysis or kidney transplantation. It is estimated that approximately 13% (~20million) of Nigerians have some stage of kidney disease and several thousands have lost so much of their kidney function that they are in need of kidney replacement therapy in the form of dialysis or kidney transplantation. In Nigeria, the peak occurrence of chronic kidney disease is between the ages of 20 and 40, thus contributing to manpower shortage and economic waste. In a study by Ulasi and Ijoma highlighting the enormity of kidney disease in Nigeria with the situation in a Teaching Hospital in the southeast of Nigeria as a reference, end stage kidney disease cases requiring dialysis accounted for 8% of all medical admissions and 42% of renal admissions. While the most common causes of kidney disease in Nigeria are hypertension and diabetes, a number of cases of kidney disease occur uniquely in women such as kidney disease that occurs or worsens during pregnancy; or occurs more frequently in women such as kidney disease due to a disease of the immune system called lupus. Despite abundant evidence to support observations that women are key decision makers in the family when it comes to healthcare, there appear to be differences in health outcome between men and women with kidney disease. While evidence is not currently available in Nigeria, there is reason to believe that the longevity women have over men in the general population without kidney disease disappears in the presence of kidney disease. Accelerated disease patterns, less access to health care and less funding for care of women with kidney disease compared to men are some of the speculated causes for this observation. For example, in the United States, from 2000 to 2007, the percentage of dialysis patients who were registered on a waiting list for transplantation increased from 15% to 17%. In all those years, females were less likely than males to be registered on a waiting list. The keys to identifying, preventing or controlling progression of kidney disease include: Having regular check ups with your doctor (at least annually) to check your weight, blood pressure, blood sugar and kidney function Regular sufficient exercise Healthy low salt diet Weight control Avoiding smoking and minimizing use of alcohol Taking medications as prescribed by your doctor There are multiple issues peculiar to the daily lives of women of all ages that have kidney disease that are important to know. Menstrual Periods and Kidney Disease In the early stages of chronic kidney disease menstrual periods become irregular. Once kidney function falls below 20%, menstrual periods may even stop altogether. At this stage, a woman is less likely to conceive because of the accumulation of waste and toxins in the blood and poor ovary function and egg production. The ability to conceive is poor even with dialysis because dialysis doesnt perform all of the tasks of the natural kidneys. A drug given during dialysis called erythropoietin can help some patients regain their periods event while on dialysis. Erythropoietin is produced by the kidney and in kidney failure, this has to be given by injection. Kidney transplantation however restores ovarian function, egg production and ability to get pregnant. Sexuality and Kidney Disease Many people including women loose their desire for sexual activity when they have kidney disease. There are emotional, physical and psychological factors at play that can diminish the sex drive. Getting used to life with a chronic illness and the lifestyle changes that come with it takes time. There can also be stresses related to job, income and family life that a woman will have to adjust to. Emotional causes such as fear, anxiety and depression can seriously affect men and women equally and interfere with sexual intercourse, the ability to conceive or ability to carry a pregnancy to term. Healthy eating, exercise, talking to your partner about sexuality and health in an honest open way and following the doctors instructions are one of many ways to help deal with the emotional stress. For most patients, sexuality improves with the initiation of high quality frequent dialysis and gets even better after kidney transplant. Sometimes there may still be problems with sexual drive that persist even after transplant related to use of medications to prevent rejection or treat high blood pressure. Physically, lower hormone levels may cause some women to experience vaginal dryness or painful intercourse. A water-soluble vaginal lubricant can be used to remedy these situations. Side effects of certain medicines and complications from toxin accumulation can cause fatigue, menstrual irregularities and decreased sexual desire. Some medications may also cause hormonal changes making it difficult for a woman to become aroused or experience an orgasm. A woman should discuss these issues with her doctor, as changes in blood pressure medication or taking extra hormones may help the situation. Low blood levels can also be treated with erythropoietin; however, sometimes the actual dialysis treatment is the cause of fatigue. When travelling Africa, you do not need to worry about what to eat as the continent offers a potpourri of delicious foods. This should not be a surprise considering Africas colourful cultural heritage which has influenced what we eat for decades. As such, Jumia Food shares some of the delicious and popular foods you must try in Africasauce made with other ingredients and spiced with cumin. It is mostly consumed in North Africa in countries like Tunisia, Libya, Algeria and Egypt. Nyama Choma, Kenya - Kenya is a popular African travel destination and one of the foods you must not miss on a visit to the country is Nyama Choma (roasted meat). Kenyans love nyama choma, and it is the preferred means of celebrating birthdays, weddings and visiting guests. Bunny chow, South Africa - Bunny chow is a South African dish consisting of a hollowed out loaf of bread filled with curry. It is a treasured South African street food. It is available as takeaways in all major cities, but to get the best bunnies you have to go to Durban Shakshouka, North Africa Shakshouka is a delicious dish made with eggs, parsley, onions, garlic and tomatoes. The eggs are poached in the sauce made with other ingredients and spiced with cumin. It is mostly consumed in North Africa in countries like Tunisia, Libya, Algeria and Egypt. Jollof Rice, Nigeria - Jollof Rice is Nigeria's most popular cuisine. This single cuisine has led to intense spat between Nigerians and Ghanaians on which country prepare the best Jollof. Your visit to Nigeria is incomplete without tasting Jollof. You can visit Jumia Food to check out restaurants you can order Jollof from. The Minority members on the Mines and Energy Committee Parliament, will be boycotting deliberations on the urgent motion filed by the Member of Parliament for Adansi Asokwa, K.T Hammond, for the government to reverse its decision on the AMERI power agreement. We the Minority Members of the Mines and Energy committee have decided, upon careful consideration of all relevant facts, not to take part in the deliberation of the committee in respect of the urgent motion filed by K.T. Hammond, the Minoritys spokesperson on the committee, Adams Mutawakilu revealed in a Citi News interview. He said the Minority wanted no part of any bad precedent, as far as Parliamentary practice was concerned. There is no part, section or rule of the standing orders that allows for a motion to be referred to a committee after it has been moved and seconded to without deliberation by the House. This cannot be found in the current standing orders or standing orders of the House since independence, Mr. Mutawakilu explained. The MP further said K.T. Hammond did not have any standing in the matter. It is strange the honorable K.T. Hammond, who is not a party to the agreement is requesting Parliament to rescind its decision on the basis of gross misrepresentation. K.T. Hammond has no locus standi in this matter In the overall circumstances of this matter, we think his request should not be honored. Aside from this, the Minority feels the government has been too quiet on the question of the AMERI deal. It is surprising that government, which is a party to this agreement has remained silent on its position. We, therefore, call on the government to come clear on its position with regards to the agreement, Mr. Mutawakilu said. The approval of this motion came at a time the Minority felt it was being undermined by the Speaker of Parliament. The Minority staged a walk out of Parliament in August, over the Speaker's decision to forward the motion to the Energy Committee without input from them. K.T Hammond, who was the ranking member of the Energy Committee of Parliament in 2015 when the deal was approved, filed an urgent motion seeking the reversal of the deal because of his conviction that the deal was suspicious, based on some fresh information available to him. The John Mahama administration in 2015 agreed to rent the 300MW of emergency power from AMERI at the peak of the country's power crisis. As part of the deal, AMERI was to build the power plants and operate them for five years before transferring it to the government. The deal cost $510 million, and received parliamentary approval on 20th March, 2015. It later emerged that the government had been shortchanged by AMERI as they presented an overpriced budget. Top government officials have paid an unannounced visit to some senior high schools over cases of possible sabotage of the Free SHS education policy. The visit was also to assess the performance of the programme, less than a week after it was rolled out. Senior Minister, Yaw Osafo Maafo, accompanied by some officials of the Ghana Education Service (GES), visited some schools in the Ashanti Region. Joy News' Erastus Asare Donkor reported the Minister came face to face with the condition of schools that have been given more students than was requested. In one incident, a school declared about 500 spaces to GES but it was given 1,151 first year students. The development has compelled the school to convert some classrooms into an accommodation facility, Erastus has reported. Moved by the situation, Mr Maafo tasked the Ashanti Regional and district GES directors to address the issue. But the Headmistress of Ola Girls in the Volta Region has been told not to sabotage the education policy. Mrs Benedicta Afeti reportedly admitted less than 450 first year students into the boarding, far lower than the number she admitted last year. Lands Minister, John Peter Amewu was displeased by the Headmistress' action leading to his reprimand. "It is just a signal that we wouldn't want heads of institutions to send in a sense that if you've had 650 students [previously] and you have been given 450 students, it means there is a vacancy," he said. Joy News' Volta Regional Correspondent, Ivy Sertodjie reported Mrs Afeti's action may have been triggered by the situation in Mawuko Girls SHS which is congested, a direct result of overpopulation. "They don't have enough room to serve as a dormitory...so they don't want the place to be crowded," the reporter re-echoed the position of Ola Girls authorities. But GES Director-General Professor Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa told Evans Mensah on Joy FM's Top Story Wednesday, the infrastructure in the various schools determined the number of students alloted to them. He explained after the various schools had submitted the number of students they need, a team was tasked to tour their infrastructure. "We went round to assess their [situation] for some we increased and for others we decreased [the student intake]," he said. Professor Opoku-Amankwaah noted the"major challenge" with this year's admission is that more students want to be admitted into the boarding house. He said GES is ready to increase the enrolment number of students in day schools, lamenting the students are not interested in that. 3 major political parties continue to obstruct vote counting in Baragadhi The stalled vote count at Baragadhi Rural Municipality in Bara could not resume on Wednesday. The local administration and election officials attempted to resolve the dispute among major political parties, but to no avail. President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has reiterated his belief in the crucial role of education in the development of the African continent. Speaking at the Bloomberg Global Business Forum at the Plaza Hotel in New York City on Wednesday, Nana Addo stated that, ensuring universal access to education for all children on the continent within the next two decades, will greatly aid the improvement of the general standards of living on the continent. The [SDG] goals go together, the 17 of them are all interconnected and if we are going to get the impact were looking for then all 17 have to work together. Secondly, global outcomes, if they are to succeed, means that they have to succeed in Africa. Unfortunately, Africa, sitting on the greatest resources in the world also has the poorest populations. If the goals are to be seen to have succeeded, hey would have to have succeeded in Africa. The most important consideration for those of us given the privilege of political leadership is to find a way of selling the goals to our population as something that has a direct impact on their lives, not something created in New York by a group of politicians and bureaucrats, he said. As far as Im concerned, the most important of them is education. If we can, and its eminently feasible, be in a situation whereby in 2030 we can say that all of Africas children are in schools and have access to quality education, the impact of that on the development of the continent and the quality of life of the people will be enormous. The President launched the Free Senior High School Policy a couple of weeks ago, as part of measures to ensure that no child is unable to continue their education at the secondary level because of lack of funds. According to Nana Addo, since the introduction of the policy, the number of students who would have missed out on Senior High School education has dropped by more than 30 percent. Weve started in Ghana a system to ensure that there is free education all through the basic system the basic system is defined as kindergarten, primary school, Junior High School and Senior High School. In the public system, all of those steps on the educational ladder are now free. The last plank was put in two weeks ago when I launched Free SHS in Ghana, he stated. Until this year, on an average, 100, 000 Ghanaian youth dropped out of the educational system between JHS and SHS largely because their parents couldnt afford it. So even though they had the educational qualification, they couldnt take up their places in the SHS system. It would mean that in ten years in a country with a population of 27 million people, a million young people would have their education truncated at the JHS level and thats an unacceptable cost for any society that seeks to organise on an intelligent basis. This year which is the first introduction of the system of Free SHS, the number has reduced from 100, 000 to 36, 000 with the policy very much in its infant years. Bamako (AFP) - A Malian soldier was killed and a number of others were injured Wednesday in an ambush in northern Mali, where gunmen also attacked two military camps, including a UN mission, a military source said. The ambush took place 55 kilometres (34 miles) from Menaka, when one of the unit's vehicles ran over a landmine, the source said. Meanwhile, in the northern region of Kidal, gunmen attacked a camp run by the UN mission in the country, known by the acronym of MINUSMA, and another camp due to host so-called mixed patrols, another security source said. Intended to provide security for the troubled region, mixed patrols comprise regular army soldiers; pro-government armed groups known as Platform; and ex-members of a predominantly Touareg rebel group, the Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA). Northern Mali is the site of frequent clashes between rival armed groups, as well as a haven for jihadist activity. In 2012, key cities fell under the control of jihadist groups linked to Al-Qaeda, who exploited an ethnic Tuareg-led rebel uprising, leading to a French-led military intervention and the eventual deployment of MINUSMA. Although the Islamists were largely ousted, much of the region is lawless and attacks have continued on UN and French forces, civilians and the Malian army. This month, President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita inaugurated the headquarters for a planned five-nation force to combat jihadists in the Sahel region. The five-battalion, 5,000-strong force, will comprise troops from Niger, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Burkina Faso. Alphabets Google has struck a $1.1bn (822m) deal with Taiwans HTC to expand its smartphone business. Google will not take a stake in the firm, but some HTC staff will join the Silicon Valley giant. The Taiwanese company was once a major player in the smartphone market but has struggled to compete with the likes of Apple and Samsung. Google expects the deal to close by early 2018, provided it gets the all clear from regulators. Shares in HTC were suspended in Taiwan on Thursday. Betting on hardware The deal marks the latest move by Google to boost its hardware capabilities. Its still early days for Googles hardware business, the firms senior vice-president of hardware Rick Osterloh said in a blog post on Googles website. Under the deal, Google will acquire a team of people who develop Pixel smartphones for the US company and receive a non-exclusive license for HTCs intellectual property. It builds on an existing partnership between the two tech companies. These future fellow Googlers are amazing folks weve already been working with closely on the Pixel smartphone line, Mr Osterloh said. According to HTC half their smartphone research and development team about 2,000 people will go to Google. HTC manufactures Googles smartphones, the Pixel and Pixel XL. The company will release updated version of the devices next month. Analysis Dave Lee, BBC North America technology reporter, San Francisco Yesterday, within just a few hours, most of Apples millions upon millions of users were using the latest mobile operating system, having tapped on the prompt to download iOS 11. Contrast that experience on Android, where the companys impressive and innovative updates are greatly hampered as it can take months, sometimes years, for those features to filter to users. Google knows this disconnect between its software and hardware is a massive problem. And so this curious deal with HTC, which falls short of the rumoured buyout, is about solving that problem. If it can have close control over key premium devices, it can be more ambitious with its software. In some respects, this $1.1bn deal is like a good friend lending their pal a few quid to tide them over for a while. HTC needs Googles money to keep going. And Google needs HTCs expertise and manufacturing capability to remain competitive with its mobile devices. Deal benefits The deal marks Googles second major foray into smartphone manufacturing. In 2011 Alphabet, then named Google, bought Motorolas Mobility for $12.5bn, only to sell it on three years later. Geoff Blaber from CCS Insight said while the HTC deal might raise eyebrows given Googles history with Motorola, it will give the firm valuable design and engineering resources. The far bigger risk for Google would be to stand by and do nothing as hardware becomes an all-important means to an end for its core business, Mr Blaber said. But the big winner is HTC. Its a much needed investment as HTC struggles to maintain its smartphone business and grow its early start in virtual reality, he added. HTC makes Vive, the VR headset favoured by Google, as the alternative Oculus Rift is owned by Facebook. Vive is reportedly outselling Oculus Rift by a margin of nearly two-to-one, albeit with still modest numbers, and is recognised by many as the superior system. 21.09.2017 LISTEN The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has been hosting today its annual conference on the sidelines of the 72nd United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York. In an exclusive interview with the pan-African magazine New African, Bill Gates whose philanthropic work and aid in Africa are well documented is unwaveringly candid. In the wide-ranging interview the billionaire philanthropist who co-founded the Gates Foundation with his wife Melinda, reveals how Africa where their prime focus is on health and agriculture constitutes over half of what we do in terms of delivery. But he is categorical on the need for aid accountability. I wish every election in Africa was about who can run the healthcare system best for everyone; who can run the agriculture systems best for everyone. Democracy, even in the West, is kind of unusual in terms of what priorities voters make choices on. But some governments really place expertise into healthcare and allocate an appropriate amount of finance to the health system, Gates told New African when the magazine caught up with him during his recent visit to Tanzania. On the growing debate on GMO seeds for agriculture, and whether his Foundation was a Trojan Horse for big multinationals, he says: The debate in Africa now is really not about the private sector at all, its about publicly-funded seeds that happen to use GMO-type techniques to create disease resistance, to improve productivity and use less water. He adds with emphasis: It is a bit strange for anybody to think we have ulterior motives in giving away tens of billions of dollars if we are crazy, it must be for some other reason than pure greed. Indeed, as one of the richest person in the world and a champion of aid, he sounds convincing when he says investing in healthcare, provides the best return on investment. In their annual letter, Bill and Melinda write that every dollar spent on vaccination creates $44 in economic benefit. And looking into the future, their magic number is Zero. Zero polio; Zero malaria; Zero HIV and other diseases. Some of what we do is global public good, like making sure a new vaccine gets invented that benefits everyone. No interview with Bill Gates is complete without touching on the issue of youth and technology. He goes on to openly discuss with New African the immense progress that is being achieved technology, the future of job creation and what Africa can learn from China. On the rising young population in need of jobs in markets that are certain to be overrun with robots and Artificial Intelligence he tells the magazine: Way off in the future, the robotics will take things over. It does mean the nature of the job market will be shifting somewhat. But in Africa, the need for jobs, for teachers, for business experts, is going to way exceed supply over the next two generations, despite the best advances that AI can throw at us, adding however that the days of manufacturing making up 30% of GDP are now over. And what about China? Gates believes Africa can learn about poverty alleviation, health and educating their farmers. But he is quick to point out how China made a few of its own mistakes before getting it right: Collectivisation, the Great Leap forward, the Cultural Revolution people should study those and avoid them, he proffers. As for Africa, it has been a long and exciting learning journey he says, as well as having had the privilege of working with and meeting some great people. An impatient optimist he signs off by saying that Africa has substantially improved by any metric in the last 20 years. 21.09.2017 LISTEN In an exclusive DW interview, German Chancellor Merkel criticized US President Trump for his remarks at the UN General Assembly. I am against threats of this kind. We consider any type of military solution absolutely inappropriate and we are counting on diplomatic efforts. Merkel: In my opinion sanctions and enforcing these sanctions are the right answer. But anything else with regard to North Korea I think is wrong. And that is why we [the German government] clearly disagree with the US president. Asked whether she would be willing to act as a mediator, Merkel said: Even if this conflict is far away from Germany, it is one that also affects us. That is why I am prepared, as is the foreign minister, to assume responsibility here. We took part in negotiating the Iran agreement, which I think is good, and better than having no agreement at all. It took many years, but in the end it did limit Iran's possibilities for nuclear armament. And I think we must take the same path or a similar one, with Russia, with China, together with the US, also in the case of North Korea. On the integration of refugees The chancellor said that many refugees see German bureaucracy as being very slow and would like to be able to enter the labor market much faster. But we cannot allow that either. Because we cannot allow destructive competition. That perhaps Germans who are seeking employment cannot find certain jobs. We have to keep on finding a balance there. On working with the far-right party AfD I will never work with AfD, Merkel stated. Asked how she would win over far-right voters, she said: My answer is clear: by solving people's problems. The worries they have, having their own jobs, as well as decent schools and doctors, to really take care of these issues, but on the other hand to signal a clear stop to hatred and violence. Slow progress with Egypt Egypt needs our support. Through open dialogue we can perhaps slowly improve the situation, Merkel said. She added that her government was sending out a very clear message to President al-Sisi about censorship of German political institutions or media such as Deutsche Welle. No conflicts from Turkey We don't want to import any conflicts from Turkey to Germany, the chancellor said, referring to Turkish people spying on or surveilling each other. She said her government would make sure that all groups can live here peacefully and unharmed. Fear is not helpful Merkel said she did worry about crises in Ukraine, Syria or North Korea but added that fear is not at all helpful. Its been my experience that global cooperation can move mountains, the chancellor said. Ahead of the German elections on September 24, DW editor-in-chief Ines Pohl and presenter Jaafar Abdul Karim interviewed the top candidates of the national parties, putting the focus on German foreign policy. Chancellor Angela Merkel finished the series of interviews today. 21.09.2017 LISTEN The Ministry of Communications (MOC) is leading a strategically selected delegation of local ICT players to this year's ITU Telecom World Conference to showcase the country's strides in the ICT sector and to attract potential investors. A brief on Ghana's participation in the forthcoming global ICT Olympics indicates that the focus is to increase Ghanas brand awareness on the global stage and highlight investment and partnership opportunities available in Ghanas ICT sector. It is also to "facilitate new partnership deals between Ghanaian exhibitors and those from other countries," the brief stated. ITU Telecom World 2017 is slated for September 25 - 28, 2017 at the plush Busan Exhibition & Conference Center (BEXCO) in Busan, South Korea. It is set to attract over 500 exhibitors, thousands of guests and industry players, and some 48 expert speakers from around the world. Team Ghana Ghana's delegation is being led by Deputy Communications Minister George Andah and it includes representations from both public and pirate sectors. Those from the public sector include the MOC itself, National Communications Authority (NCA), Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communication (GIFEC), National Information Technology Agency (NITA) and the Bank of Ghana (BoG). Those on the private sector side include Subah Info Solutions, Wireless Application Service Providers Association of Ghana (WASPAG), Nsano and GCNet. This year, the ITU has designed a dedicated B2B (business to business) and B2G (business to government) matchmaking program that will bring together potential investors and connect them with innovative solutions and projects, and team Ghana intends to take full advantage of that. According to the MOC, the ITU World Telecom 2017 presents a great opportunity to launch and highlight Ghana's latest ICT developments to the world and at the local level. "It would also be an opportunity to build partnerships with other ICT companies, dealers, distributors, agents, as well as getting support from other channels - and to learn from others," it said. e-Transform It said Team Ghana would also be seeking, through exhibitions and networking, to promote Ghana's eTransform Project, which aims at digitalizing all systems within state institutions, and all transactions between the state and the public. The e-Transform Ghana Project is expected to be achieved through interventions that will improve targeting of government resources, leading to more efficient use of public funds and improved efficiency and coverage of priority government services. It would particularly focus on improving services in rural and underserved areas, nurturing entrepreneurship and increase jobs through ICT-enabled entrepreneurship. Recently, the MOC, through one of its key agencies, NCA, has for instance committed to granting permits to mobile network operators (MNOs) to use their 900MHz spectrum to deploy 3G technology in order to offer affordable data services to unserved and underserved areas of the country. Other interventions, according to the MOC, include unique electronic identification systems that validate citizens and confirms rights to public services while promoting better access to online transactions, financial and other services; and innovative applications to improve service delivery in the priority areas of health, education, judicial, and parliamentary services. Ghana would therefore be selling this agenda and the investment opportunities it throws up to the global community at the ITU World Telecom in Busan, and look forward to attracting as many interested investors as possible into the country. The brief also noted that the Ghanaian delegation would also pay particular attention to learning from the rich array of ICT exhibitions and experts that would be present at the conference. "On the first day of the conference the Ghanaian delegation will tour the entire conference venue - this will give the delegation a unique opportunity to explore potential partnership and links, pick some key ICT innovations, trends and groundbreaking technologies on display at the conference," it said. The MOC said it trusts that learnings from the conference will help it move miles closer to its vision of ensuring the convergence of communication technologies to facilitate the promotion of a viable integrated national development process within a global setting. ITU Busan The ITU Telecom World 2017 exhibition brings together companies, countries, investors, innovators and decision makers from emerging and developed markets across the ICT ecosystem and the world. Its events would include an Award Ceremony as well as exhibitions and scores of fora that would focus on artificial intelligence, internet of things, smart city technologies, 5G, digital literacy, digital inclusion, spectrum management and radio frequency spectrum solutions, cyber security and others, with the view to getting the entire 193 ITU-member states moving in the right direction as far as ICT is concerned. Participating companies out of the over 700 ITU-member organizations incude ATDI, CATD, GEW Technologies, KT, K-ICT week, LS telcom, Rohde & Schwarz, SK telecom, Swisscom and Vodafone Egypt. This year's conference would particularly focus on small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) and their role in the global ICT sector. Ample time would also be dedicated to discuss how digital transformation is impacting the telecommunication sector; new approaches to connectivity; the development of new technologies such as AI, IoT and 5G; the importance of content and capacity; digital literacy and skills for the smart era; digital resilience and cybersecurity. The theme for ITU Telecom World 2017 is Better Sooner Together. His Excellency, Roch Marc Christian Kabore, President of Burkina Faso 21.09.2017 LISTEN NEW YORK, United States, 20 September 2017,-/African Media Agency (AMA)/- In New York for the 72nd Ordinary Session of the United Nations General Assembly, the President of Burkina Faso, His Excellency Roch Marc Christian Kabore, participated in a high-level G5 Sahel meeting on Monday 18 September. The objective of the meeting was to make the international community aware of the urgent need to support the joint anti-terrorist force which will begin operations in October, despite having received just a quarter of its budget. In addition to the funding issue, discussions focused on the relationship between the G5 Force and the UN forces. The summit brought together the presidents of the five Sahel bloc countries (Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Chad), French President Emmanuel Macron, African Union President Alpha Conde, President of the AU Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat, the head of European Diplomacy Federica Mogherini and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. As a sign of growing US interest in the issue, a Homeland Security advisor was also present at the meeting. Burkina Faso, which has suffered several jihadist attacks, the first in January 2016 and the latest in July 2017, is tackling the problem head on. Among the measures taken by President Kabore, who is calling for "a merciless fight against this global scourge", and his Government are: the setting up of a full Department of Homeland Security and the appointment of a Minister of Defense, the redeployment of the security and defense forces (SDFs) in the north, equipping the SDF, strengthening international cooperation and joint operations with Mali (and with the French Barkhane force in particular). Roch Marc Christian Kabore will speak at the United Nations Forum on Thursday, 21 September. He will especially advocate for "a true people's UN". For the President of Burkina Faso, the changes of the world and the duty of justice for Africa demand a reform of the United Nations, notably within the Security Council. He will thus call on his counterparts to "build a more modern, stronger and more effective United Nations". On the sidelines of the general debate, the President of Burkina Faso will take part in numerous panels and will meet with high-level personalities including UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. He will attend a High-Level Meeting on the Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, the Summit for a Global Pact for the Environment, and an African Union (AU) demonstration on Harnessing the Demographic Dividend. Burkina Faso strengthens economic ties with the US As part of "Burkina Day", President Kabore chaired a roundtable organized by the Atlantic Council and the US Chamber of Commerce on September 18 on Ways and Means of Contributing to the Strengthening of Economic Relations between the United States of America and Burkina Faso. This was an opportunity for the Head of State to present to American businessmen the investment opportunities, the promising sectors and the reforms undertaken by the government to create an attractive business climate and to propose "the organization of a forum for US investors in Burkina Faso in 2018" and a "meeting on democracy and good governance". Roch Marc Christian Kabore thanked the US government for renewing its confidence through the Second Compact of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) and explained to investors how the government of Burkina Faso has simplified and made transparent the procedures for the implementation of public-private partnership (PPP) projects. The following day, the President of Burkina Faso, the Prime Minister of Canada, the French President and the US Vice President attended a dinner hosted by the Atlantic Council. National Plan for Economic and Social Development (PNDES): Focus on investment opportunities. While at the UN, Roch Marc Christian Kabore will present his vision on development policy in Burkina Faso and highlight the progress made by his country. Burkina Faso has embarked on an ambitious structural transformation project aimed at improving the living conditions of Burkina Faso through strong, inclusive and sustainable growth. The goal of the National Plan for Economic and Social Development (PNDES) by 2020 is to achieve an average growth rate of 7.7% and create 50,000 jobs per year. Developed through a participatory and inclusive process, the PNDES is based on three strategic pillars: "reforming institutions and modernizing the administration", "developing human capital" and "Boosting sectors with strong economic and employment growth and job potential". At a meeting in Paris in December 2016, multilateral financial institutions, donor countries and private investors committed to mobilizing 28 billion Euros by 2020 to finance the PNDES. Burkina Faso has thus undertaken major institutional and legislative reforms aimed at attracting, facilitating and securing investments to revive the economy. The desire to strengthen participatory democracy by placing citizens at the heart of the functioning of the State led the country to join the "Open Government Partnership" in 2016. The first National Action Plan is being drawn up with the participation of non-state stakeholders, civil society organizations and the media. Lastly, a preliminary draft constitution will soon be submitted to a referendum. Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of the Presidency of the Republic of Burkina Faso. About Burkina Faso Located in the heart of West Africa, Burkina Faso is a "crossroads country". Member of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU), of which Ouagadougou is the headquarters, Burkina Faso shares its borders with Mali, Niger, Benin, Togo, Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire. Just a one and a half hour flight from the neighboring capitals, it offers an ideal regional base for traveling in the region and is a strategic transit point for inter-country trade. As a country of dialogue, Burkina Faso is also well integrated in world diplomacy. The population of Burkina Faso is estimated at about 19 million people, 59% of whom are under 20 years of age. After the popular uprising of 30 and 31 October 2014, Burkina Faso returned to democracy and organized the first free elections in its history. Elected on 29 November, 2015, Roch Marc Christian Kabore became the first civilian to democratically gain power since the country's Independence. 21.09.2017 LISTEN One of the revelations that came to light from a statement made by the Small-scale Miners in the Ashanti Region, in explaining the desire of its members to go on a demonstration to register their displeasure at the Government's stance towards small-scale mining, was that the organisation harbours misapprehensions about the law relating to galamsey. The organisation is, in fact, not the only body in Ghana that is confused about the law on galamsey. The Ministry of Lands and Mineral Resources itself; the Minerals Commission; the Forestry Commission, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Water Resources Commission are all bodies that are equipped with laws and regulations meant to empower them to ensure that our water-bodies and rivers and streams are not destroyed by the galamseyers. But they seem to be either unaware of these powers or have negligently failed to exercise them. The Minerals Commission, in particular, must bear the greater part of the responsibility for the confusion that surrounds our laws on mining, generally, and galamsey in particular. You see, the question that needs to be asked is this: does the Minerals Commission explain to applicants who go to apply for licences to engage in mining, that after they have satisfied the Commission's requirements and been given licences, those licences cannot be used until they have been ratified by Parliament? Ratification of licences by Parliament in this case is not one of those laws that can be overlooked either by the Minerals Commission or its parent Ministry, or brushed aside with legislative instruments and other subsidiary regulation. For it is a constitutional requirement, which means that until the Constitution is amended, that provision takes precedence over all other laws in Ghana. This is what the Constitution says in Article 268 (1): Any transaction, contract or undertaking involving the grant of a right or concession by, or on behalf of, any person, including the Government of Ghana, to any other person or body of persons howsoever described, for the exploitation of any mineral, water or other natural resource of Ghana, made or entered into after the coming into force of this Constitution, SHALL be subject to ratification by Parliament. No curve, no bend! That's what the Constitution says and anyone who sets the Constitution aside and allows any mining licence to be used by anyone without prior Parliamentary ratification, is taking the very big risk of acting unconstitutionally. And not even the President is allowed to act unconstitutionally. Indeed, Article 268(1) is so clear that the Supreme Court would take only five minutes to decide that it is unambiguous and that whoever disregarded it was acting unconstitutionally. And [probably] should be PUNISHED! It may be asked: why at all did the writers of the 1992 Constitution make that provision? After all, the minerals are held in trust by the President for the state of Ghana, who appoints the Ministers, who appoint the members of such bodies as the Minerals Commission. Surely, at each level, each body should be trusted to carry out its functions without Parliamentary intervention? I think that the provision requiring Parliamentary ratification of mining licences is, in fact, one of the more ingenious Articles in the 1992 Constitution. You see, mining licences are almost always the subject of strong controversy, and it is only fitting that MPs, whose constituents look up to them to use their unrivalled local knowledge to protect their interests, should, of necessity, be provided with an opportunity to say, No that concession would destroy River A or Stream B and so should not be granted. The Constituents of an MP can draw his attention to such a potential destruction of water bodies by a mining undertaking, even if he is not already aware of it himself (which he should be!). Another issue on which the Small-scale Miners Association is confused pertains to its claim that members of the Association consider galamsey as their legal employment. They repeat the fiction that in wishing to demonstrate in favour of the unfettered continuation of galamsey, the members of the Association would be demanding of the Government, their constitutional right to work. But the same Constitution cannot lay it down that engaging in mining without a licence ratified by Parliament is unconstitutional, and at the same time, designate that unconstitutional mining activity as a right to work, can it? It is an abuse of language, anyway, to describe the act of destroying rivers, streams and water-bodies in furtherance of galamsey, as engaging in legal work. For if an activity is illegal a priori,then the work it involves cannot be legal, either. But, more important, if the Ghanaian populace allows any section of the community the right to arrogate to itself the right to visit wanton devastation upon one of the most treasured gifts given by of Nature to the people of Ghana -- namely, good, clear, clean water then the populace will be abdicating its own right to a continued existence on the land its ancestors bequeathed to it. To misconstrue the monstrous activity of knowinglypolluting Ghana's rivers and streams as a constitutional right to work is to debase the word work, whose noble and heroic tenets are acknowledged in the term, the dignity of labour. What dignity accrues from starving one's own people of clean water? Besides, some misguided people may consider murder, armed robbery or rape as work from which they can make a living! Should society sit idly by whilst such misguided people carry out their horrendous abuses of the right to life and peace of their fellow human beings, in the mistaken belief that since such work enables them to make a living, it is their right to engage in it? .Can any civilised society consent to such a diabolical perversion of the notion of work ? I repeat -- the Constitution of Ghana has, in no uncertain terms, made provision that no mineral licence granted to anyone in Ghana whether for large-scale, medium-scale or small-scale mining-- is to be considered legal or valid unless it has been ratified by Parliament. Now, which small-scale miner can claim to be in possession of a licence ratified by Parliament? When was such ratification done? Why was it not debated in the House publicly for everyone to know that such a subject was being discussed by our elected Parliament, as is done with all legislation? If Parliament has not debated any such issue in recent memory, then is it not deceitful, ignorant and mischievous in the extreme for anyone to claim to be demonstrating in furtherance of his or her constitutional right to work! I have a suggestion to make to the Small-scale Miners Association if you don't like the law as it exists, then persuade the country to AMEND THE CONSTITUTION! You are laughing? Don't laugh! Maybe the country will seeing how it has been inexplicably tolerant of galamsey so far be so stupid as to amend the Constitution and remove the provision that prevents the galamseyers to kill our rivers and streams and make Ghana uninhabitable by humans? I am sure the galamseyers have reason to imagine that Ghanaians can be that stupid? Well, let them put it to the test. But, as matters stand, without a constitutional amendment, galamsey is illegal, period. Those who advocate its continuation are therefore inciting their fellow citizens to break the law by engaging in an illegal undertaking. Of course, taking account of social realities, the NPP Government has said that it intends to provide imaginative opportunities for the galamseyers and the youth of the country, generally, as well as the long-term unemployed, to be gainfully employed. Ventures aimed at reclaiming the rivers and water-bodies already destroyed by galamsey are envisaged. These projects will provide plenty of work opportunities. And the work will be absolutely legitimate and socially useful. What is incontrovertible is that Ghana's present population has no right whatsoever, in consideration of any right whatsoever, to allow its own interests to override the sacred right to life of the young people who will come after them. If our ancestors had destroyed our rivers, would our galamsey operators have managed to grow up and take up what they consider their constitutional right to work? Where in the world is it allowed that one generation's constitutional right to work should result in the decimation of the unborn generations that should follow them? The very idea is a crime against humanity, no less. No the country has heard too much nonsense from the galamseyers. It is time for all right-thinking citizens of Ghana therefore to say, Enough! to them. Those among us who rationalise the galamseyers' selfishness and greed with such arguments as they just want to earn a living should be ashamed of themselves. For it cannot be repeated often enough that murder, armed robbery, banditry and burglary can also provide people with a livelihood. But civilised society does not countenance them, for the all-important reason that they are immensely anti-social. Please let us think less of ourselves and more of our children and their children and their children's children. If our ancestors had not thought about us, would we be here? Would we? Nonsense is nonsense! Galamsey is nonsense. Let us destroy it before it destroys our nation. The organisation is, in fact, not the only body in Ghana that is confused about the law on galamsey. The Ministry of Lands and Mineral Resources, the Minerals Commission, the Forestry Commission, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Water Resources Commission are all bodies that are equipped with laws and regulations meant to ensure that our water-bodies and rivers and streams are not destroyed by the galamseyers. The Minerals Commission, in particular, must bear the greater part of the responsibility for the confusion that surrounds our laws on mining generally and galamsey in particular. For the question that needs to be asked is this: does the Minerals Commission explain to applicants who go to apply for licences to engage in mining that after they have satisfied the Com mission's requirements and been given licences, those licences cannot be used until they have been ratified by Parliament? Ratification of licences by Parliament in this case is not one of those laws that can be overlooked either by the Minerals Commission or its parent Ministry. For it is a constitutional requirement, which means that until the Constitution is amended, that provision takes precedence over all other laws in Ghana. This is what the Constitution says in Article 268 (1): Any transaction, contract or undertaking involving the grant of a right or concession by, or on behalf of any person, including the Government of Ghana, to any other person or body of persons howsoever described, for the exploitation of any mineral, water or other natural resource of Ghana, made or entered into after the coming into force of this Constitution, SHALL be subject to ratification by Parliament. No curve, no bend! That's what the Constitution says and anyone who sets the Constitution aside and grants licences which can be used without Parliamentary ratification, is taking a very big risk. Article 268(1) is so clear that the Supreme Court would take only five minutes to decide that it is unambiguous and that whoever disregarded it was acting unconstitutionally. And probably should be PUNISHED! But why at all did the writers of the 1992 Constitution make that provision? After all, the minerals are held in trust by the President for the state of Ghana, who appoints the Ministers, who appoint the members of such bodies as the Minerals Commission. Surely, at each level, each body should be able to carry out its functions without Parliamentary intervention? I think, in fact, that the provision of Parliamentary ratification of mining licences is one of the more clever Articles in the 1992 Constitution. Mining licences are almost always the subject of strong controversy, and it is only fitting that MPs, whose constituents look up to them to use their local knowledge to protect their interests, should, if necessary, have an opportunity to say, No that concession would destroy River A or Stream B and so should not be granted., Another issue on which the Small-scale Miners Association is confused is with regard to its claim that members of the Association consider galamsey as their legal employment. They repeat the fiction that in wishing to demonstrate in favour of the unfettered continuation of galamsey, the members of the Association would be demanding of the Government, their constitutional right to work. But destroying rivers, streams and water-bodies in furtherance of galamsey, is not to engage in legal work but to visit wanton devastation upon one of the most treasured gifts given by of Nature to the people of Ghana, namely, good, clear, clean water. To misconstrue the pollution of Ghana's rivers and streams as a constitutional right to work is to debase the word work, whose noble and heroic tenets are acknowledged in the term, the dignity of labour. Some people may consider murder, armed robbery or rape as work and make a living out of such horrendous abuses of their fellow human beings. But can any civilised society consent to such a diabolical perversion of the notion of work ? Besides, the Constitution of Ghana as has been stated in no uncertain terms, our Constitution says that no mineral licence granted to anyone in Ghana whether for large-scale, medium-scale or small-scale mining, is considered valid unless it has been ratified by Parliament. Now, which small-scale miner can claim to be in possession of a licence ratified by Parliament? When was the ratification done? Why was it not debated in the House for everyone to know that such a subject was being discussed by our elected Parliament? If it is the case that Parliament has not debated any such issue in recent memory, then it is deceitful, ignorant and mischievous for anyone to claim to be demonstrating in furtherance of his or her constitutional right to work! Galamsey is illegal, period. Those who advocate its continuation are therefore inciting their fellow citizens to break the law by engaging in an illegal undertaking/ The NPP Government has proclaimed its intention to seek imaginative ways of employing the youth of the country, and the unemployed, generally. Ventures aimed at reclaiming the rivers and water-bodies already destroyed by galamsey are envisaged. These projects will provide plenty of work opportunities. And the work will be absolutely legitimate. Ghana's present population has no right to allow its own interests to override the right to life of the young people who will come after them. If our ancestors had destroyed our rivers, would our galamsey operators have managed to grow up and take up what they consider their constitutional right to work? Where in the world is it allowed that one generation's constitutional right to work should mean the decimation of the generations that should follow them? The country has heard too much nonsense from the galamseyers. It is time for all right-thinking citizens of Ghana therefore to say, Enough! to them. Those among us who rationalise the galamseyers' selfishness and greed with such arguments as they just want to earn a living should be ashamed of themselves. For murder, armed robbery, banditry and burglary can also provide people with a livelihood. But civilised society does not countenance them, for the all-important reason that they immensely anti-social. Please let us think less of ourselves and more of our children and their children and their children's children. If our ancestors had not thought about us, would we be here? Would we? Nonsense is nonsense! Galamsey is nonsense. Let us destroy it before it destroys our nation. 21.09.2017 LISTEN On Wednesday, September 20, 2017, I was scanning through online to get my churchs (The Church of Pentecost) theme song for the year. I chanced upon an article with the above caption that seeks to create the impression that women are suppressed in The Church of Pentecost. I find the article not only disingenuous, but also explicitly wrong in capturing gender relations in the church as a site for power contestation. To understand male-female relations in the church, one risks drawing a hasty conclusion or jumping the gun if one fails to historicise gender relations in Akan areas, where the church was birthed. Important of note is the fact that the church does not necessarily have an airtight theology that enjoins gender segregation among the congregation. If there is gender segregation in sitting arrangement, it is more of cultural expression than theological rationality. The Church of Pentecost was birthed in an Akan society where there was, at face value, division of labour based on ones sex. In a very typical Akan society, females have roles that are very peculiar to them, while men also have theirs. Sometimes the roles overlap, since these roles are socially constructed. And because the roles are socially constructed, they are subject to change, depending on prevailing socio-cultural conditions. This also means that it would be wrong to universalise and essentialise gender relations in Akan societies. It will equally be wrong to assume that gender relation among Akan people is neatly caste in iron frozen in time. From the point of view of history, the Akan society, like many societies in Africa, was contextually not known for suppressing the right of females. Contextually in the sense that if cultural normative practices were taken out of their context, we get a very skewed and obliterated perception about a cultural practice, and consequently damn it, as the early European missionaries and anthropologists did. One of the strongest reasons of the colonial enterprise was the alleged duty on the shoulders of Europeans to civilise Africans. The Europeans assumed the divine duty to bring civilisation, however they defined it, to Africans, who allegedly had their sense of right and wrong dimmed by barbarity. And to rationalise this onerous adventure, the Europeans had to caste African culture in a very negative light. Their approach was similar to the proverbial expression, Give the dog a bad name, in order to have it hanged. If the Europeans succeeded in demonising and blacklisting African cultures, then they would have enough justification and excuse to bring their so-called civilisation to Africans. In the area of gender relations, certain cultural practices, such as Dipo, Bragoro, Widowhood rite, and Female Genital Cutting were presented in a very negative light to pave way for European so-called civilisation mission, which was borrowed from the title of Rudyard Kiplings poem, White Mans Burden. As part of the Whitemans burden, cultural practices that offended the sensitivities of Europeans were to be suppressed. Colonial anthropologists provided the intellectual and theoretical framework for the liberation of African women, which, as I have indicated, was part of European civilising mission. While my interest is not to romanticise or pacify the conscience of the Akan for some of the excesses that were done in the name of culture, I must state that the cultural practices that were considered evil and needed criminalisation had their internal logic, if contextualized within the broader framework of Akan cosmogony. Suffice it to say that some of these cultural practices would have been reformed, as knowledge increased. For example, among some Akan, it was believed that it was the woman who was capable of killing her husband. This is vividly captured in the Akan name for husband, which is mekuno. This is a contraction of the expression, I am able to kill him. The matrilineal structure of most Akan society made the wife the prime suspect in the event of the death of her husband. Widowhood rite was, therefore, religiously followed to clear the woman or implicate her of such suspicion. Today, thanks to modern science, postmortem/autopsy has helped us to save our mothers from the troubles of being subjected to sometimes very grotesque religious rituals. In some Akan areas, widowhood rites are still performed, but in most cases, these rites have lost their sting. My mom voluntarily subjected herself to widowhood rite, following the burial of my father in 2009. Though it was presented to her as a choice, she was not expected to say no to the ritual. Considering the fact that The Church of Pentecost was birthed in an Akan cultural milieu, there was a clear case of engagement between culture and Christianity, and obviously, Akan notions about women, and women/men relationship found expression in the church. It is, therefore, right that as an indigenous church, the Akan logic of gender relation was carried into the church. This is obviously not strange or aberration, considering the posture of the early church on the functions of females in the church. This had some degree of biblical support, as some of the leaders invoked some texts in the Bible to rationalise gender relation in the church. Indeed, one must add that the colonial enterprise itself was predicated on the Victorian concept of womanhood. It is for that reason that the colonial enterprise was largely a males venture. And the few women who followed the European merchants and mercenaries came to provide domestic service to the men. This was expressed in the kind of education that was provided women and men in Akan areas, and by extension the colonies. The colonial education in Gold Coast, which the missionaries pioneered, trained men and women for different functions. Men were trained as administrators, while women were trained as domestic workers. The missionaries created a binary of the private and public spaces, which had a very thin demarcation in pre-colonial Akan areas. For instance, men and women worked in the open space as farmers. Men and women could participate in political discussions. Men and women participated in warfare, though women had special roles as morale givers, and may usually not feature in the frontlines of battles. What the coloniser, including the missionaries, succeeded in doing was to create a cultural matrix of domesticity, where women were confined to the private space. Lands that were cultivated by both men and women were given only to men. In some areas, it was alleged that most women had to use some forms of spirituality to coerce men to give them land to farm on. Also, concentrating development in some areas meant that men had to travel to urban areas to find job, and since colonial labour policies favoured men more then women, women were left at home to perform both expressive and instrumental responsibilities. Just like any of the legacies of colonialism, segregation against women survived the colonial period, and has found expression in postcolonial Ghana. Today, the same Europeans who created an atmosphere of domesticity for women are the very same people who are screaming all over that African women are collectively being suppressed. Hypocrisy of the highest order! Mr. Kwabena Brako-Powers, the author of the article, has bought into this unfounded allegations leveled against Africans and by extension The Church of Pentecost. Obviously, for now, The Church of Pentecost does not ordain females as pastors and apostles. But that is not the same as saying that women do not perform important roles in the church. In fact, we have the womens wing that is very instrumental in church organisation. Women are given the platform to preach. Women work at the higher domains of power in the church. Women are indirectly represented at the Executive Council level, which is the highest decision-making body of the church. I used the qualifier indirectly, because women national leaders have the opportunity to contribute to broader discussions at the national executive levels through their male national heads. The author touches on very peripheral subjects like women and men both not dancing together and sitting together. Here, I think the author was quite in a rush to push forward his unfettered feminist agenda. If he had broadened the scope of his visit to the various assemblies of The Church of Pentecost, he would have revised his knowledge on so-called gender segregation in the church. I belong to the Maamobi English Assembly of The Church of Pentecost, and there, there is an admixture of both men and women in sitting position and dancing. To state it bluntly, gender segregation is not uniform in the church. Right from my days at PENSA-UCC to the English Assembly at Maamobi, I have not experienced any gender segregation. The Church of Pentecost is a progressive church that has introduced lots of changes and (re)forms that do not have direct soteriological effect to bring in everyone to the cross of Christ. The establishment of Pentecost International Worship Centers and English Assemblies across the globe has increased the churchs adaptability to changing cultural paradigms, without watering down the sanctity of theology. Satyagraha Charles Prempeh African University College of Communications, Accra 21.09.2017 LISTEN Colonialism Reparation asks the repatriation of the remains and the return of the treasures looted during the colonialism and invites all the active subjects to begin from this first step and to continue in the direction of the Reparation of the damages of the colonialism. In the last decades the debate on repatriation of the remains and the return of the treasures looted during the colonialism has developed, leading to the failure of neocolonial style projects as the Declaration on the Importance and Value of Universal Museums. On July 27, 2016 the Government of Benin (2.4 Retour des objets precieux royaux emportes par l'armee francaise lors de la conquete de novembre 1892), with the support of the Conseil Representatif des Associations Noirs (CRAN), asked France the return of the treasures looted looted during the conquest of November 1892. On December 12, 2016 the Government of France (lire: la lettre secrete et honteuse par laquelle le Quai dOrsay a refuse la restitution des tresors du Benin) secretly refused to return the looted treasures. On April 1, 2017 the Museum of Anthropology and Archaeology of the University of Cambridge announced a possible neocolonial style agreement to loan to Nigeria the treasures looted in 1897 during the conquest of the Benin kingdom (now Nigeria), so as to not to have to return them effectively. On August 2, 2017 the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation (SPK), which manages German museums, announced the launch of the investigation of the origins of about a thousand skulls looted during the colonialism to decide how to handle them, not excluding their return. The Berlin Postkolonial NGO therefore asked that also the Berlin Society of Anthropology, Ethnology and Prehistory (Rudolf-Virchow Collection) begin investigating the origins of the remains looted during the colonialism in their possession and that both provide then for the repatriation of the remains. On October 14 and 15, 2017 the conference Prussian Colonial Heritage: Sacred Objects and Human Remains in Berlin Museums will be held in Berlin, the capital of Germany, organized by the No Humboldt 21! coalition to allow source community members and experts to participate in the debate on return and repatriation. Colonialism Reparation asks the repatriation of the remains and the return of the treasures looted during the colonialism and invites all the active subjects to begin from this first step and to continue in the direction of the Reparation of the damages of the colonialism with due condemnation, reconciliation, apologies and compensations. Colonialism Reparation http://www.colonialismreparation.org/ Colonialism Reparation is part of the movement for the condemnation, the reconciliation, the apologies and the compensation for colonialism. Colonialism Reparation promotes, supports and spreads non-violent activities aimed to create awareness of the current world situation and thereby to encourage the achievement of its objective that the colonizing nations condemn their colonial past recognizing it as a crime against humanity and that the colonized nations exert pressure to make it happen that the colonizing nations reconcile with their past, permanently distancing themselves from it by officially apologizing the colonized nations that the colonizing nations compensate the colonized nations for the atrocities and abuses committed thus allowing an improvement in their socio-economic conditions. The contribution of every person who recognizes the importance of this activity to the creation of a climate of friendship and cooperation between peoples is necessary and appreciated. This contribution will create an extremely positive precedent in international relations as well, promoting the supremacy of the "force of law" on the "law of force". Activists press for workers occupational safety and health Globally, Occupational Safety and Health (OSH)-related deaths totals to 2.7 million workers every year, according to the latest data with the International Labour Organisation (ILO). Similarly, some 317 million workers suffer from work-related injuries annually. NEW YORK, Sept. 21, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE/Knowledge Bylanes) -- The Global Partnership for Education (GPE) is delighted that the governments of Senegal and France will co-host its financing conference, which will take place on February 8, 2018 in Dakar, Senegal. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d3003cff-ee20-409f-9729-9a9cef1d4d3e A video accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0a7eebb6-66b3-438b-904e-efeff83d94cf The announcement of the co-hosting was made by Presidents Macky Sall of Senegal and Emmanuel Macron of France at a high-level event on education financing held at the United Nations, which was attended by Secretary General Antonio Guterres, several heads of state and leaders on global education. "The Global Partnership for Education has made substantial investments in education helping to get 72 million more children into primary school since 2002, including in Senegal," President Macky Sall said. "We are honored to host the next GPE Financing Conference in Dakar and look forward to continuing our close partnership with GPE." This is the first time a donor and developing country co-host a GPE financing conference, symbolizing the spirit of true partnership, which is the essence of GPE. President Macron of France stressed that one of his top priorities is to invest in education. "I call on the international community to join us in February 2018 in Dakar for the Global Partnership for Education Financing Conference, which France will co-host with Senegal," Macron said. "The financing conference of the Global Partnership for Education is an opportunity for a much needed step change, allowing donors and developing countries to show their financial commitment to education," said Julia Gillard, GPE Board Chair. "Senegal and France jointly hosting the GPE financing conference demonstrates the determination of both governments to help GPE expand its support for strong and sustainable education systems in developing countries." The event in Dakar will bring together donor and developing country governments, the private sector, philanthropic foundations, civil society and international organizations to announce commitments to support education in developing countries. "This is an exciting and pivotal moment for GPE and for global education," said Alice Albright, GPE Chief Executive Officer. "This financing conference will put GPE on track to become a US$2 billion-a-year operation by 2020 . At that level, GPE can have a far greater impact on providing better quality education to the world's children." GPE's financing conference seeks to raise US$3.1 billion for 2018 through 2020 to support the education of 870 million children in 89 developing countries that are home to 78% of the world's out-of-school population. Currently, 264 million children and youth around the world are not in school and six out of ten children and youth, a total of 617 million, are in school but not learning at the level they need to break the bonds of poverty, poor health and social disadvantage. Though the share of overseas development aid to education has declined over the last six years, leaders around the world are now recognizing the urgency of turning that trend around. France has been a donor to GPE since 2005. With GPE support since 2006, Senegal has shown great progress raising its investment in education as a share of domestic spending to 24 percent. "Both France and Senegal are ideally positioned to urge other countries across the globe to increase investments in education," Ms. Gillard added. "We believe that will make for a successful and productive financing conference and ultimately benefit hundreds of millions of children in some of the poorest countries around the world." GPE Replenishment 2020: Case for Investment Leaders' Statement Additional Images The Global Partnership for Education (GPE) works with developing countries to ensure that every child receives a quality basic education, prioritizing the poorest, the most vulnerable and those living in countries affected by fragility or conflict. GPE mobilizes financing for education and supports developing countries to build effective education systems founded on evidence-based planning and policies. GPE's support has achieved the following results in its partner countries: 21.09.2017 LISTEN Dr. Kwame Nkrumah (born Francis Nwia-Kofi Ngonloma, September 21, 1909 April 27, 1972) was an African political leader. He was well known as the first Prime Minister, then President, of Ghana. He imagined a united Africa. Interestingly today which marks that very remarkable day, deserves the attention of Ghana as a nation and hence my attempt to reflect on some of the legendary blueprints of Dr Kwame Nkrumah, a man I sometimes prefer to call " the magical political icon" In the more recent past, there has been this topical issue of whether or not Nkrumah is a founder or co founder of Ghana. Listening to notable "old brains" and some political commentators, my inferences landed me on the fact that "a man may die but his legacies live on". History in any form cannot be changed especially when some stories are almost "householdslike" that almost every body has a bit of knowledge about. In my succinct lay man's description, Nkrumah was an illuminating icon who electrified and gave light to Ghana and Africa at large. The history about this noble man of the century transcends Africa because it dominates global political literature and so any attempt by anybody for any reason, to change our history by claiming false glory shall only be a desert mirage or call it an exercise in futility. Some of us are young but thanks to education, we have read a bit of the political history of Ghana. Reading about Nkrumah sharpens my political consciousness. I consider myself a Pan Africanist and wish to contribute my part in Pan Africanism all because of the inspirations I have gained from the little I have read about this "political saint". That is how best good values and legacies left by men of substance can do to the current generation. His writings and documentaries continue to transform a multitude of people across the globe. I can even state without any equivocation that other countries like rather value the works of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah more than Ghana perhaps because of our long standing partisan approach to everything, the style of politics that has led many African states into a quagmire of abject poverty, political instability, violence, political genocides, unemployment and largely insecurity. Our minds are too deeply rooted in partisanship that we shamelessly demonstrate hatred and vindictiveness with pride. No wonder at a point in the political history of Ghana, the books, images and other important historical artefacts of Nkrumah were burnt, all in a covetous and lazy attempt to manipulate the historical antecedents of this country in favour of parochial cum lazy politicians who contributed less or almost nothing in our quest for political liberation from Western rule. We have come too far and I think that we must put aside this politics of vindictiveness and self centeredness and embrace the prevailing challenging circumstances, clearly militating against sustainable growth of our economic. The unending deliberate attempt by others to vilify others who have duly paid their dues to the development of Ghana is scornful and pathetic. We cannot take solace in touching old wounds instead of healing those wounds that were brought about by our justifiably radical political struggle. Our energies must be directed towards adding up to the indisputably unbeatable records set by Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. It is on this premise that I think the decision of government to indirectly subject Nkrumah's contributions to the formation of Ghana to public debate, in an attempt to make a retrospective judgement, absolutely counterproductive. This conspicuous demonstration of anti-Nkrumahism" has the propensity to further divide us along tribal and political lines. That kind of unjustifiable gesticulation must stop if and only if we want to build a solid nation. We need to adopt Nkrumah's leadership style, vision and policies to bring back the nation to occupy a niche in Africa's development. The massive infrastructural development policies, the radical industrialisation policy, the massive investment in agriculture, education, health and his great contributions to continental and international issues are what we should be reviewing and taking lessons from. That is the only way we can celebrate our milestone as a country. "Nkrumahism" should be a national philosophy and should guide us in shaping socioeconomic policies that can better save the vast majority of our people from the captivity of poverty. His philosophy must be comprehensively integrated into our educational curriculum to instill among the younger generation, effective leadership skills, philosophical orientation among other essential values, to minimise of not arrest the increasing rate of leadership conundrum in Ghana and Africa In my personal view, any politician in Africa who do not respect the leadership style and legacies of Nkrumah is a half-baked politician who has little or nothing to contribute to the development of Africa especially in our cultural settings where we have very complicated and intertwined emerging developmental challenges. I urge all citizenry to see collective interest as the more effective tool in nation building. In Nkrumah's quest for independence for Ghana, he brought everybody together without discrimination. People on the street, the ordinary farmers, drivers, weavers among others across every tribe, religion and social class together and guided them with his well define philosophy through collective interest. His humidity, resilience and vision was the spirit behind the team work that trumpeted and subsequently gave birth to independence. This the reason why he is the founder of Ghana. That is primarily incontestable. May Kwame Nkrumah Ghana live long. May our generation emulate his legacy. The Writer Blogs At denisandabanblog.blogspot.com The Upper East Regional Police Command has confirmed that it is holding one of its men, Detective Corporal Effah Kyere Williams, with staff number 41143, in connection with an alleged armed robbery case and the unlawful release of a pistol to persons believed to be connected to the robbery under investigation. The police officer was with the Regional CID at the Upper East Regional police headquarters in Bolgatanga and Arms and Ammunition Clerk, before he was arrested. Addressing the media, the regional police commander, DCOP Redeemer Vincent Dedjoe, said a mobile money merchant was robbed at gunpoint on his way home from work. Due to an injury he sustained from a gunshot, the merchant was rushed to the hospital and he reported the case to the police after he had been discharged. According to the merchant, after work on 13th September, he was on his way home when two armed men on a Honda motorbike, ordered him to stop. Soon after he had stopped, one of the armed men shot at him with a pistol, but missed him narrowly, thereby leaving a wound on his forehead. The merchant reported that the armed robbers took away some phones and accessories, as well as an amount of GH8,000 all contained in a bag he was holding. According to DCOP Dedjoe, on September 15, the police started its investigation which led to the arrest of one Abdullai Issaka, aged 26, and when a search was conducted in his room, a Bruni pistol purse was found, and five rounds of ammunition were also retrieved from him. DCOP Dedjoe claimed that during interrogation, Abdullai Issaka mentioned one Douglas Ayine Akologo alias W.O, as the owner of the pistol purse. The police arrested W.O. and a search in his room also revealed a Bruni Mod 92 pistol in good condition, with 13 rounds of ammunition. The police also found 165 Ridden H.M. Loom 99 Exp 4070 explosives in his room. However, the pistol found in W.O.s room did not march the purse found in Abdullai Issakas room. During interrogation, W.O. said he received the pistol from one Mumuni Yakubu alias Jacob, aged 40, and when Mumuni Yakubu was arrested and interrogated, he also mentioned that the pistol that was found in W.O.s room was given to him by Detective Corporal Effah Kyere Williams to be sold at a price of GH2,000. According to Mumuni Yakubu, the pistol was given to him in July 2017. On September 18, Augustine Awilo was also picked up and a search conducted in his room revealed 8 AAA cartridges concealed in a black jacket and other items, including the bag and phones taken from the mobile money merchant on the day of the robbery. Suspects have since been arraigned before a court of law and have been remanded in police custody to continue helping in investigations. Meanwhile, DCOP Dedjoe has given the assurance that Corporal Effah would not be shielded by the Police Service. He said the police would parade the suspects for a public identification at a date to be announced. Three members of a suspected robbery gang have been killed in an exchange of gunfire with the police during a botched robbery operation at Manso-Kensere in the Amansie West District of the Ashanti Region. The shoot-out, which reportedly happened Wednesday dawn on a portion of the Manso-Kensere road, left two other members of the gang with fatal injuries, while two managed to escape. An eyewitness told DAILY GUIDE that the gun battle began when a police patrol team from Manso-Nkwanta, who intentionally used a vehicle belonging to the District Assembly, was stopped by the suspected robbers. The armed robbers allegedly mounted a road block at a portion of the road to rob unsuspecting traders and passengers at that ungodly hour when the police were alerted by an informant. The police also arrested one Joe, a driver's mate, who was said to be among the robbers. One other suspect was arrested later at a different location. Nana Adusei Kwadampam, Manso Adubia Gyasehene, who visited the crime scene, narrated the incident to DAILY GUIDE in a chat. The armed robbers, he said, had reportedly laid ambush in between Tensiri Nkwanta and Manso Adubia in the Amansie West District. Unknown to the armed robbers, some people in the area had seen them and realized their evil plans and so they alerted the police in advance. Unconfirmed reports suggest that the suspects could have raked in thousands of Ghana cedis if not for the timely intervention of the police, who had been outwitted on two occasions by the armed robbers. Police Response Confirming the incident, the Ashanti Regional Police Public Relations Officer (PRO), said one of the suspects, who managed to escape with an Opel taxi they were using, was also lynched by vigilante members of the Manso Kensere community. ASP Juliana Obeng, in a statement, indicated that the Manso-Nkwanta police patrol team was on the usual patrol duties when it received intelligence on the activities of the armed robbers at about 3:00 am. Just as the patrol team [personnel] got to the scene, they chanced upon an Opel taxi with five men who had alighted from it. The occupants, on seeing the police, opened fire and our men returned fire, she affirmed. Two of the robbers managed to get back into the vehicle and escaped with it, but three others died through gunshots from the police, the police spokesperson added. ASP Obeng said a single barrel gun, a locally made pistol and other ammunition were retrieved from the scene of the incident. The bodies of the suspects have since been deposited at the St. Martin's Hospital at Agroyesum. 21.09.2017 LISTEN Today is our Founder's day and nothing can distort that. In discussing this, many men and women come to mind on this day and under this circumstance, but one man stands tall among the rest, thus, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah (Africa's Great Son). It is on this fact that I, with much profundity, want to discuss Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah in the context of the struggle for emancipation from foreign rule and imperialism and how the people Nkrumah termed as traitors and agents of neocolonialism think of him. Dr Kwame Nkrumah has been castigated and denigrated by his opponents and critics over the period, and the descendants of those people are still, today vilifying Dr Kwame Nkrumah. They have succeeded in painting Kwame Nkrumah as a ruthless dictator and a mindless monster who was arresting his opponents without trials. To them, it is either JB Danquah or Kofi Abrefa Busia or Obetsebi Lamptey or no one else. To them, those listed above were the real heroes of Ghana. Some months ago, I read some comments by some media cabal that sought to suggest that it was JB Danquah who formed the UGCC and brought Kwame Nkrumah on board, therefore, 4th August should be the founders' day instead of the founder's day (Nkrumah's birthday). Ridiculous!!! That narrative is not only a travesty of history and distortion of facts, but also, it was advanced with a clear demonstration of a lack of respect for history!!! Listen to me carefully because I am going to say certain things here! The struggle against imperialism started way back before the formation of UGCC. The Fante Confederacy, the Yaa Asantewaa War, the Aborigines' Rights Protection Society, the John Mensah Sarbah's struggle, the struggle of the King of Sankana who struggled against slavery by defeating Sammory. The UGCC came to continue the struggles of these people. It is on record that, it was George Paa Grant who single handedly formed the UGCC and invited JB Danquah, Arko Agyei and people like RS Blay and William Awoonor. He used his own money to pay the transport fare for JB Danquah and the rest, whenever they went for UGCC meetings. Later on, Paa Grant needed to transform the party from the docile state to a mass movement to accelerate the pace for the struggle for independence. At the time, Kwame Nkrumah was the secretary to the Fifth PanAfrican Congress in Manchester. It is a historical fact that the Fifth PanAfrican Congress in Manchester provided the much needed impetus for the decolonization process in Africa. So Nkrumah's record of activism was echoed everywhere. In the United States of America, he came across writings of George Padmore and Co, who were in the Pan-African Movement, W.E.B Du Bios and all. And eventually he linked up with them in Manchester, United Kingdom, where they organized the fifth Pan- African Congress and they decided to accelerate the struggle for the liberation of Africa ~ Mr. Kwesi Pratt Jnr. For this reason, Paa Grant ordered that Kwame Nkrumah be invited after Arko Adjei refused the portfolio as the General Secretary. In fact, it was Ako Adjei who recommended Nkrumah rather because in his estimation, Nkrumah qualified for the position as the General Secretary. Thereafter, Nkrumah became the General Secretary to the UGCC on 10th December, 1947. When Nkrumah assumed the position, he brought on board, the Women's Wing, the Youth Wing, the Students' Wing, the Chiefs, the Farmers, the Market Women etc to transform the UGCC which was only an elitists' tea club to a mass movement to accelerate the pace for the struggle for emancipation. Therefore, JB Danquah, Kwame Nkrumah and others were all invited by George Paa Grant who used his own resources and money to fund the party. It is important to note that, Nkrumah broke away from the UGCC to form his own CPP because of the backward thinking attitude of JB Danquah and co. Nkrumah realised that JB Danquah and co. have already had what they wanted (money, education, popularity) and were reluctant in the fight against imperialism. In fact, JB Danquah and co. reneged. Therefore, Nkrumah left the UGCC with the support of the Youth Wing of the UGCC made up of loyal people like Kofi Agbeli Gbedemah, Kofi Baako (Kweku Baako's father), Dzenkle Dzewu, Krobo Edusei, Saki Scheck and Kojo Botsio to form the CPP on 12th June, 1949 and spear headed the fight and struggle against imperialism and foreign rule. Therefore, the history we are told today is not a proper history to be repeated. JB Danquah was not that powerful as we are made to believe today. Why? Even in a contest in Kyebi (his own backyard) with his own nephew, Aaron Ofori-Atta, Dr JB Danquah lost woefully albeit the Chiefs of Akyem Abuakwa had decreed that everybody should vote for JB Danquah. After losing several contests in Kyebi, JB Danquah eventually went to the Legislative Assembly as a nominee of the Chiefs of Abuakwa, but not through a popular election. He never won any election. WHY THEY ACCUSE NKRUMAH OF DICTATORSHIP In 1951, 1954 and 1956, Nkrumah won the first, second and third general elections respectively and successively. After those years, the opposition to Nkrumah assigned one Seth Ametowe to assassinate Nkrumah in 1964. In 1963, there was the La-Bawalashi Coup plot in which JB Danquah was referenced. At approximately 1 pm, Nkrumah had come out of the Flagstaff House and was going for his lunch. History has it that Set Ametowe shot four rounds of bullets at Nkrumah. His personal bodyguard and others died saving him. Isochronously, JB Danquah was caught and arrested around GBC with a well prepared and signed document to address to the nation. Don't forget the Kulungugu bomb attempt at Nkrumah, the bomb attempt on Nkrumah at the Kotoka International Airport, the bomb attempt at Nkrumah's residence, the collaborated bomb attempt at the Akosombo Dam and several failed gun shots at Nkrumah. What does this mean? Which country would have ignored that? What offense did Nkrumah commit by making sure that JB Danquah was arrested for engaging in such atrocities against a democratically elected president and his government? He didn't arrest him because he hated him. If Nkrumah never liked JB Danquah, he wouldn't have appointed JB Danquah as the then Chairman for the Council For Scientific And Industrial Research, Director of Legal Education and a member of the Ghana Arts and Academy of Science, after all the atrocities that were committed against him. After JB Danquah was detained, over some time, JB Danquah's wife (Madam Mabel Dove Danquah) wrote series of apologetic letters to Nkrumah to release her husband (JB) on compassionate grounds. Why do you think the wife would want her husband to be released on compassionate grounds? Because she knew without compassion from Nkrumah, there was no way JB Danquah was going to come out after that atrocious incident perpetrated by JB Danquah. It is significant to note that Nkrumah was touched by the letters Madam Mabel wrote and minuted on one of the letters to release JB Danquah. Nkrumah later ordered the release of JB Danquah on 3rd February, 1965. The Secretary to the Cabinet (Mr Eric Otu) at the time received the order and thought it was late because it was around 5 pm and decided to work on it the following day. Unfortunately, the following day (4th February, 1965), JB Danquah died on health grounds. How would Nkrumah be so vicious and monster to allow JB Danquah to die in prison, having have ordered his release the previous day? Yet when you hear them speak it is as if Nkrumah never considered JB Danquah's case. Few months ago, the NPP celebrated the death of Obetsebi Lamptey to further deepen the dent on Nkrumah's image as a monster and a brutal dictator. When these Danquah-Busia elements speak, it is as if Nkrumah arrested Obetsebi Lamptey and put him in prison without trial. I have come to believe that history does not hide anything. History has it that Nkrumah never convicted Sir Obetsebi Lamptey. In plane facts, Nkrumah had nothing to do with that. The truth is Obetsebi Lamptey was properly tried and was convicted by a competent court of jurisdiction. Surprisingly, the panel which convicted Obetsebi Lamptey included Justice Edward Akuffo Addo (President Nana Akuffo Addo's own father), Justice Van Lare and Justice Ako Korsah. These judges sat on the case and came to the conclusion that Obetsebi Lamptey was a leader of a terrorist cell and needed to be jailed. So it was President Nana Addo Danquah Akuffo Addo's own father who jailed Obetsebi Lamptey, not Kwame Nkrumah. This bizarre imposition of JB Danquah on Ghanaians led a prominent Chief of Akyem Abuakwa to say that the Premier University of Ghana-Legon should be named after JB Danquah. This statement from the said Chief could only come out from him as a result of a clear demonstration of lack of respect for history. What did JB Danquah do to warrant him such an honour? Now again, listen to me carefully, when Nkrumah won the first general election in 1951, his Internal Self Rule government instituted the Local Council Ordinance Bill and the Cocoa Marketing Board. It is instructive to know that JB Danquah vehemently opposed Nkrumah on the institution of the LCOB and the CMB. It was the LCOB and the CMB which provided the needed and required revenue and resourses to achieve Nkrumah's first five-year development plan which included the construction of the University of Ghana-Legon, the Volta River Project, Tema Habour and City, the Adomi Bridge, the Komfo Anokye Hospital, the Democratization of Education and the Medical School. Now, if JB Danquah had won that debate against Nkrumah, we wouldn't have had inter alia, the University of Ghana-Legon. With this fact, what qualifies JB Danquah to have the honour of being named after the University of Ghana? Something he vehemently and strongly kicked against? You would recall that when the Big Six were arrested and detained after the Riot of 1948 that was sparked by the open assassination of Sergeant Adjetey, Sergeant Attipoe and Private Lamptey, when it mattered the most, five of the Big Six including JB Danquah told the imperialists that they knew nothing about the Riot of 1948. It was only Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah who stood by his conviction and defended the Riot by pointing out to them that it was illegal to kill those Ex-Service men who were peacefully asking for what was promised to them before they fought in the World War II. He believed in the Riot because he had the conviction that it was in solidarity to those innocent Ex-Service Men who were shot and killed by heart. How could JB Danquah be considered as a 'hero' in Ghanaian political history? On what basis? After 1969, Dr Kofi Abrefa Busia passed a resolution in parliament to make it illegal to see Nkrumah's books, pictures and his effigies were set ablazed. That didn't work. So I say Nkrumah never dies. Therefore, this attempt at denigrating Nkrumah is an exercise in vanity and futility because the history is documented. In the final analysis, UGCC died after the CPP's successive electoral victories in 1951, 1954 and 1956. It was only the CPP that completed the last lapse in the struggle for emancipation against imperialism and foreign rule. Make no mistake, Nkrumah single handedly founded Ghana after five of the Big Six including JB Danquah contrivedly deserted and disowned him. There were people like Krobo Edusei, KA Gbedemah, Kofi Baako, Saki Scheck, Tawiah Adamafio, Dzenkle Dzewu, Sonny Provencaal and others who stood shoulder-to-shoulder by Nkrumah. They didn't desert him. Some of them were on the platform with Nkrumah at the Old Accra Polo ground to declare the Independence of Ghana on 6th March, 1957. Where were the rest of the Big Six including JB Danquah? The BBC's survey showed that Nkrumah is the "GREATEST SON OF AFRICA" of the millennium. The A U headquarters in Addis Ababa has no statue of any African leader save the statue of Kwame Nkrumah. Around the world, Africa to be precise, different monumental structures have been named after Kwame Nkrumah. This shows the 'height' and 'magnitude' of the man Kwame Nkrumah in the World's political history. In concluding, today is FOUNDER'S DAY (Kwame Nkrumah's birthday), but not FOUNDERS' DAY. Indeed, some people have no shame! There are a lot to be said, but for the purpose of this article, I leave it here and I happily say, Happy Founder's Day to you all. Thank you! Osumanu Abubakar (2017) 0242782515 Copyright Reserved!!! References 1. The Fallacies of J. B. Danquah's Heroic Legacy. http://mobile.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/features/The-Fallacies-of-J-B-Danquah-s-Heroic-Legacy-105319 2. THE CONTRIBUTION OF DR. KWAME NKRUMAH TO THE STRUGGLE AGAINST IMPERIALISM. https://consciencism.wordpress.com/2012/09/25/the-contribution-of-dr-kwame-nkrumah-to-the-struggle-against-imperialism-in-the-eyes-of-a-contemporary-cuban-international-revolutionary 3. Fight Back: A Response To Anti-Nkrumah Provocations 4. Nkrumah Never Dies. https://www.modernghana.com/news/721007/nkrumah-never-dies.html 5. Fallacies of J. B. Danquah's Heroic Legacy (V) (2006). Dr. Kwame Botwe-Asamoah DAKAR, September 20, 2017--The third edition of the Investing in Africa Forum (IAF) a global platform for multilateral cooperation and promoting opportunities to increase Chinas investments in Africa will be held in Dakar, Senegal, from September 25 to 27, 2017. More than 400 participants will attend this high-level forum co-hosted by the Government of Senegal, the Chinese Ministry of Finance, the China Development Bank, and the World Bank Group. Macky Sall, the President of Senegal, will open the event. The event will include significant participation from Chinese and African companies seeking to expand partnerships for new investments. The theme of this years forum is Africa Leapfrogging Through Innovation. IAF 2017 will seek to catalyze a new generation of private investment opportunities driven by innovation and technological adoption that will be critical to unlocking Africas potential for accelerated and inclusive growth and leverage the ability of many countries to leapfrog into the future. Six main topics will be discussed, including: (i) energy; (ii) agriculture and agribusiness; (iii) information and communication technologies (ICT); (iv) education; (v) finance; and (vi) governance and sustainability. IAF 2017 will also mark the official debut of the Investing in Africa Think Tank Alliance (IATTA), a platform to synergize the intellectual capabilities of research centers and the capital strengths. On September 25, a report on Africas leapfrogging through innovation, jointly prepared by the World Bank and the China Development Bank, will also be launched. On the same day IFC will sign an agreement with the China-Africa Development Fund following the opening plenary session. Established in 2015 through a China Development Bank initiative, the first two editions of the IAF, held respectively in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) and in Guangzhou (China) advocated for stronger partnerships to address key topics including accelerating manufacturing and industrialization, expanding agriculture and agribusiness, and improving infrastructure, regional connectivity and trade logistics. WHAT: Third Investing in Africa Forum WHERE: Centre International des Conferences Abdou Diouf (CICAD), Dakar, Senegal WHO: Public and Private sectors from Africa and China; International and Continental Institutions; Development Partners; Think Thanks WHEN: September 25 27, 2017 FOLLOW LIVESTREAMS OF IAF 2017 KEY DISCUSSIONS AT: www.live.worldbank.org/third-investing-africa-forum The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires - William Arthur Ward One particular voice, a female one I had missed in the media as Minister this past nine or so months is that of former Education Minister under the erstwhile John Mahama regime, Prof Jane NaanaOpokuAgyamang. She does not speak frequently but anytime she does, one is left craving for more. That notwithstanding she had very capable and industrious deputies in the persons of Hon Samuel OkudzetoAblakwa and Alex Kyereme who never disappointed. Prof OpokuAgyemang was on EkoSii Sen on Asempafm, 94.7MHz on Thursday to speak on free secondary education and related matters. By the time Prof was done with the interview, there was no doubt that it had been a revealing and elucidating session with KojoAsareBaffourAcheampong, KABA host of the show. Even the studio guests could not do the usual of bouncing questions on a subject matter bordering their minds off resource persons; an indication of full grasp; an epitome of the Akan wise saying translated the elder/chief always has the most important say. But that was not the case, the governing New Patriotic Party [NPP] Member of Parliament [MP] for Ledzokuku, DrOkoeBoye wont relent, the medical doctor whined and rant showing that he felt pricked by Profs expose especially on plans, programs and achievements of the John Mahama govt. DrBoye is not alone in this. Another medical doctor, DrAchibaldLetsa, the Volta Regional Minister has also unfairly accused some school heads in the Volta Region of extortion eliciting a response. Then there is the Education Minister himself, Dr Mathew OpokuPrempeh, also a medical doctor. According to Prof NaanaOpokuAgyemang, the fact alone that the AkufoAddo government is not making the free Senior High School [SHS] program accessible to all including those in SHS 2 and 3 as well as the non-availability of a comprehensive policy document for the implementation of the program renders it a progressive one. That exposes the campaign promise that the NPP will define basic education to include Senior High School [SHS], covering Vocational, Agricultural and Technical schools, and make it available for free on a universal basis to all Ghanaians. Enumerating some successes, she said the 2015/2016 BECE results 3994 unprecedented success with a raw score of 564, the establishment of the Community Day SHS and the magnificent E-block classrooms, Ghana consistently topping West African Examination Council [WAEC] exams from 2012 2016 as against not too good performances in previous years to the extent that other West African countries are inquiring about how Ghana keep making it. Overturning a J.A. Kufour policy of 3 pupils: 1 text book, making it 4 textbooks: 1 pupil, reducing teacher absenteeism from 27% to 7%, re-orientation program for teachers, decongestion in some of the schools among many others as the efforts that yielded the results. Expatiating on free SHS, she said 320,488 day students are enjoying progressively free SHS in the 2015/2016 academic year and increased to 458,700 in 2016/2017 academic year. Comparatively too, students on SEIP scholarship are enjoying Gh1,750 per head, far higher as compared to the current free SHS boarding fee of GH1,022.20 per head. There is currently about 5,000 students who have passed re-sit BECE exams and are yet to be considered under the current free SHS system. Unlike the NPP, the NDCs undoingseemed being too honest with the electorate The Minority in Parliament reflecting the larger view of the NDC has been succinct requesting for a national conversation on the sustainability of the program. Ahead of that national conversation on sustainability, all other things are being heard and experienced. On the same program on Asempafm, the Eastern Regional Minister, DrKwakyeDarfour let out a bomb shell that a student with aggregate 51 [far off from the cut-off point] has been admitted into Ghana National College. There is also the issue of some parents ready to pay any amount of money to have their wards in schools of their choices. There are other issues of students aggregates kept increasing anytime reference is made, worsening their placement situations. Below is another experience shared by DrAkofaSegbefia The Free SHS People Don't Know!!! Forgive me if my heading is misleading. It has nothing to do with the free-ness of the SHS policy but everything else to do with it. My grand-niece chose one Grade A school in Accra and got aggregate 13. Then the computers at Education posted her to some Efutu school I cannot reach on the map of Ghana. When my niece and I googled the school, it turned out to be in Ajumako. Meanwhile, Ajumako is so vast You don't know which of the villages this school is likely to be. Then we scrolled on and found a telephone number for the school. I dialed. The number does not exist, came the response. Scrolled further and the school said there were only 5 teachers on campus and, as a result, it had challenges with discipline. Aghast, I asked myself if by that statement I was supposed to send my ward to that school? Then I checked at the school she chose in Accra. It had students with aggregates worse than my ward. No explanation for that.Then my grandniece tells me that parents of some of her mates in similar situation were paying 2,500 of our country's cedis and getting the schools of choice for their kids. I spoke to some of her mates actually and they all confirmed that the amount was paid to some people at the computer place at the Placement Centre and, Pronto, they got their schools. Is government aware of this? Forget about someone with bright eyes being posted to a school for the blind.This is plain thievery. Why are we doing this to ourselves, may I ask? The modus operandi is simple: post a candidate with a good grade to some outlandish school. When the parents get desperate, they will pay anything to get their school of choice. So, when all these happen and the system fails, we blame government for the free SHS policy? Paying C2,500 to get a school is the Free SHS people don't know. Sadly, I don't have a rifle: I would have gone to the Placement Center and emptied the magazine on all those dumbheads whose only resolve is to make gains for their selfish selves. Dzimakplawo!! Then the reaction from Ketasco on free SHS sabotage RE: Volta Region Schools Sabotaging Free SHS Policy, *The Case of Keta SHTS.* The boarding accommodation in Keta SHTS is only able to accommodate students of Forms 2&3 (continuing students) only. This is due to the fact that Keta SHTS now runs almost all programmes under the SHS Education Curriculum. Over the years there has been a tremendous increase in the number of shifts (classes) of some programmes run by the school. For instance, General Science and General Arts both of which used to have only two (A & B) classes, are now having four (A, B, C & D) classes, while Home Economics programme which used to have a class now has two (A & B) classes. This haven led to a major increase in the intake by the school was a response to pressure on the school by CSSPS to admit more. Since the school was not willing to have large classes sizes, there was a need to bring additional classes, in this case of about five classes. Assuming each of these new five classes taking in 60 students on average, about 300 students per form leading to an increase in the overall student population by 900 students. The school currently has an average student population of about 2,000 excluding form 1 students. About 50% of this are boarders. So Ketasco for the past few years accommodated the form 1 students under hostel facility system. The hostel facility is operated by PTA regulated by the school. The hostels have house masters and the Students in the hostels are referred to as Special Boarders. Hostel fees are charged for a year to take care of utilities, repairs and maintenance. *So it is not true that Keta SHTS Head or representatives of Head is/are charging parents of wards GH250.00 for hostel for their wards.* The School administration regulate in the interest of parents in negotiating the hostel fees. It is PTA that received the hostel fees and not the school. I believe it is rather in the interest of Free SHS Policy to have this alternative boarding system in the absence of which parents will be at the mercy of private home owners in Dzelukope charging them exorbitant fees. Unless the government is willing to absorb the hostel system too. For instance, an Accra based parent who went to Dzelukope township yesterday to rent was shocked to have heard a bed in a room is costing Gh350. So under Free SHS parents will have to pay Gh350 to rent a bed in town where the ward will have to cooking on his own instead of paying Gh250 to get same bed and eat three meals to be provided freely. I think he needed to have done due diligence before hastily taking the steps he had taken. I think an instruction to have make the fresh students day students is only a tricky strategy by government to cut down the number of boarders who will need to be provided 3 meals a day, hence cutting down cost. By: Ken K. Ocloo Head, Business Dept. Member, Academic Board Keta SHTS. Aside these, I have heard some heads of schools have been dismissed and others sanctioned. I think in the larger interest of the program the NPP government needs to tread cautiously. Hot headedness wont help overcome the challenges being encountered. Cool heads and positive engagement will. So what happens when an action is taken in solidarity with the affected heads? Per some of these reactions in trying to be punitive, the NPP unknown to itself might just kill this great free education policy started by others. The incoming NAGRAT President, Angel Cabonu has faulted the GES and Ministry of Education for unfairness in their action against the affected heads and that both were just being hypocritical about the issue since the school heads have genuine needs to meet for the betterment of education in Ghana. He said NAGRAT was not notified about the meeting that sanctioned the heads. "A good listener is a silent flatterer Proverb 21.09.2017 LISTEN There are few names in Africa, and the world for that matter, that are mentioned in the same breadth as *Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah*. Hailed as Africas Statesman of the 20th Century by the African Union (AU), the ever charismatic Ghanaian leader set the pace in Ghanas development establishing a plethora of uncountable national projects which benefitted generations past and the generations yet to come. A visionary leader by all standards. To commemorate 2017 founders Day ,YWB Ghana believes that a vibrant youth with collective voice is our best bet for becoming a better and an outstanding Nation.There is no doubt that the youth of any country and the youth of Ghana specifically, are recognized as constituting an important source of human capital for socio-cultural, economic and political development. Africa do not need only Natural Resource to develop but to harness the rich and abundant Human Capital it owns. Successive governments since the overthrow of Nkrumah in February 1966 have come out with youth policies that have an impresa of Kwame Nkrumahs especially the Young Pioneer Movement. The National Youth Employment Programme launched by the erstwhile, Kufuor administration that has gone through several faces and now Youth Employment Agency is one of such great policies that draws inspiration from Dr. Nkrumah's Young Pioneer model and the youth policy of the 1960s.This is a pointer to the fact that Nkrumah pursued a youth policy that was indeed designed for development. We however, say that, now that the significance of Nkrumahs ideas and policies in Ghana and Africa as a whole have been fully recognized,YWB believes it is time to re-visit and resurrect some of his youth policies with a view of solving the current problems of rising youth unemployment, poverty and rural-urban migration that is flooding the urban centres of Ghana, especially the capital Accra and Kumasi. As we mark *#NkrumahMemorialDay*,YWB Ghana is calling on government to strengthen Civic education, and political inclusion by young people. Civics for self-government was part of the school curriculum in the first republic and it inculcated in students the rights and responsibilities of the citizen. We advocate for same in the 21st century fourth republic of Ghana because it is an important tool for inculcating into our students the spirit of Patriotism, Consciousness, loyalty, self-governance and Pan-Africanism as Nkrumah. Today, Thursday the 21st day os September, 2017, we remember the good works of the first President of Ghana, Osagyefo Dr.Kwame Nkrumah, with the popular saying *Nkrumah Never Dies* Long Live YWB! Long Live Ghana!! Long Live Africa!!! Signed: Kenneth Gyamerah Head, Communications Youth Without Borders Ghana I've been observing the debate that has ensued following the declarations of two separate days to be observed as public holidays in commermeration of the great Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah's unparrelled contribution to our nation's independence struggle, as well as equally key roles played by other noble personalities before him. Now, the argument by followers of the great Osagyefo, as usual, is that, the man has no 'quo-equal, and therefore, nobody else should be associated with the struggles leading to our nation's independence, but him. Asuch, the decision by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to institute the aforementioned public holidays is tantamount to rewritting our nation's history, with expressed-purpose of obliterating the great Osagyefo's contributions. Personally, I believe this unending debate over who played which role in liberating our country from the clutches of colonialism is completely unnecessary, totally unproductive and woefully backward. Instead of being truthful, dispassionate and civil about narration of our history and according the needed recognition to all who contributed to our nation's independence struggle, this simple historical exercise has rather been hijacked by dogmatic ideologues of a dead Marxist philosophy,and turned into pointless and mindless shouting-battle. In contemporary global geopolitics, no nation with vision to pursue workable socioeconomic policies for the betterment of its citizens, talks about socialism. Ironically, those always bothering our ears with this socialism cacophony, are the ones with the best of tastes for the fruits of capitalism, and this is evident in the lifestyles of Ghanaian version of such characters, whose names I need not enumerate since its a matter of public record. For me, and this indeed is a personal opinion, I would not have advised the President, HE Nana AffordAddo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, to bother himself with this move; and my reason is very simple: Ghana's population, as at present, consists of nearly 70% of those with average age of between 25 and 40year bracket. This huge mass of our population is operating in the modern-day ICT environment where knowledge is what really counts and forms the bedrock of socioeconomic advancement of nations. Present-day youth of nations across the globe are confronted with menace of inaccessibility to education and job opportunities. Now, these,fortunately,are the issues being tackled by the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo administration, with the rolling out of FREE SHS, ONE-DISTRICT-ONE-FACTORY policies. Indeed, these are the things present-day people worry about and definitely not who stood at the old Polo grounds to make which proclamation. So for me, this unending debate over who played which role in liberating our country from the clutches of colonialism, is totally unproductive in the light of what confronts us, presently, and what the current Nana Addo administration is actually doing to address same is what must rather capture the headlines. What these ardent followers of the great Osagyefo must know is that, the NPP, which supposedly 'opposed' Ghana's independence, and is right-winged, ideologically, has rather given Ghanaians NHIS, SCHOOL FEEDING, NYEP, FREE MATERNAL CARE, LEAP, CAPITATION GRANT, METRO MASS, COCOA SPRAYING, FREE SHS, and still counting. On the contrary, these ardent followers of the great Osagyefo have shamelesslessly tied their noses to apron-strings of people with deep pockets and always fighting their proxy wars. The matchless organizational skills exhibited by the great Osagyefo, has shamlesslessly been thrown to the dogs by his so-called ardent followers, leaving the once vibrant CPP in total shambles, and it's survival on the spectrum of our contemporary politics, totally in impossible. On the field of mindless cacophony, these so-called adherents to ideals of the great Osagyefo will always score high grades but will have proven to be hopelessly hopeless when it comes to getting their act together, be a serious political force, win political power and to continue the great lways works of the great Osagyefo. NPP, on the contrary, always loses the mindless cacophonous battle but has actually demonstrated both the capacity and capability to develop our dear nation with integrity. And this is what really matters to Ghanaians and therefore must capture our attention and be the topic for discussion. Indeed, the world is definitely not waiting for us in the quest for socioeconomic advancement by way of commerce and technological advancement on the highly-competitive market space. It is imperative,therefore, that, as a people, we expended precious time and energies on productive ventures rather than splitting hairs over trivially trivial trivialities which are often rooted in bogus, misdirected and unproductive sentimentalism to a totally irrelevant political ideology in contemporary global geopolitics . GOD BLESS OUR HOMELAND GHANA. Newton-Offei Justice Abeeku Office of The President Flagstaff House Kanda-Accra. Sorry, we can't find the content you're looking for at this URL. Election reflection Early indications from third phase of local polls show a differing trend to the first two phases The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) is expected to sign a $ 1.3 billion syndicated loan with a consortium of European banks for the 2017/2018 crop season today. A high-powered government delegation made up of officials of COCOBOD and the Ministry of Finance, BUSINESS GUIDE gathered, are in Paris, France for the signing ceremony. Details of the number of banks involved in this year's consortium were not readily available as at press time yesterday, but unconfirmed report suggests there are close to 30 banks that signed up to the consortium for 2017. The signing is expected to be performed by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of COCOBOD, Joseph Boahen Aidoo and a team of officers from Ghana and the respective banks. It would be recalled that Parliament in August, this year approved $1.3 billion (GH5.8 billion) syndicated loan for the purchase of cocoa beans in the 2017/18 crop season to increase cocoa production in the next four years. The signing ceremony, the paper learnt, is expected to be streamed live to journalists at COCOBOD head office in Accra at exactly 12:30pm. COCOBOD last year signed a $1.8 billion syndicated loan with a consortium of European banks in Frankfurt, Germany. However, the new board and management said the $1.8 billion had been exhausted despite outstanding payments yet to be made. Chairman of COCOBOD, Hackman Owusu-Agyeman, said that the funds secured last year were not all invested in the cocoa sector to improve this year's yield, saying there is still cocoa out there that we must buy. According to him, Obviously, we did not use all the money to buy the cocoa. There are still commitments out there that we must take care of. There was indiscipline in the use of the money. By Melvin Tarlue A team from the Ghana Interbank Payment and Settlement System (GhIPSS) is visiting all e-zwich agents to provide various support services. The move is to ensure that the agencies continue to provide efficient services and also to grow their businesses. GhIPSS began a new initiative to allow individual enterprises to also provide e-zwich services to complement financial institutions. Currently, over 350 of such agencies have been set up and are providing services to the public. The decision to introduce the e-zwich agents follows a rise in the number of users of the biometric smart cards. To ensure that the public receives the best of services from the agents, staff of GhIPSS are visiting the various outlets to interact with them, receive feedback on their operations and provide whatever support they might need. The support services being provided include refresher training for some agencies and a complete training for agencies which have new employees. The team from GhIPSS is also providing logistics, as well as service devices where necessary. The move, officials at GhIPSS explained, is in line with the institution's plan to engage constantly with their stakeholders to ensure that they deliver quality service at all times. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of GhIPSS Archie Hesse, in an interview, noted that efforts were being made to promote electronic payments in Ghana which is expected to increase patronage for e-zwich and other electronic payment options. This trend of development, he explained, makes it all important to ensure that the public has more channels for e-zwich services. Mr Hesse said GhIPSS will continue to regularly engage with the agents and set up new ones in other locations so that the public would be well served. GhIPSS has been setting up e-zwich agents in various parts of the country and will be in the Volta Region before the end of the year to identify and set up enterprises there. Enrolment of agents for the three northern regions is expected to take place in the early part of next year. Clemonic Company Limited, with support from the GHACEM Cement Foundation, has renovated and handed over a six-unit classroom block to the Methodist Junior High School (A) at Techiman in the Brong Ahafo Region. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Founder of Clemonic Company, Clement Effah, said the renovation was to create a conducive learning environment for both the teachers and pupils. Mr. Effah noted that the previous dilapidated building posed a threat to the lives of the pupils and teachers. This is where I attended basic school, together with my board of directors; and after all these years, the building had become weak and needed renovation. Together with my four classmates, who form the Board of Directors, we agreed to take up the project with support from the GHACEM Cement Foundation, he explained. Board Chairman of Clemonic, Stephen Kwarteng Yeboah, in his address, said we, the Directors, together with him (Clement Effah), remember our humble beginnings. We had to study in a classroom without a roof for months in this school because the rains ripped off our Class 5 classroom in 1989. We therefore cannot see our younger brothers and sisters go through similar conditions and sit back unconcerned. The Board Chairman further stated that GHACEM, during their annual awards, adjudged Clemonic Company as the second Best Distributor of GHACEM cement in Ghana and the Best Branded Outlet. In addition, Clemonic got a letter from GHACEM that they were donating 1,000 bags of Cement to Clemonic to use for a chosen CSR programme as part of the award package. Mr Yeboah continued that we decided to add three more blocks after receiving the wonderful support from GHACEM Cement Foundation. Commercial Director of GHACEM, Nana Philip Archer, expressed his appreciation to Clemonic for renovating the school building. According to him, GHACEM has contributed over GH16 million in support of schools and hospitals across the country since 2002. Kyidomhene of Techiman Traditional Council, Nana Oyeadeeye Asa Akompanin, who spoke on behalf of the Omanhene of Techiman Traditional Council, called on Clemonic Company and GHACEM to consider renovating the remaining classroom blocks. The Kyidomhene further called on parents to ensure that their wards are educated and encouraged teachers and the school authorities to maintain the school building. A business desk report Ghanaians are currently paying more for petrol and diesel few months after enjoying fairly low prices. Current figures from the petroleum industry show that prices of the two products at the various fuel stations have hit all time high, with petrol selling at an average of GH4.29 at the pumps, and diesel going for an average of GH4.23 per litre in the third week of September 2017. The Institute of Energy Security (IES) had earlier predicted a 7% increase in fuel prices. The increase has been attributed to the marginal depreciation of the cedi, as well as increased global crude oil prices due to the recent floods in the US which affected production at major oil companies. The Principal Research Analyst at the Institute of Energy Security, Richmond Rockson, said We are expecting prices to rise between seven and 10 percent, and this will have an impact on consumers. This probably will be the most significant. The cedi also keeps depreciating. After the storm Harvey, refineries were affected so prices will definitely go up, he added. Petrol and diesel are the most patronized fuel products in Ghana, and any increase usually affects transport fares and impacts cost of general goods. Sharp dip Prior to the sharp surge in the price of fuel in September, data from the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), showed that prices of petrol and diesel only increased marginally between February and March, but dropped significantly between April and July until they gained momentum in August 2017. Citifmonline TIGO Business, in partnership with USAID's Ghana Sustainable Fisheries Management Project and the Ghana Fisheries Commission, has unveiled total communication solutions 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 Greater Accra, 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). The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, together with eight other African Heads of State, on Wednesday, 20th September, 2017, at the side-lines of the 72nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly, held talks with the President of the United States of America, Donald Trump, on US-African relations. The 8 Heads of State present at the meeting were President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria, President Alasanne Ouattara of Cote d'Ivoire, President Jacob Zuma of South Africa, President Macky Sall of Senegal, President Alpha Conde of Guinea, who is also Chairperson of the African Union, President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, and President Hage Geingob of Namibia. In his remarks, President Trump noted that in the 8 African leaders gathered at the meeting, I see partners for promoting prosperity and peace on a range of economic, humanitarian, and security issues. The US President indicated further that his administration is committed to extending partnerships with the 9 countries, because they are committed to self-reliance and to fostering opportunities for job creation in both Africa and the United States. Of the world's ten fastest-growing economies, President Trump noted that six are in Africa, and, thus, increasing American trade and investment across diverse industries including agriculture, energy, transportation, healthcare, travel, and tourism will further transform lives throughout Africa. He reiterated the commitment of the United States to partner with countries and organizations, like the African Union, that lead successful efforts to end violence, to prevent the spread of terrorism, and to respond to humanitarian crises. Terrorist groups, such as ISIS, al-Shabaab, Boko Haram, and al Qaeda also threaten African peace. The United States is proud to work with you to eradicate terrorist safe havens, to cut off their finances, and to discredit their depraved ideology, he added. On the issue of North Korea, President Trump stated that the world faces an enormous security threat from the North Korean regime, and urged all nations to stand together and be accountable in implementing United Nations sanctions and resolutions in response to North Korea's hostile and menacing actions. A free, independent, and democratic nation, he stressed, in all cases, is the best vehicle for human happiness and success. Present also at the meeting were Foreign Ministers of the 8 African countries present; US Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson; Chief of Staff, Gen. John Kelly; the Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Nikki Haley; and other representatives of the US government. On behalf of the African Presidents gathered, and on behalf of the African Union, President Alpha Conde thanked President Trump for the courtesy of the invitation to discuss issues bordering on the strengthening of US-Africa relations. He noted that the 21st century will see Africa take its rightful place on the world stage, and will without doubt be a century in which Africans are going to are going to count for more and in a decisive way, because there is an ever-greater determination among Africa's leaders and youth that the hour of renewal has arrived. 3news Pretoria (AFP) - The fight against poaching must be treated as a war, Africa's leading anti-poaching coalition said Thursday, as it called for the illicit wildlife trade to be monitored like global conflicts. Enact, an EU-funded anti-poaching analytical taskforce that includes Interpol, called for the expansion of a media tracking system to track poaching incidents similar to established conflict monitoring methods. "We're following the model put out by conflict data programmes which have basically used media monitoring" on incidents of conflict, said Ciara Aucoin, a researcher at South Africa's Institute for Security Studies. "From that research we've been able to get a more nuanced understanding of conflicts around Africa," she said while presenting the findings of Enact's new study entitled "Guns, poison and horns". Those methods can be applied to anti-poaching efforts to spot trends and help law enforcement tackle the trade, she said. Rhino horns are highly prized in Asia where they have been known to fetch up to $60,000 per kilo -- more than gold or cocaine Enact unveiled the report at a summit of top anti-poaching experts in Pretoria just 24 hours ahead of international rhino day which highlights the toll of the global horn trade. 'As intense as any war' Rhino horns are highly prized in Asia where they have been known to fetch up to $60,000 (50,200 euros) per kilo -- more than gold or cocaine -- with most of the demand coming from China and Vietnam, where it is coveted as a traditional medicine and aphrodisiac. But expert researchers say the current black market rate in Vietnam is around $24,000 a kilo. Africa's rhinos could be extinct within 20 years at the rate they are being poached, according to Wildlife Direct, a non-profit conservation organisation. Johan Jooste, head of special projects at South African National Parks, told AFP that the fight against poachers has become a war like any other. "The rhino campaign in terms of armed conflict is as intense as any war," he said. "I'm a veteran of our Bush War and this is more intense than what we have seen there," he said of South Africa's brutal apartheid-era campaign against insurgents in its frontier regions between the 1960s and 1980s. Rangers as warriors Experts say the fight against poachers has become like a war "The intensity has become high and it has become a very dangerous job. That is why in Africa we have to accept, against our will, that a ranger equals a warrior," he said. "That is why you have to adopt a paramilitary approach... I refer to this as the iron fist with a velvet glove." Jooste, who spoke at the summit, said that anti-poaching patrols in the park had engaged in armed confrontation with poachers on 150 occasions. But he ruled out a shoot-to-kill policy for armed poachers caught in the national parks. "It will not stop poaching. If you take that step, what is next?" he asked. "We will never consider it." Iringa (Tanzania) (AFP) - A pair of conjoined sisters are settling into campus life at a Tanzanian university, a first in a country where disabled people are often marginalised or abandoned at birth. Maria and Consolata Mwakikuti, 20, who are joined at the abdomen, have become minor celebrities in the east African nation where the media have closely followed their path through high school and arrival at university earlier this month. Mwazarau Mathola, spokeswoman for the Ruaha Catholic University in Iringa in the centre of the country, said on Thursday the women arrived a few weeks before classes start in October to get used to their new life and take computer lessons. "A separate house has been provided for them, furnished and set up for their needs, because they can't be housed in normal student accommodation," said Mathola. Maria and Consolata have been taking computer lessons ahead of their course at Ruaha Catholic University A couch has been installed in their classroom to allow them to sit comfortably, and they have a carer. The twins were abandoned by their mother after the death of their father, and later taken in by a Catholic mission. They will study education, with the hope of becoming teachers of history, English and Swahili, said Mathola. In July, Maria made an emotional call on state television for parents not to "hide or lock up their handicapped children". "They must know they human beings, handicapped or not, are equal and have the same rights," she said. The sisters, who enjoy knitting and cooking together, thanked the teachers who helped them through highschool, as well as the government who provided a vehicle to take them from their home to school each day. "We didn't expect this day to come, it is by the grace of God that we are here today," said Consolata, the chattier of the two. The sisters admit that they do not always get along, as Consolata told a local newspaper in 2015: "For example when I want to do laundry and Maria prefers to read. However we always find a way around it." Paris (AFP) - The world's cereal production is headed for a bumper 2017, with total output on track for a record, the United Nation's food agency said Thursday. The increase will not, however, automatically alleviate world hunger, as conflicts and weather disasters continue to threaten food security in many regions, the Food and Agriculture Organisation said in a report. "Global cereal production is forecast to reach a record level in 2017," the FAO said. "Robust harvests in Latin America and rebounding agricultural conditions in southern Africa are on course to improve the global food supply situation, but ongoing civil conflicts and climate-related shocks are affecting progress towards hunger reduction," it said. Total cereal production is estimated to reach 2.611 billion tonnes by the end of the year. Major gains are expected in Argentina and Brazil, while Africa is on target to add 10 percent. "Hurricanes in the Caribbean and floods in West Africa are likely to hamper local farm outputs, but broader food production trends are positive, buoyed by expectations of record cereal outputs in several countries." The FAO said some 37 countries, 28 of which are in Africa, still require external assistance for food. Weather shocks this year, including droughts, have worsened the food situation in many places, notably Somalia and southern Ethiopia. But elsewhere in Africa, production levels have rebounded from last year when they were hit by the El Nino weather phenomenon, especially in the southern and northern parts of the continent. Production is also projected to rise in so- called "low-income food-deficit" countries, allowing them cut down on necessary food imports. Last week, several UN agencies, including the FAO, said that 2016 had seen a sudden rise in world hunger after years of stability, due to conflicts and climate change. In the Democratic Republic of Congo alone, nearly eight million people face acute hunger as a result of conflict, especially in the central Kasai region, they said. Folks, those of us who have been criticizing the political agenda of Akufo-Addo all these years won't fold up just because he won Election 2016, implying that the voters saw him as a redeemer. We will still dig in because enough exists for us to wonder what exactly he has up his sleeves to give Ghana what it hasn't seen or had before. Since assuming office, the Akufo-Addo government has been fixated on painting its immediate predecessor in the blackest of all colours just as it had been doing until the quirk of circumstance changed to Akufo-Addo's advantage. We heard all the bombastic noise made by Dr. Mahamudu Borrowmia and why the NPP considered him as a "miracle" to ditch the NDC. It all happened to put Team Akufo-Addo in power. The expectations? Something drastically different to take Ghana out of the woods. But what has happened thus far doesn't confirm the boasts that Team Akufo-Addo has anything new to 'redeem" Ghana. A cursory look at its performance (as far as managing the economy is concerned) reveals a saddening spectacle of "copycatting": a. Borrowing from the very institutions that they had condemned the Mahama administration of snuggling to for Ghana's doom; b. Eating back their own vomit as far as dealings with the World Bank and the IMF are concerned. They had vowed to abrogate everything with such institutions only to turn round to do otherwise; c. Rushing to China for huge loans that haven't materialized and won't do so because the Chinese authorities aren't willing to be toyed with (The much-hyped billions of Dollars from China are now elusive. None in government is talking about it any more, even though much of Team Akufo-Addo's agenda is hinged on such expected largesse. China is no father Christmas, as it proved to the Mills government, the Mahama one, and this Akufo-Addo one. So, what is new?); d. Government's own policies speak volumes. Nothing new. The well-trodden path is obvious: --- Borrowing from the banks to cushion government business; --- issuing bonds (even in disgrace, as is clear in the 2.25 billion Dollar Kenbond scam); --- squeezing the commercial banks for leverage, etc. e. Borrowing Dollars from the banking sector to inject into the national economy with the view to artificially "taming" the US Dollar so it doesn't drag the Ghanaian Cedi on a rough road. it has worked, as we are being told now. f. No factory is being supported; the mining sector is fast declining; the industrial sector remains doomed; and the private sector is still sagging onto its knees despite the huge promises made at the first reading of the budget to uplift it (If you doubt it, go and ask the Abossey Okai spare parts dealers and importers at the ports to whom the so-called tax rebates have ended up being the noose staring at them). And there are many more. No development project going on to prove to the people that this kind of government has their interests at heart. it's all about self-gratification and empty threats to jail political opponents on their minds as saboteurs. No country can be developed this way. Just doing anything in desperation to appear to be solving problems where, indeed, the opposite is clear: that the government is bereft of ideas to do better than its predecessors. We are even not talking about management of the country's natural and human resources. What new policies has Team Akufo-Addo put in place? (Don't refer me to the fight against "galamsey" because Akufo-Addo has his own credibility problems rooted therein. You may care to find out why the illiterate Wontumi would hate ex-President Mahama to the marrow for taking drastic action against his illegal mining activities or why he hasnt said a single word when Akufo-Addo went further to clamp down on what he would have been profiting from. No word from Wontumi on Akufo-Addos clamping down on galamsey. Yet, there is jubilation in the NPP camp at the action taken against Ibrahim Mahama in his pursuit of the bauxite deposits in the Nyinahin area, which he is duly entitled to by virtue of the legal and contractual arrangements). A government of this sort that narrowly functions on the basis of vindictiveness wont inspire patriotism. Neither should you talk about agriculture because Team Akufo-Addo hasn't added any value to that sector. Or the promise of "one village, one dame or one district one factory" These are tactically deceptive ploys.). What else? Let's not waste words. I just want someone close to Team Akufo-Addo to tell me what exactly the government has initiated to solve the economic problems that differs from what we have already been exposed to. Then, we can redefine how we assess its performance. For now, I don't see anything different. What I see is a different group of con-artists (confidence tricksters) manipulating public discourse and national resources to fatten themselves. Too bad for Ghana. Not until anything emerges to prove that this Akufo-Addo government is doing things in a manner that we haven't seen before, I will remain pessimistic that it has bitten more than it can chew. In truth, then, I want to be given evidence of what it has introduced to make the difference between it and its predecessors. Then, I will redefine my approach to commenting on its performance. Is there anything that anybody has to offer? I am all ears!! I shall return Expressway project will test armys capability The construction of a long-planned expressway linking Kathmandu and the Tarai will be a test of the Nepal Armys capability as it will be an engineering achievement, experts said on Wednesday. President Akufo Addo has said that his government will not make any pronouncements on the yet to be delivered ruling on the maritime border dispute although it is hopeful of a favorable ruling. The landmark ruling will be delivered on Saturday, September 23rd after a 3-year long dispute between Ghana and Ivory Coast over maritime boundaries. In 2014, Ghana went to the International Tribunal of the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), seeking a declaration that it has not encroached on Cote d'Ivoire's territorial waters as claimed by the latter. Speaking to the Bloomberg, President Akufo Addo, maintained that the ruling will inform his governments decisions. The ruling is on Saturday, we are waiting to see what decision will be made and we will see how best we can enforce the ruling of the court, he said. While admitting the ruling has economic consequences for Ghana, Akufo-Addo said the government was doing a lot of work to mitigate any negative impact should the ruling go against Ghana. He said he would make his intentions clear on the way forward for the country after the ruling. The President, who is currently in the US to attend the United Nationals General Assembly meeting said a previous interview that Ghana would accept whatever ruling is giving by the court. The Ghanaian and Ivorian teams presented their final arguments before the court in February 2017 but the ruling was moved to September, President Akufo-Addo, while in Ivory Coast as part of his Africa court earlier this year said, Whatever the result of that litigation, and, naturally, I hope it goes in favour of Ghana, I want to assure President Ouattara, his government and the Ivorian people of the determination of my government and I to work with you in a healthy manner of co-operation to deal with the consequences of the pending judgment What is of paramount importance to our two populations is the peaceful exploitation of the maritime resources for their benefit. Ghana's Attorney General Gloria Akufo at the hearing of the case earlier this year argued that the two countries already have an agreement on their maritime boundary, although informal. Ivory Coast, on the other hand, rejected that claim, calling on the Chamber to declare that Ghana has indeed violated the sovereign rights of Ivory Coast when it unilaterally undertook drilling activities in that boundary. By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana Accra, Sept. 19, GNA - The Government is working on modalities to revamp the Media Fund to facilitate the development of the capacities of journalists, the Minister of Information, Mr Mustapha Hamid, has said. He said the Government was determined to supporting the growth of the media to be able to effectively investigate and communicate on all aspects of social development. Mr Hamid disclosed this on Tuesday in Accra at the opening of a three-day training workshop on investigative journalism organised by Media Response. The workshop, dubbed: 'Support to Free Movement of Persons and the Migration in West Africa,' was funded by the European Union in collaboration with the ECOWAS Commission. Mr Hamid said the workshop was being held at a time the country was bracing itself to deal with the unprecedented challenges of irregular migration and human trafficking currently confronting the whole world. 'The recent reported incidence of trafficking of girls from Ghana to the Gulf States is a typical example,' he added. Mr Hamid said Ghana was a signatory to several international protocols and conventions, which sought to promote safer migration and guarantee the rights of migrants such as the ECOWAS Protocol on Free Movement of Goods and Persons and Rights of Establishment as well as the ECOWAS Common Approach on Migration. He said given the contemporary migration realities and dynamics as well as the current global processes of urbanisation and development, the media could not afford to ignore migration and its impact on economic development. He noted that it was imperative that the Ghanaian media had a key role to play in the promotion of safe, secure and intra-regional migration. Mr Hamid said the coming into force of the National Migration Policy in April 2016 as well as the high number of communications and policy documents addressing the issue also signified government's commitment towards ensuring the country derived optimum benefits from the positive aspects and minimise the negative consequences. Mr Dominic Afriyie Agyemang, the Deputy Director/Head of Migration Unit of the Ministry of Interior, said: 'Ghana does not find itself in a very favourable position in the books of the United States Department of State Report on Trafficking in Persons. 'Ghana remained on Tier Two Watch List for the third consecutive year. This does not put Ghana in a very good picture in the eyes of the world with regards to eliminating child labour and human trafficking with the tendency to losing the essential courtesies from the United States'. He explained that the Interior Ministry was, therefore, seeking the support of the media to redeem Ghana's image. Mr Samuel Nii Dodoo, the Executive Director of Media Response, said when it came to migration issues, the focus of the Ghanaian media tended to dwell on the lack of political will, suspicion and detestation. He said recent media reports also suggested that migrants posed a significant threat to the country's development due to their alleged involvement in illegal mining activities, nomadic grazing, trading in the open market as well as the electoral process. Mr Dodoo said given the afore-mentioned, there was no doubt that the media had a crucial role to play in the promotion of safe and secure intra-regional migration. He said the workshop was to train journalists to improve their knowledge on the various legal frameworks that promoted the free movement of persons as well as the protection of migrants for the promotion of their rights and public awareness on safer migration. Mr Eric Akomanyi of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), said the Support to Free Movement of Persons and Migration in West Africa was being implement in 16 ECOWAS member states including Mauritania. He said the project aims to strengthen the capacities of the ECOWAS Commission to lead an intra-regional dialogue on free movement and migration issues and act as a platform for policy development and harmonisation. GNA By Iddi Yire/Wlliam Fiabu, GNA Accra, Sept. 19, GNA - Kingsford Ansah, a Pastor, has appeared before an Accra Circuit Court charged with causing unlawful damage, assault and threat of harm. He has, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges. The Court, presided over by Mrs Jane Harriet Akweley Quaye, admitted Ansah to bail in the sum of GH60,000.00 with two sureties, who should be gainfully employed. He is to reappear on October 2. Prosecuting, Inspector Judith Asante told the Court that the complainant, Madam Jacklyn Gamo was a Caterer, residing at Sukura whilst Ansah lived at Russia in Accra. According to Inspector Asante, Ansah and Madam Gamo had been in a relationship for the past 10 years and they had a daughter. The Prosecution said Ansah, who suspected that Madam Gamo was flirting with others, informed her that he was no longer interested in the relationship. Thereafter, Ansah stopped providing for the complainant and their five year old daughter for the past five months. However, on May 18, this year, at about 19:30 hours, Ansah saw Madam Gamo inside a friend's car in front of her house; and without any provocation Ansah punched her on the mouth and bolted. Inspector Asante said Madam Gamo lodged a complainant at the Domestic Violence and Victims' Support Unit. Consequently, on July 2, this year at about 08:00 hours, Ansah went to Madam Gamo's house to pick their daughter, but she told him that they were ready to go to church; so Ansah should come back for the daughter the following week. This did not go down well with Ansah, the Prosecutor said, so he hit the complainant in the chest and this resulted in a fight between them. Inspector Asante said after the fight, Ansah called one Diana, a co-tenant on phone to ask her (Diana) to inform the complainant that because of what she did to him, anytime he saw her, he would pour acid on her or break her legs. On September 12, this year, at about 0800 hours, whilst the complainant was away, Ansah sneaked into the complainant's room and used a pair of scissors to cut the complainant's long dresses, trousers, wax prints, blouse all totaling GH1,000.00. Prosecution said while Ansah was in the complainant's room someone entered her room and Ansah hid behind the door. Ansah, who thought it was the complainant, pounced on her only to realise that it was one Ama, the complainant's friend. The alarm was raised and Ansah was apprehended and escorted to the Accra Central Police Station. Ansah's slipper, which he left behind the complainant's door was also given to the Police as evidence. GNA By Joyce Danso, GNA 21.09.2017 LISTEN Accra, Sept. 19, GNA - The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has commended President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for keeping one of the flagship campaign promises of the New Patriotic Party; the implementation of the Free Senior High School Policy. A statement issued in Accra and signed by Dr Yaw Baah, the TUC General Secretary, and copied to the Ghana News Agency, said labour unions were impressed with the careful planning of the various ministries and agencies in the implementation of the Policy. It said this was the most important social intervention programme that had been implemented in the country since independence. 'We believe it is the most equitable way to distribute the country's resources to all Ghanaians regardless of their socio-economic background,' the statement said. 'We agree fully with President Akufo-Addo's statement that the cost of providing free secondary school education would be cheaper than the alternative of an uneducated and unskilled workforce,' it said. The statement said data from the Ghana Statistical Service indicates that only 15 per cent of Ghanaians who are 15 years or older have attained secondary education or higher. The statistics further indicate that 19.5 per cent of Ghanaians have never attended school; 44.6 per cent did not complete MSLC/BECE; and only 20.9 per cent completed MSLC/BECE. 'After 60 years of independence these statistics are not only shameful, but they are also a barrier to sustainable and inclusive development,' it said. 'We expect the Free SHS programme to dramatically improve access to education in all parts of the country. But we should not end there. Government should address all other related issues and ensure that quality of education improves, it said. With the immense opportunities associated with the Free SHS implementation, the only way the cost of the programme would pay for itself would be to put beneficiary Ghanaians to productive work, the statement said. 'Additionally, government should begin to think of expanding infrastructure at the country's universities to ensure that the universities can absorb the large number of SSS graduates in the next few years,' it said. It, therefore, assured government of the TUC's support to ensure the success of the Free SHS Policy. GNA Lome (AFP) - Opposition parties in Togo readied for a second day of demonstrations on Thursday over the rule of President Faure Gnassingbe, the scion of Africa's oldest political dynasty, amid accusations of harsh repression by the security forces. Opposition leaders, at the start of a march in the capital Lome, condemned a crackdown by security forces of demonstrations in the far north of Togo, and accused troops and militia of infiltrating the rallies. At least 77 people were injured in the town of Bafilo when security forces fired rubber bullets at the crowd on Wednesday, according to the opposition. Four people who were critically wounded were sent for treatment in Sokode, the country's second biggest city, about 50 kilometres (31 miles) to the south, it said. In statement, the opposition added that soldiers and militiamen in civilian dress "infiltrated demonstrations" in the northern cities of Bafilo, Kara, Mango, Sokode and Dapaong. "In Dapaong, soldiers staged punitive operations all night," the coalition said. "The town is burning," opposition leader Brigitte Adjamagbo-Johnson said. "The market is at this moment burning and there is shooting". But a source close to the presidency blamed the violence on Panafrican National Party (PNP) of opposition leader Tikpi Atchadam, accusing its supporters of attacking officials of the ruling Union for the Republic (UNIR) and torching houses. In Mango, the source said, a nine-year-old child was killed and 25 people were injured, including 10 by gunshot. The injuries were caused by hunting rifles and other guns -- types of weapons that the security forces did not use, the source said. Francois Patuel of Amnesty International said that "despite official declarations in favour of appeasement, the repression of demonstrations by the armed forces continues." Amnesty called for "an independent and impartial inquiry" into the child's death in Mango and use of force by security forces. Patuel also said on social media that the popular messaging service Whatsapp had been blocked. The opposition has boycotted a vote on constitutional reform that would have included a presidential term limit, arguing it was a ploy to let Gnassingbe stay in power until 2030. They want the limit to apply retroactively so that Gnassingbe, who has been in power since 2005, could not run again in 2020. His father Gnassingbe Eyadema ruled from 1967 until his death in 2005. Historic demonstrations To press their demands, the opposition staged rallies on September 6 and 7 that drew more than 100,000 people -- an unprecedented turnout in a country widely criticised for stifling democracy. The 14-party coalition has called for follow-up rallies for Wednesday and Thursday. Thousands of people thronged Lome in rival demonstrations on Wednesday. Police said 10,000 to 15,000 people marched nationwide on Wednesday, but Eric Dupuy, spokesman for the main opposition National Alliance for Change (ANC) party, said "tens of thousands of protesters" marched in the capital alone. Mobile phone networks and 3G services had been severed for more than 24 hours on Thursday morning, while wifi networks ran intermittedly. Veteran political opposition leader Jean-Pierre Fabre has called for new demonstrations to be held on September 26, 27 and 28. On the 21st September, 1909 a great hero was born at Nkroful in the Western Region of the then Gold Coast. 108 years on, we still celebrate him for your role in the formation of modern day Ghana. And undoubtedly, his birthday signifies a very essential day in the history of our nation. Sixty years on as a country, we came a long way, we started from nothing and though not satisfied with where we are; we are proud of the peace and stability we have been enjoying over the years. People lost their lives in the struggle to ensure we enjoy freedom today and they are our heroes. Indeed, a nation that does not honour its heroes is not worth dying for. Our history defines us, it shows where we came from and where we possibly heading to; and must therefore be well told and written. You don't celebrate the death of your father by just telling friends how he lived and what he did for you or what he wanted you to be, you celebrate him by being what he wanted you to be. Many of our founding fathers especially the man's whose name stands tall in the independence struggle had a dream of making this nation self sufficient and his approach was making Ghana an industrialized nation where we can produce what we consume so we do not depend solely on other nations and phillantropists for basic needs and that is the path our president is on with the one district one factory initiative and that alone to me is part of the celebration. So as citizens we have to support this initiative spiritually in prayer and financially if we truly believe our founding fathers are worth celebrating. Yes, as a 60years old nation we still have many challenges to overcome; we still depend on many other nations for support for basic needs which doesn't order well. Like Dr. Kwame Nkrumah said "Those who want to judge us just heights should do well to know the depth from which we come from". So we have grown as a nation. We have to say Alhamdulillah for how far Allah has brought us and gradually we will get to the Promised Land Insha Allah. We are at a stage today where hope should be our vehicle to take us apar with other great nations. Let us therefore keep our nation in prayer at all times because that is what will show our love for Ghana. Which ever party flag we holding should be held in our left hand and that of Ghana's flag in our right hand and raised higher than our party flag to show our love. In summary, I am edging us all to put Ghana first for we have only one Ghana and should always be inspired by the virtues of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. I once again join the many Ghanaians, Africans and rest of the world in wishing Ghana a Happy Nkrumah Memorial Day. #GodBlessNkrumah. #LongLiveGhana #LongLiveUs. SIGNED Saani Ibrahim (Baba Waala) (Deputy General Secretary) National Youth for Alhaji Short (NAYAS) (0509884735) For: ALHAJI ABUBAKARI ABDUL-RAHMAN (ALHAJI SHORT) Upper West Regional Chairman & National Chairman Hopeful Mr. Mitesh Shah, Managing Director, Mitsumi Distribution 21.09.2017 LISTEN Kenya Sep 21, 2017: Mitsumi Distribution, the leading IT, CE and Telco distributor in the Middle East and Africa; today announced that it has been appointed by Dell EMC Middle East, as an Authorized Dell EMC Enterprise Distributor for the Africa region. The move demonstrates their confidence in our ability to help grow their brand across the region. Since our Dell Consumer, Commercial and SNP African distribution partnership first began in 2009, Mitsumi has played an integral role in helping to grow the Dell business across the region. As an authorized distributor, Mitsumi will distribute Dell EMC storage products including all-flash arrays, hybrid storage platforms and networked-attached storage solutions in Angola, Burundi, Cape Verde, Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Mayotte, Nigeria, Reunion, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. Other Dell EMC enterprise IT offerings include servers, converged infrastructure and cloud infrastructure products. Nazih Moufarrej, Managing Director, Central and Eastern Africa region, DELL EMC said, DELL EMC is proud to sign this unique partnership agreement with MITSUMI. DELL EMC was focusing on progressing its technological corner in product growth to be able to encounter the needs of customers both at the descent and aloft ends of the market. Mitesh Shah, Managing Director, Mitsumi Distribution said, Over the last two years, we have invested heavily in our team and business to ensure we have the correct skill sets in place to drive growth and capture the Middle East & Africa market share. We are also concentrating on developing our product distribution capability and reach. We look forward to working with DELL EMC and we are sure that this partnership will offer a wide product offering to all the Enterprise Partners based in Africa. Mitsumi has been successfully serving a broad network of partners for the past 20 years, he Added. Reseller partners across Mitsumis entire African footprint now have access to the Dell EMC portfolio, including an extensive and innovative range of flash storage, hybrid cloud, and advanced data center solutions. In October 2016, Mitsumi also gained DELL CSG Consumer Product distribution rights for UAE, GULF (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Yemen,) and SELL (Libya, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq) countries for the Wholesale industry only. Mitsumi distributes a wide range of products covering PC, Notebooks, mobility, Data Centre, Storage, Hardware, Services and Telecommunication products from various well-known vendors. Mitsumi operates in 11 Middle East and African countries; this includes U.A.E, Qatar, Kuwait, Algeria, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Ghana and Cameron. It was a moment of surprise for the head teachers and entire staff of Ahenema Kokoben D/A 'A' and 'B' schools when the new queen mother of Ahenema Kokoben in the Atwima Kwanwoma district of the Ashanti region paid a surprise visit to them at the school premises on Wednesday. The astonished head teacher of D/A JHS 'A' who could not hide his delight for the visit welcomed Nanahemaa on behalf of the whole staff. This was in fulfillment of a pledge the queen mother made to the teachers when they paid a courtesy call on her at her palace to officially welcome her as the newly enstooled queen of the Ahenema Kokoben township. In her address, Nana Agyeimaa Akenten II said, she saw it as a need to visit them as teachers to know how they and their jobs are faring and also admonish them not to relent on their job as teachers and make sure they will work all their hearts out to the betterment of the students. She expressed joy as she said all teachers were busily stuck in their respective class teaching when she arrived. "I am happy to see all teachers in their various classrooms teaching when I arrived here. It shows that you are up and doing on the job and it must continue this way until the success we seek to achieve has come. I am retired teacher and I know the challenges teachers go through everyday. Sometimes parents do not buy books and the needed materials for their wards but will always push their children to come to school to burden teachers. It is painful but please, exercise patience with us and continue to give your best to this country", the queen mother said. Again, she stated that, " I did not come here just to waste your time or interfere in your duty today but I see it as a task for me to always come so that we can all discuss issues of importance bothering this school and the way forward. This school is in my town and I shall be the first point of honor for every positive impact the school makes and the opposite so it is of great concern to me and my family as well as the people I represent to always see this school move in the right direction". Speaking on behalf of the entire staff, the head teacher of D/A Primary 'B', Mr. Isaac Asante also expressed their happiness to have Nanahemaa in their midst. He took the opportunity to ask for more of such visits as it opens the door for teachers to tell Nananom the problems of their school for onward solutions. In his speech, some problems the schools were facing could not be left out. He stated, "Nana, it may surprise you to know that we have students who are learning under trees in this school. There are inadequate classrooms to accommodate all our students so we have no choice. Even those available are hugely overcrowded. Furniture too is a big problem here, no toilet for teachers, no staff common room so we do everything under these trees. Students are meant to share chairs because they are insufficient. The KG classroom is so dusty and it is an eyesore to see that a big town like Kokoben which shares immediate boundary with Kumasi is experiencing such things. We have made several strides and appeals to the appropriate offices but a few has been done so we count on you, Nana, to also help push for more developments to be brought here. We are very much grateful to have you this afternoon". The queen mother in her response also pledged to do all that she can to carry the problems she has come to see and hear to appropriate authorities for redress. "What I have come to hear and see today is very pathetic, it is not worthy of us as a people and I promise to do all that I can to see many of these problems addressed if not all in the due course". She again called on the teachers to always be regular at her office so that they can all address the needs of the school when necessary. 2017-09-21 164920 The credibility of the United Nations is at stake if it fails to heed the calls for reforms, President Nana Akufo-Addo has cautioned. The Presidents maiden address to the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly was appended by a call for changes to the way the UN operated, which he noted was seen by many as helping to perpetuate an unfair world order. This organisation provides the best vehicle for the world to manage its very many problems and we would undermine its credibility and fail in our duty if we do not reform the United Nations, he said. In an address that touched on regional integration, the free SHS policys role in the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and a vision of a world without nuclear weapons, President Akufo-Addo said the UN needed to act to correct the injustice that lay in the composition of the UN Security Council. I say nothing new when I draw attention to the urgent need to reform this organisation. It has been talked about and scheduled for a long time but somehow, we have never found the courage and the will to reform the United Nations. Ghana supports the process of UN reforms, especially of the UN Security Council The time is long overdue to correct the longstanding injustice that the current structure and composition of the UN Security Council represents for the nations of Africa. President Akufo-Addo stressed that the UN cannot continue to preach democracy and peace around the world when it is not seen by a majority of its members as having a structure that is just and fair. Increasing calls for reforms The 72nd UN General Assembly has been marked by calls for the UN to reform itself in order to meet the present challenges of the world. The UN Security Council has taken a step in this regard by adopting a resolution for reform which seeks to achieve effective implementation and monitoring of peacekeeping operations. The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is pushing for an overhaul of some of the organization's contentious peacekeeping programs. UK Prime minister, Theresa May in her speech on Wednesday had warned that Britain could withhold up to 30% of its 90m core funding each year unless the UN adopted reforms. She said there was a gap between the nobility of the UN's purposes and the effectiveness of its delivery. Earlier, US President Donald Trump in his speech to the UN also threatened to withdraw funding from the UN unless it reformed. By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana One of the most significant causes of Africas underdevelopment is our aversion to knowledge and data, a former presidential aspirant of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Arthur Kennedy has said. According to him, if Africa had active, well-informed leaders and citizens, Africa would be much further along than we are. Let us read to open our minds and our hearts to new ideas, new perspectives and new people, the author of controversial Chasing the elephant into the bush book advised. My friends, read, read, read. It will make you and the world better, he added. Dr. Kennedy confessed to having read just 20 of a list of 100 greatest books of all time published by the New York Times a few years ago, a feeling he described as humbling. I want to commend all those who find the time to read and to write, he said. Reading about the work of others, Dr. Arthur Kennedy noted makes all of us better; regardless of whether we are doctors, lawyers, accountants or politicians. Reading has made such a difference to my life. Since I walked into that small library at OKESS, which fuelled my love of books, I have had a love affair with books, he revealed. In a brief statement in support of the Ghana Association of writers book festival (GAWBOFEST) at PAWA house in Accra, Dr Kennedy reminded that, he who will not read has no advantage over he who cannot read. Feud over land leaves one dead in Rautahat A 50-year-old man died and three others injured after a fight with neighbours over land dispute at Katahariya Municipality-8 of Rautahat district on Wednesday night. First Atlantic Bank has announced has finalized an agreement with Advanced Finance & Investment Group (AFIG Funds), manager of AFIG Fund II for an investment in the Bank. The Funds investment is subject to regulatory approval. First Atlantic Bank is a full-service universal bank in Ghana which has been providing a wide range of banking services to corporate and retail clients for over 20 years. Since its transformation from a merchant bank to a universal bank in 2011, the Bank has quickly become one of the more established local banks. AFIG Funds investment in First Atlantic Bank will strengthen the Banks capital and accelerate its transition to being a market leader. Commenting on the announcement, Karen Akiwumi-Tanoh, Chairman of the board of the Bank said, We are glad to have attracted the backing of AFIG Funds at this critical phase in our growth. We have been engaged with AFIG Funds for several years and are delighted to have gained their confidence in our business model and prospects. "This investment will go a long way in strengthening our capital base and will better position us to continue delivering excellent service to our customers. We also expect to benefit from AFIG Funds experience of investing in and building banks across Africa. Commenting further, Papa Madiaw Ndiaye, CEO of AFIG Funds said, We are pleased to build a partnership with a bank of this caliber, which has a diversified reach across key segments of the economy. This investment cements the longstanding relationship between both institutions. "Our partnership with First Atlantic Bank takes place at an important stage in Ghanas economic evolution given the new governments plans and ambitions, particularly in terms of restoring investor confidence," he said. He added that as an international investor, they pride themselves on timing their investments to ideally coincide with periods of great promise in the target country. Mr Ndiaye said they are delighted to partner with reputable institutions like First Atlantic Bank especially at a time when the Bank of Ghana has taken bold steps to strengthen the banking sector. "We believe that First Atlantic Bank has the capacity to become one of the leading banks locally and possibly in West Africa, thanks to the quality of its board and management team, as we have known its MD/CEO, Odun Odunfa, and other members of the board and management team for many years, he said. Story by Ghana| Myjoyonline | JoyBusiness Lome (AFP) - Thousands of protesters in Togo Thursday joined demonstrations around the country for a second day against the rule of President Faure Gnassingbe, the scion of Africa's oldest political dynasty. The atmosphere was tense amid accusations of harsh repression by security forces on Wednesday, when at least 77 people were injured by rubber bullets in the far north of the country, according to the opposition. Four people who were critically wounded were sent for treatment in Sokode, the country's second biggest city, it added. At the start of Thursday's march in the capital Lome, opposition leaders condemned the crackdown and accused troops and militia of infiltrating rallies in the northern cities of Bafilo, Kara, Mango, Sokode and Dapaong. "We are capable of anything for a new Togo!" said protester Matawo Kossi, a hairdresser in the Agoe district of Lome on Thursday. But a source close to the presidency blamed the violence Wednesday on the Panafrican National Party (PNP) of opposition leader Tikpi Atchadam, accusing its supporters of attacking officials of the ruling Union for the Republic (UNIR) and torching houses. In Mango a nine-year-old child was killed and 25 people injured, including 10 by gunshot wounds from hunting rifles and other weapons the security forces did not use, the source said. Francois Patuel of Amnesty International said that "despite official declarations in favour of appeasement, the repression of demonstrations by the armed forces continues." Amnesty called for "an independent and impartial inquiry" into the child's death in Mango and use of force by security forces. Historic demonstrations The opposition has boycotted a vote in parliament on constitutional reform that would have included a presidential term limit, arguing it was a ploy to let Gnassingbe stay in power until 2030. They want the limit to apply retroactively so that Gnassingbe, who has been in power since 2005, could not run again in 2020. He succeeded his father Gnassingbe Eyadema who ruled from 1967 until his death in 2005. To press their demands, the opposition staged rallies on September 6 and 7 that drew more than 100,000 people -- an unprecedented turnout in a country widely criticised for stifling democracy. The 14-party coalition had called for the follow-up rallies on Wednesday and Thursday. Police said 10,000 to 15,000 people marched nationwide on Wednesday, but Eric Dupuy, spokesman for the main opposition National Alliance for Change (ANC) party, said "tens of thousands of protesters" marched in the capital alone. Veteran political opposition leader Jean-Pierre Fabre has called for new demonstrations to be held on three consecurive days next week, starting Tuesday. In 1975, Fred Smith, the founder of Fedex [NYSE:FDX], made a desperate trip to Las Vegas. His two year old company was haemorrhaging money and in deep trouble. Desperate to pay the bills, he took his last $5,000 and hit the blackjack tables. Amazingly, he turned it into $27,000, enough to keep the doors open until some cash-flow started rolling in. One year later, it brought in $75 million of revenue. In 1978 it went public. And today it is a US$56 billion leader in its field. Its a great story. But Fedex is an even better story for you to continue to follow today. Ill tell you why. Fedex is a kind of bellwether for the state of the underlying economy. One company whose results give you a snapshot of the strength of consumer demand. Especially in the era of internet shopping. If its doing well, then the economy is generally doing well. After all, consumer spending drives 70% of all economic growth, according to most estimates. Thats why I looked out especially for yesterdays earnings results. Ill come back to the numbers shortly, and what they mean for the Australian stock market going forward. But first, a bit about the company itself. As you probably know, Fedex is one of the worlds largest courier companies. Its main competitor is United Parcel Services [NYSE:UPS]. The two of them dominate the US courier market, and are major players on the world stage. You can use one or the other for bellwether purposes, but I prefer Fedex based purely on personal habit. Its one of those few companies thats name has become a verb. Just like you google something, Fedex is synonymous with the act of sending someone an item. Movie scripts are popular items to be fedex-ed. A fact that indicates both the urgency of the script, and the efficiency of the renowned courier service. And Tom Hanks character in the 2000 film Castaway was a Fedex employee. A fact that, funnily enough, saw job applications to the company increase by 30% soon after the films release! So what did yesterdays earnings results say? Behind Fedexs numbers At first glance the headline profit figures didnt look too good. First-quarter profit fell to $2.51 a share, compared with analysts average expectation of $3. Sales in the period rose 4% to $15.3 billion, compared with the average estimate of $15.35 billion. Bu there were two very big reasons for this. A hack. And a hurricane. First the hack Fedex was one of many companies caught up in the Petya cyberhack back in June. Until now, analysts werent sure of the cost to Fedex. But now they know. Logan Purk, an analyst at Edward Jones said in an interview: It was worse than people expected. Thats a pretty big headline number they disclosed. But at the end of the day, thats driving essentially the earnings miss and the guidance cut. The total cost was reported at US$300 million. The recent hurricanes slowed sales growth towards the end of the quarter, as Texas and the Gulf Coast states were essentially shut down. Now these two rare events masked the important numbers, to some extent. Especially if youre trying to use the results to gauge the strength of the underlying economy. But there were a few clues. First, sales growth is a more crucial number for our purpose than the profit figure. And this number rose 4%, despite the headwinds encountered. Secondly, the company announced plans to hire more than 50,000 workers for the peak holiday shipping season, and expects deliveries to rise to another record. Simply put, these two results suggests the US consumer is still buying. And the US economy is trucking along nicely. Further validation of this conclusion came from the Cass Freight Index Report. It reported recently: August shipments, at 1.158, rose 3.9% annually and were up 2.8% compared to July. Parcel volumes associated with e-commerce continue to show outstanding rates of growth, with both FedEx and UPS reporting strong U.S. domestic volumes. And according to the proprietary Broughton Capital index in the most recent month available (June), airfreight has also been showing improving strength, with the Asia Pacific lane jumping 9.5% and the Europe Atlantic lane growing 7.6% on a YoY basis. A reluctant bull market All in all, this data suggests underlying economic conditions are going well. Both in the US and abroad. That in turn is good news for Australian markets. The US is still the engine of the world economy. But thats not to say you shouldnt be cautious. Like all data, this is backwards looking. Its the past, not the future. But if you are a glass half full kind of person, youd certainly be thinking that maybe things are better than expected out there. Its funny Market are at record highs, economic indicators are improving and companies are making profits. Yet it must be the most reluctant bull market Ive ever seen. People are still scared. There is no irrational exuberance. Maybe that means there is a lot more room for shares to move higher? Good Investing, Ryan Dinse, Editor, Money Morning PS: Transport companies like Fedex are massive users of fuel. And as the e-commerce market heats up, we could start to see some big effects in the oil price. Our Head of Research, Greg Canavan, has an even more compelling case for oil price rises. Rises that could be bigger than anyone expects. If hes right, then 2018 will be a big year for three small-cap oil companies. Click here to read the report. 'The big truck is still on ... Going somewhere Migration can be a positive force for development when assisted by the right policy Congressman Tom McClintock at Calaveras County Town Hall Meeting Sept 20 2017 View Photos San Andreas, CA Among hot topics hurled about at Congressman Tom McClintocks town hall event last night were health care, climate change and the fate of young Dreamer immigrants. The public event kicked off promptly at 6 p.m. inside Angels Camps Bret Harte High School gymnasium just after the the U.S. Representative for Californias 4th congressional district briskly strode in; flanked by aides and well supported by a strategic scattering of local law enforcement officials. A whirl of about four dozen sign waving protestors, some bearing supportive Obamacare and anti-Trump resistance posters, followed on his heels and made some brief noise, as shown in this video clip. McClintock, game face intact, acknowledged their First Amendment right and the need for civility. As long as we are talking with each other and not shouting each other or disruptingwe cant do this if people are seeking to disrupt these proceedings, he cajoled, indicating before he opened the floor that he had about an hour and a half for taking questions. Out of the gate he was queried about the last-ditch Republican attempt to repeal Obamacare drafted by Senators Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana. The short answer is I like what I see so far but it falls short of everything I would like to see in that bill, McClintock replied. Bellyaching at length that the Senates failure to reform its cloture rule was preventing debate, he described the proposal as a huge step forward, as detailed in the video here. His stated reasons were that the bill gets rid of the individual and employer mandates; leaves health insurance systems up to the states through block grants and allows people to shop for insurance across state lines. Dissenters in the crowd who called out Medicare for all, invoking Senator Bernie Sanders single-payer position drew some applause mixed with loud boos. McClintock decried it as an impossibly expensive proposal that would leave people without choices. A Consensus On Climate Change? Constituents on both sides of the climate change debate queried him on his position, relative to President Trumps. While McClintock allowed that the climate is changing and growing warmer, he added, It has been changing for four and a half billion yearswarming on and off since the last Ice Age. But when you say we are in a period of historic extremes, I am not sure it is supported by the data. Pivoting a bit, he cited a need for consensus on important related policies such as promoting better forest management and building more reservoirs, if water cannot be sufficiently stored as snow in the mountains until later in the year. With regard to DACA, the Dream Act, McClintock maintained the six months Trump has mandated is enough for Congress to make the necessary immigration reforms. However, he stated that the move to grant permanent residency to young immigrants currently registered as long as they have not committed any crime or were ordered deported or found with affiliations with any gangs would need to happen at the same time as finishing the border wall; instigating the entry-exit monitoring program and increasing penalties for employers who hire illegal immigrants. It all has to be done at the same time in order to be effective, he insisted. When asked why the Republican Congress was not completely supportive of President Trump, McClintock maintained that the House has been doing its job. We have passed a number of regulatory rollbacks which fortunately do bypass the cloture rule in the Senate, he emphasized. He also pointed out that a trillion dollars in regulatory relief, including rolling back Dodd-Frank regulations, got no media attention for the House because it passed the same day that ex-FBI Chief James Comey was testifying in the Senate. We completed all 12 appropriations bills and sent them all to the Senate, he added, urging constituents to hold the Senate Republicans accountable. He additionally shared that the budget vote, now pending on the House floor should come up next week. Among his related remarks on the topic, McClintock commented, The national debt is the one thing that keeps me up at night 20 trillion dollars now it is as high as it has ever been, relative to the history of this country. Queried as to his thoughts about Trumps controversial address Tuesday to the UN General Assembly, McClintock called it perhaps the strongest ever delivered by a President to that body. Click here to hear his comments and the response from the room. Road Repairs Among Local Concerns Among the questions posed relating to local topics was the status of FEMA funding assistance to address much needed repairs to secondary and backcountry roads within Calaveras and Tuolumne counties that were sorely damaged due to this past winters disastrous wet weather. We are working with local governments, McClintock affirmed. FEMA is improvingbut still has a long way to go and the record number of disasters is an issue. He also illuminated a need for federal lands policy changes to open roads that have been closed for public access and safety purposes. McClintock directed the final question of the meeting to the crowd asking, Are we moving on the right track with this Administration? The response of distinctly louder cheers over the jeers brought a satisfied smile to his face. Local lawmakers who made it to the event included Calaveras District 1 Supervisor and Board Chair Michael Oliveira and Tuolumne County District 2 Supervisor Randy Hanvelt. Jessica Morse, one of four female Democratic contenders hoping to unseat McClintock in the next election was also on hand, busily working the exit crowd, which Angels Camp Police Chief Todd Fordahl summed up as being fairly well-behaved, all things considered. Messing around It is not likely that export will expand and diversify through paltry cash subsidies to exporters Not all that long ago, the Federal Road Safety Commission (or FRSC) in Nigeria implemented new licence plates for motor vehicles. Find out here all you need to know about the FRSC new plate number, including the information on plate number verification, costs and deadlines. What you need to know about the FRSC plate number There are a few things you might want to know about the new licence plate: When was it introduced? The new licence plate was introduced all the way back in 2011. The previous format of the number plate was in effect from 1992 until 2011. The new licence plate was introduced all the way back in 2011. The previous format of the number plate was in effect from 1992 until 2011. How has it changed? The previous plate had the format AB123-CDE, where the last three letters stood for the LGA the plate was issued in. The new plate has the format ABC-123DE, which means that the letters that represent the LGA have been moved to the front. Why has it changed? FRSC explained that the introduction of new number plates was necessary to bring order to the licence plate system. In addition, the new plates are supposed to carry biometric data about the owner of the car. FRSC explained that the introduction of new number plates was necessary to bring order to the licence plate system. In addition, the new plates are supposed to carry biometric data about the owner of the car. How to apply for a new plate? You can either go to your State Board of Internal Revenue (or SBIR) and find the Motor Licencing Office, or fill the MVA01 form online at nvis.frsc.gov.ng. You can either go to your State Board of Internal Revenue (or SBIR) and find the Motor Licencing Office, or fill the MVA01 form online at nvis.frsc.gov.ng. Where to get the new plate? You can get your new plate at your local Motor Vehicle Administration (or MVA). If you want to know how much it will cost you, continue reading. You can get your new plate at your local Motor Vehicle Administration (or MVA). If you want to know how much it will cost you, continue reading. When is the deadline to get the new plate? Despite what many news outlets have stated previously, FRSC representatives claim that there is no deadline for changing your number plate. While it has been considered to set the date for July-August, 2014, the certain date has not been set. Despite what many news outlets have stated previously, FRSC representatives claim that there is no deadline for changing your number plate. While it has been considered to set the date for July-August, 2014, the certain date has not been set. Is there any fee related to the invalid number plate? No, not exactly. There is, however, a fee for vehicle number plate violation, and it is 3,000. The cost of the new number plates READ ALSO: Vehicle licence renewal in Nigeria: Step-by-step guide For a while, there has been a controversy concerning the cost of a new licence plate. Vehicle owners in Nigeria blamed FRSC for charging ridiculous prices for new licence plates that they themselves have implemented. Many were outraged and refused to change their plates. However, FRSC representatives have since come forward to remove all the responsibility for prices from their organisation. In their words, Joint Tax Board is responsible for installing prices and not them. The prices for licence plates vary depending on the MVA that issues them. For example, Lagos MVA offers new car plates for 12,500, renewed plates for 10,000, articulated plates for 20,000 and fancy plates for 80,000. Ordinary motorcycle plates go for 3,000, while fancy cost 30,000. However, bear in mind that these are the 2013 prices. For more recent information, visit one of the centres. To see the list of approved centres, you can click here or visit National Vehicle Identification System (or NVIS) website (nvis.frsc.gov.ng). How to verify plate number? You have three available options for FRSC plate number verification: Visit the NVIS website (nvis.frsc.gov.ng) and click on Verify Number Plate. Send a text that says verifyplateno [licence plate number] to 33324. For example, verifyplateno GGE123ZY. Go to your SBIR and find the desk officer of FRSC. The most convenient way to do it is, of course, via the website. You can do it anywhere you want and all you need is your licence plate number. However, you can chose whichever method you like best. If you encounter any issues in the process of number plate check, such as wrong information on the car or the absence of information whatsoever, you should file a complaint at your local Motor Vehicle Administration. That concludes our article on new FRSC number plates. Was it helpful? Have you changed your plate already? Are you going to? Let us know. READ ALSO: How to check plate number owner in Nigeria? Source: Legit.ng - The death of a young lady identified as Joy Odama, has left her family in pain and sadness - The police has been accused of trying to bury the issue without getting justice for the deceased - An Abuja-based NGO, Basic Rights Enlightenment Foundation and the Cross River state government has promised to see the end of the case The Cross River state government has promised to ensure justice for the family of the Late Joy Odama who was allegedly killed by one Alhaji Usman Adamu at the Karmo area of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The government made its stance known during a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday, September 20, via the director general of the state's Due Process and Price Intelligence Bureau, Barrister Alphonsus Oga Eba, who spoke on behalf of Governor Ben Ayade. Barrister Eba stated that the murder of Miss Odama is one loss that is not only felt by Cross River indigenes, but also by Nigerians as a whole. Barrister Eba (middle) said the Cross River government will ensure Late Odama gets justice. Photo credit: John Ibiruku READ ALSO: Naval officer allegedly infects wife with HIV in Ogun His words: We have as a state watched the conundrum which has been brought into this case by the activities of the Nigeria police. We have as a a state waited allowing the rule of law to drive this process through the police, but that is not to mean that we are not conscious of the provisions of the law on the issue of prosecution. As a responsive and responsible government, we are alerting the world at large that every indigene of Cross River state means a million dollar to us, and the life of any, if taken in any circumstances, the governor of Cross River state to ensure that justice is done. He said Governor Ayade has given immediate instruction to the attorney-general of Cross River state to immediately commence action with the office of the attorney-general of the federation to ensure that justice is done. The law firm of Chief Kanu Agabi (SAN) is also on standby, to get a fiat from the AGF, should every attempt to get the AGF prosecute this matters fails. We want to place on record that this is one death the very wicked, callous and unconscionable attitude of the Nigeria police, Barrister Eba added. He alleged that the suspect, Alhaji Adamu, is still a free man and moves around with police escorts, contrary to claims by the Nigeria police that the suspect is in its custody. They also mentioned the following police officers as complicit in the alleged cover-up of the case: 1. AIG Umoru Usman Shehu 2. CSP Nkem Raphael 3. SP Michael Obiora 4. Inspector Silas Isiaha and 5. Inspector Nkechi He informed the gathering that the late Odama will be buried in Yala local government of Cross River state on Wednesday, September 27, adding that the sum of N10 million will be given to the family for the burial arrangements and the welfare of Miss Odama's siblings. Legit.ng had earlier reported the incident on how the Late Joy Odama died in the hands of Alhaji Adamu on Tuesday, December 27, 2016. The said Alhaji reportedly took the corpse and deposited at the mortuary of the Federal Medical Centre, Jabi, Abuja. The corpse was said to have been embalmed with the active support of the Nigeria police without recourse to the parents. READ ALSO: Nigerian pastor spotted on his knees begging three FRSC officials (video) Legit.ng further gathered that the police compelled the parents of the deceased to collect N400,000 and foreclose the matter. The deceased parents however kept the money as exhibit and insisted for autopsy, which the police refused to fund. The family thereafter raised money for the autopsy through the help of kind-spirited Nigerians at the National Hospital Abuja, and it was revealed that the cause of death was acute cocai*e poison. Watch the Legit.ng TV video below to see how some Nigerians reacted when asked if they believed the Nigerian police force is working for them: Source: Legit.ng - President Buhari thanked President Trump for his call to him when he was in Londom - He also thanked the US for supplying the Nigerian army with weapons to fight Boko Haram - He said Nigeria will continue to count on the support of the US President Muhammadu Buhari has revealed the content of the conversation between him and President Donald Trump of the US in New York. The US president hosted select African heads of state on Wednesday, September 20, on the side-line of the United Nations General Assembly. READ ALSO: President Buhari attends lunch with President Trump (photos) In a post on his official Facebook page, President Buhari revealed that they discussed the US support for Nigeria especially in the area of corruption and terrorism. He also appreciated Trumps call to him in London and for also fulfilling promise of supplying arms to support the fight against Boko Haram. Read the post below: "This afternoon in New York I joined a number of fellow African Heads of State at a Lunch hosted by President Donald J. Trump. We discussed, among other things, America's ongoing support for Nigeria's fight against Terrorism and Corruption. "I thanked President Trump for his goodwill phone call to me earlier in the year, while I was in London, and for fulfilling the promise he made at the time regarding America's supply of arms to our Military, to support the fight against Boko Haram. "Our relationship with the United States is one we value very highly, and we will continue to count on America's enthusiastic support, including for the repatriation of looted public funds, and in the security situation in the Lake Chad Basin and in the Gulf of Guinea." Legit.ng had reported that that Buhari met with his Ghanaian counterpart, Nana Akufo-Addo, on the sidelines of the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The development was made public by Femi Adesina. Legit.ng gathers that the meeting took place on Wednesday, September 20. Also present at the meeting, were Geoffrey Onyeama, Minister of Foreign Affairs; and Babagana Monguno, National Security Adviser. Watch this Legit.ng TV video asking if Nigerians are tired of Muhammadu Buhari: Source: Legit.ng - Federal government has approved the entitlements of the Nigeria Airways staff - The national carrier was liquidated in 2005 but the staff entitlements was not paid - The staff took to the street to protest their unpaid allowances on Wednesday, September 20 The minister of state for aviation, Hadi Sirika, said on Wednesday that the federal government has approved the payment of N45billion severance package to former staff of the defunct Nigeria Airways. The national carrier was liquidated by ex-President Olusegun Obasanjos administration in 2005, and the workers had been embarking on protests nationwide over their unpaid entitlements. News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Sirika told State House correspondents at the end of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting that money has been approved for the settlement of the entitlements. READ ALSO: President Buhari reveals what he discussed with President Trump He said: Governments, in the past, decided just to liquidate Nigeria Airways without tending to the issue of the entitlements of the workers and they have been struggling to get that paid. We came in and took it very seriously. Im happy to announce that Mr. President has approved N45 billion which has been confirmed to be the entitlements of these workers and Ministry of Finance has been instructed to pay the money. The ministry wrote to me last week that they have received the instruction to pay these workers, and therefore, they are setting up the modalities to pay. You should know it wont be paid through my ministry before somebody will say I take some of it. It will be paid by finance through a process, and that process will commence very soon." PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app The minister disclosed that the council approved the procurement of operational vehicles for Nigeria Port Authority (NPA) and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA). Recall that Legit.ng earlier reported that thousands of former workers of Nigeria Airways on Wednesday, September 13, took to the streets to protest the delay of their over N78billion severance benefits. There were reports that the staff were particularly worried that its been over one year since the amount was approved by President Muhammadu Buhari but yet to be paid. They pleaded with the president to compel the ministries of transportation and finance to expedite action on the disbursement. Watch this Legit.ng TV video of local government employees stage massive protest in Lagos: Source: Legit.ng - Sahara Reporters states that President Muhammadu Buhari will be travelling to London - The online newspaper noted that the president would depart today Thursday, September 21, to see his UK doctors - The president addressed world leaders on Tuesday, September 19, in New York for the 72nd session of UN general assembly President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday, September 21, departed New York for London, The Sun reports. READ ALSO: JUST IN: France denies link with IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, describes the statement as untrue Online newspaper, Sahara Reporters, had reported that President Buhari would be travelling to London today, September 21. The newspaper in a tweet also reported that the president is going to London to see his doctors on Saturday, September 23, for a scheduled medical appointment. READ ALSO: President Buhari attends lunch with President Trump (photos) Legit.ng gathered that the president left the Millennium Hilton Hotel, New York, at exactly 08:07a.m local time. The president who departed the John F Kennedy International Airport at 10:00a.m was accompanied by the Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the United Nations, Prof Tijjani Bande. READ ALSO: President Buhari reportedly travels to London for medical appointment On hand to bid the president farewell were the minister of foreign affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama; minister of defence, Brig-Gen Mansur Mohammed Dan-Ali; minister of interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau; minister of state, environment, Ibrahim Jibrin; former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Ambassador Babagana Kingibe, amongst others. Legit.ng previously reported that Femi Adesina, the presidents spokesperson, on Friday, September 15, in a statement said Buhari will transit through London on his way back to the country. Meanwhile President Buhari revealed the content of the conversation between him and President Donald Trump of the US in New York. The US president hosted select African heads of state on Wednesday, September 20 on the side-line of the United Nations General Assembly. PAY ATTENTION: Watch more videos on Legit.ng TV In a post on his official Facebook page, President Buhari revealed that they discussed the US support for Nigeria especially in the area of corruption and terrorism. He also appreciated Trumps call to him in London and for also fulfilling his promise of supplying arms to support the fight against Boko Haram. Watch this Legit.ng TV video asking if Nigerians are tired of Buhari: Source: Legit.ng Nepal-China border talks inconclusive A meeting between Nepal and China on opening more border points between the two countries ended inconclusively on Wednesday. Nepali migrants harassed at Indian border town Nepali migrant workers, who returned home from India for the Dashain festival via Kakadbhitta border recently, complained of being harassed by the Indian security personnel and customs officials at Panitanki. - Apostle Johnson Suleman, the senior pastor of the Omega Fire Ministries Worldwide (OFM), has disclosed what will make 2019 general election not to hold - Apostle Suleman called on Nigerians leaders to pray and be honest with the people they are serving - He said those who wish to see democracy sustained should pray for their leaders and work for peace Apostle Johnson Suleman, the senior pastor of the Omega Fire Ministries Worldwide (OFM), has prophesied that unless Nigerians pray for the country, the 2019 election will not hold. Apostle Suleman was reported to have made this known during a sermon in his Lokoja church, Kogi state. Legit.ng gathered that the acclaimed pastor said Nigerians who wish to see democracy sustained should pray for their leaders and work for peace. READ ALSO: Nigerians react as court bans Nnamdi Kanu's IPOB Apostle Suleman urged Nigerian leaders to pray and be honest with the people they are serving, otherwise, elections may not hold in Nigeria in 2019. He said: ''Nigerians who wish to see democracy sustained, to pray for our leaders and work for peace. PAY ATTENTION: Watch more videos on Legit.ng TV ''Tell the leaders too to pray and be honest with the people they are serving, otherwise, elections may not hold in Nigeria in 2019. That is what God has shown me''. The cleric however said he saw presidents being removed in Africa and presidents being installed. According to him, ''I see presidents being removed in Africa and presidents being installed. President Muhmmadu Buharis health needed serious attention; that America and China would have major crisis''. Meanwhile, Legit.ng had reported that Bishop Seun Adeoye, general overseer of the Sufficient Grace and Truth Ministry (SGTM), Rehoboth Arena, Okinni, Osun state called on President Muhammadu Buhari not to contest in the election. Watch this Legit.ng TV video of Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti state who seems to be one of the most popular governors in Nigeria and is very outspoken: Source: Legit.ng NFC sets goat prices The state-owned Nepal Food Corporation (NFC) on Wednesday, fixed the prices of goats and mountain goats for the upcoming Dashain festival. It has fixed the price at Rs455 per kg for goats and Rs675 per kg for mountain goats. - President Buhari is expected to return to Nigeria after his transit to London - The presidency has declined to state if Buhari's trip to London is medically related The presidency has released pictures showing the moment President Muhammadu Buhari departed New York for London in what some have described as another scheduled medical appointment with his doctors. The president is expected to return to Nigeria after his transit to London. However, the presidency has declined to state if Buhari's trip is medically related. Presidential spokesperson, Garba Shehu, said he cannot confirm if the president was going to see his doctors in London. I cannot confirm to you. I am in Abuja right now I cannot speak on what I dont know, nobody has communicated with me, he told Premium Times on Thursday, September 21, in a telephone conversation. READ ALSO: IPOB protests as court declares group a terrorist organisation The last time Buhari departed for London on medical leave, he spent 105 days receiving treatment. His absence led to protests by some Nigerians who called for the president to resign on health grounds. But calls for the presidents resignation was dismissed by the presidency and the members of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Buhari had arrived New York on Sunday, September 17, to meet with other world leaders at the 72nd session of United Nations General Assembly where he addressed world leaders. Buhari met with President Donald Trump of the US on Wednesday, September 20, on the side-line of the United Nations General Assembly. In a post on his official Facebook page, President Buhari revealed that they discussed the US support for Nigeria especially in the area of corruption and terrorism. PAY ATTENTION: Watch more videos on Legit.ng TV He appreciated Trumps call to him in London and for also fulfilling promise of supplying arms to support the fight against Boko Haram. Buhari also met with his Ghanaian counterpart, Nana Akufo-Addo, on the sidelines of the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. See photos of Buhari departing New York for London below: President Buhari is expected to return to Nigeria after his transit to London, photo credit: Sunday Aghaez - Facebook However the presidency has declined to state if Buhari's trip is medically related, photo credit: Sunday Aghaez - Facebook However the presidency has declined to state if Buhari's trip is medically related, photo credit: Sunday Aghaez - Facebook The last time Buhari departed for London on medical leave, he spent 105 days receiving treatment, photo credit: Sunday Aghaez - Facebook His absence led to protests by some Nigerians who called for the president to resign on health grounds, photo credit: Sunday Aghaez - Facebook Buhari had met with President Donald Trump of the US at the UN General Assembly, photo credit: Sunday Aghaez - Facebook Buhari appreciated Trumps for fulfilling promise of supplying arms to support the fight against Boko Haram, photo credit: Sunday Aghaez - Facebook Buhari also met with his Ghanaian counterpart, Nana Akufo-Addo, UN assembly, photo credit: Sunday Aghaez Facebook President Buhari is expected to return to Nigeria after his transit to London, photo credit: Sunday Aghaez - Facebook In the video below, Legit.ng TV asked some Nigerians if they are really tired of the Buhari government. Source: Legit.ng - The United Kingdom states that it has continued to habour Radio Biafra because Nigeria has not officially requested its closure - The UK said it is not officially aware of any request by the Nigerian government - Lai Mohammed had said Nigeria made moves to get the radio shut down The British government has said its refusal to shut down Radio Biafra, an arm of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), is not deliberate, but that it has not received any request to that effect. The United Kingdom said there was no request from the Nigerian government to have the radio shut down. READ ALSO: IPOB protests as court declares group a terrorist organisation The denial was made by the British high commission in a statement by its press and public affairs officer, Joe Abuku. The short statement said: The UK is not aware of any representation from the Nigerian government about Radio Biafra. Were we to receive any such request, we would of course consider it carefully on the basis of the available evidence, recognising that freedom of speech and expression carries responsibilities. The statement could be a reply to Lai Mohammed, the Nigerian information minister, who was quoted as saying the British government had continued to allow the radio despite the damage done by Kanu and IPOB. Mohammed had reportedly said: Who does not know that the IPOB internal radio is located in London? PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 new app We know the diplomatic moves we have been taking and approaching the UK, all the damages it (Radio Biafra) has done, but they dont see it that way, for them (the British government), it is about freedom of expression. Legit.ng earlier reported that the government of France has denied any links with the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), the group seeking a referendum to carve out a separate country in the southeast region of Nigeria. The report stated that the federal government of Nigeria which launched a brutal military clamp down on the separatist group last week subsequently proscribed and declared it a terrorist organisation. Watch this video of the reactions to the establishment of the Biafra Security Service (BSS): Source: Legit.ng By Nathanael Johnson is Grists senior writer and the author of two books. You can follow him on Twitter: @savortooth. Originally published at grist For the past decade, Democrats hoping to pass a big climate law have played Charlie Brown to the Republicans Lucy. Despite the GOP making it clear it has no intention of holding the ball for a global warming kick, the left routinely convinces itself that their counterparts will kneel into position once it gets a running start. In 2010, Senate Democrats appealed to Republicans to pass federal climate legislation, only to see almost every conservative bail on them. Since then weve seen the old pattern repeat in statehouses and ballot boxes around the country: Democrats ask the GOP to hold the ball then go flying head-over-heels. But then in July, a cadre of eight California Republicans crossed the aisle to vote with Democrats and pass that states cap-and-trade law. The partisan space-time continuum shuddered and this was before back-to-back superstorms, Harvey and Irma, buffeted the United States. Had the well-worn GOP force field stymieing progress on climate change begun to crack at the far-western edge? While an enraged right planned the ouster of its leader, Chad Mayes, California Governor Jerry Brown praised him and the others whod broken ranks. As did former Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who wrote: I hope Republicans around the country can learn from the example. In statehouse testimony, speeches that would typically build to Republicans stridently aligning against carbon pricing went off script. First thing I want to make clear, I personally think cap and trade sucks, California Assemblyman Devon Mathis said at the beginning of a short speech. As he spoke, he came close to tears while urging his compatriots to vote yes for the program hed just disparaged. So what the heck was happening there? Dan Kahan, a professor at Yale who studies the way tribal identity affects how people think, has long argued that Republicans will become more willing to engage on climate change as constituents begin asking them to bring home money to adapt to a warming world. The sooner the issue becomes one about dollars and cents for the districts, he says, the more quickly the logjam we have now will break loose. For years, journalists and activists have said that wholesale Republican opposition to climate action cant last forever. Now, with millions of Americans soaked in floodwaters from never-before-seen storms, that ideological logjam shows signs of breaking up. Case in point, the ol maverick John McCain: The one-time cap-and-trade supporter is suddenly, once again, looking for common sense solutions to climate change. And the Trump administration might even be flip-flopping on its decision to pull out of the Paris Agreement. (Though we advise against holding your breath.) Moving forward, there are three primary paths for Republicans to choose from as they debate climate legislation three paths that three California GOP legislators traveled as they mulled cap and trade. The paths each legislator picks, combined with the reaction of their constituents, will determine how quickly the nation will react to a climate change-effected future that appears to already be here. GOP option 1: Dig in So far, most Republicans have bet that the political costs they will pay for engaging on climate policy are worse than the costs their constituents will pay as a result of climate change. This could shift, as Kahan suggests, if the damages from coastal erosion, drought, and flooding begin to spiral over the next decade or so. And any more Harveys, the bill from which is estimated at just under $200 billion to the U.S. economy, should hasten that move. But for now, GOP politicians are still calling climate action prohibitively expensive. Thats the reason California Assemblymember Melissa Melendez gave for opposing cap and trade, asserting that her constituents didnt feel climate change was imminent. While they care about the environment and they want to protect Mother Earth, they do not feel, she explained, that Southern California will burst into flames if we dont pass this bill. Texas Congressman Lamar Smith, head of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, went a step further. He went on what Buzzfeed called a secret tour of the melting Arctic. When he got back, he wrote that rising greenhouse gas levels were indisputable. Then he added, The benefits of a changing climate are often ignored and under-researched. But the classic Republican gambit is to simply ignore the issue. And some politicians go to absurd lengths to avoid addressing the environmental elephant in the room. That seems to be Florida Governor Rick Scotts preferred move. He has censored the phrases climate change and global warming in state agencies, forcing public servants into comical verbal gymnastics during legislative hearings. Even after Hurricane Irma ravaged his state, including compromising infrastructure and flooding parts of 22 counties with sewage, Scott saw no reason to change course. Clearly our environment changes all the time, and whether thats cycles were going through or whether thats man-made, I wouldnt be able to tell you which one it is, Scott said last week, according to a Politico report. The reinforcement of head-in-the-sand views for Republicans who want to hold the line comes from the top. The Trump administration is starting to employ Scott-style tactics in directives issued by its Cabinet departments. GOP option 2: Strike a deal Bargaining seems like an obvious choice for Republicans. By making a deal on the California bill, Republicans came away with spoils: They got $260 million a year in tax cuts for business and agriculture. They got another tax a landowner fee to fund wildfire prevention eliminated completely. And they got a market-based, industry-friendly version of cap and trade that the Chamber of Commerce and agricultural interests supported. What did Republicans give in return? Not much. The Democratic majority in the State Assembly had already passed a law that committed the state to squeezing carbon out of its economy. As Devon Mathis said, this bill was an opportunity to make something many of us think is horrible a little bit better. By helping it to pass with the two-thirds majority that Governor Brown wanted, Republicans helped protect the legislation from legal challenges including from groups that would want it to be more harsh on fossil fuel companies. But theres a reason Republicans, despite being the party of Trump, dont like deal-making: Its dangerous. The California GOP immediately booted Chad Mayes from his perch as the partys Assembly leader for working with Brown. Mayes fate recalls what happened to South Carolina Congressman Bob Inglis when he voted for climate legislation in 2012: He lost his seat to a primary challenger. For his constituents, Inglis talking about climate change was like dressing in the opposing teams jersey. I think his constituents saw that as a sign that he really didnt share their values, Kahan says. That same feeling of betrayal coursed through an agricultural exhibition center where Mathis held a town hall meeting. You are supposed to stand up for those who voted for you, said one speaker, the Valley Voice reported. Another told Mathis hed stamped a D at the end of his name. Mathis defended himself by pointing out that pure tribal loyalty isnt politically effective: If you want to rebuild the Republican Party, then you need to be more than the party of no, he told his constituents. By being at the table, he reminded them, the GOP was able to move cap and trade to the right. Still, almost every idea dreamed up for climate change mitigation requires some centralized regulation and introduces new spending issues conservatives tend to see in black-and-white absolutes. For Republicans to say, We voted for this because it could be worse, is like saying, Its better to drown in 10 feet of water than 20 feet of water, former California Republican Assemblyman Dan Logue tells me. GOP option 3: Embrace change Rocky Chavez is a bull-necked marine colonel who, though hes a Republican, feels no need to toe the party line on climate change. The GOP cant go on protecting people from the truth for the sake of cohesion, he told me. Its like Elvis Elvis is not alive anymore, people, I got news for you, he says, equating his partys collective climate denial to the outlandish headlines seen on National Enquirer covers. We did go to the moon, those arent fake pictures taken out in the Arizona desert. There is no Sasquatch; hes not running around in the forests of California. Chavez has previously come under fire for his liberal positions on gay marriage and immigration. But all the sound and fury has cost him little, politically. After all, he represents a coastal district near San Diego that narrowly favored Clinton in 2016. People are going to say, Oh, hes that idiot who doesnt hate gays, doesnt hate immigrants, and actually wants to protect the environment, Chavez says. You know what? Im OK. There are other California Republicans, he adds, who want to take a more proactive position on climate change. But they are scared to stick their necks out on issues like cap and trade. I can tell you that it was much more than the seven who voted for it who believed in it, Chavez tells me. Tom Del Beccaro, former chair of the California Republicans, says it doesnt make sense for most GOP politicians to follow Chavezs example. A party does not gain any voters by adopting the position of the opposition, he explains. Theres no reason for a Democrat voter to vote for a Democrat-light. Because Republicans havent defined their own path on climate change, they cant use the issue to hold onto districts like Chavezs when incumbents bow out. Case in point, U.S. Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen from South Florida, who has advocated for a climate-mitigation strategy. She isnt running for reelection in 2018, and a Democrat is poised to take over her seat. Similarly, when California first passed its climate change law in 2006, just one Republican voted for it: Shirley Horton, a politician from a relatively liberal district that flipped to blue as soon as she termed out of office. So you can see Beccaros point. Republicans have to provide voters a clear choice, he says: They have to pick some issue where things are breaking down, where the majority party isnt providing a solution, and offer a plausible alternative. Climate change could actually be such an issue, Beccaro says. Republicans could, for instance, convince voters that they could combat it more affordably. Its a sentiment echoed by Bob Inglis, who believes conservatives have the best tools needed to address climate change. Republican constituents, he explains, just need to hear their leaders discuss climate policy in a language they understand and respond to. What we deeply believe as conservatives is that free enterprise is far more creative than government mandates and if you simply level the playing field by eliminating all the subsidies for all the fuels, then the free enterprise system can deliver the solutions, he says. That includes the biggest subsidy of them all, which is being able to belch and burn into the trash dump of the sky without accountability for the health and climate damages you are causing. According to Inglis, Republicans would be foolish if they wait to act until sentiments on climate change shift. Leadership is defined as helping to see what is coming, he says. Sure you risk your seat by leading, but isnt that what its all about? His former colleagues may already be taking his advice. Politicians like Florida Congressman Carlos Curbelo a Grist 50 member are starting to address climate change by introducing bills to protect against floods and voting to ensure the Defense Department keeps adapting to a warming world. Curbelo, who last week connected Irma and Harvey to climate change, is part of a new bipartisan climate caucus in Washington with 28 Republican members. #Climate Caucus @RepCurbelo on #Irma: Climate change without question contributes to strength and factors that lead to these events. pic.twitter.com/gyCQEJoMiO CitizensClimateLobby (@citizensclimate) 13 September 2017 And in California, though Mayes was ousted from his leadership position, his replacement praised him for the cap-and-trade negotiations. San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, probably the most popular Republican in the state, recently said it was time for his party to stop ignoring climate change. These are perhaps the first signs of evolution. As Politico writer David Siders put it recently, If the Republican Party is undergoing a shift on climate, it is at its earliest, most incremental stage. The California GOP may be furthest into that transformation thanks to plummeting Republican registration in the increasingly diverse state. Today just 26 percent of California voters are registered Republicans, reports Laurel Rosenhall at CALmatters. And 7 percent of state Republicans are considering abandoning the party because of its stance on climate change. California conservative voters could decide how far the GOP will tack nationally, in part by either rewarding the bargainers and change agents for bringing home the bacon or throwing them out of office for breaking ranks. Eight Republicans isnt a big number. But its a fifth of the GOP caucus in the California state legislature. In the past, climate bills might pick up one or two maverick conservatives one or two drops of water seeping through an imperceptible crack in the dam. This time it was the Republican leader of the Assembly, plus seven others. The drops have become a trickle. By Jerri-Lynn Scofield, who has worked as a securities lawyer and a derivatives trader. She now spends much of her time in Asia and is currently working on a book about textile artisans. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) chair Jay Clayton announced late yesterday that the agencys Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval (EDGAR) filing system had been breached last year. Only last month did the agency realize that the vulnerability may have provided the basis for illicit gain through trading. Oops. The agency is investigating who may have profited, but has not released any details about exactly what information was gleaned and which companies were concerned. To elaborate (from Claytons statement): Specifically, a software vulnerability in the test filing component of the Commissions EDGAR system, which was patched promptly after discovery, was exploited and resulted in access to nonpublic information. It is believed the intrusion did not result in unauthorized access to personally identifiable information, jeopardize the operations of the Commission, or result in systemic risk. An internal investigation was commenced immediately at the direction of the Chairman. The SEC announcement follows recent revelations of the massive data breach at Equifax in which confidential personal financial information for 143 million individuals was exposed and raises further concerns about the parlous state of cybersecurity for information collected by private and public entities alike. Claytons remarks coincided with release of a broader SEC Statement on Cybersecurity, which described the EDGAR system: Since its creation in 1934, a critical part of the SECs mission has been its oversight of the system of public reporting by issuers and other registrants, and in 1984 the Commission began collecting, and making publicly available, disclosure documents through its EDGAR system. In 2017, on a typical day, investors and other market participants access more than 50 million pages of disclosure documents through the EDGAR system, which receives and processes over 1.7 million electronic filings per year. As Bloomberg observes: [EGDAR] houses millions of filings on corporate disclosures ranging from quarterly earnings to statements on mergers and acquisitions. Infiltrating the SECs system to review announcements before they are released publicly would serve as a virtual treasure trove for a hacker seeking to make easy money. SEC Procedures to Safeguard Information Previously Criticized Wednesdays announcement makes clear that the SECs efforts to safeguard information from hackers and cyber thieves is inadequate a failing that has previously subjected the agency to outside criticism. As The New York Times reports: In July, months after the breach was detected, a congressional watchdog office warned that the Wall Street regulator was at unnecessary risk of compromise because of deficiencies in its information systems. The 27-page report by the Government Accountability Office found the SEC did not always fully encrypt sensitive information, used unsupported software, failed to fully implement an intrusion detection system and made missteps in how it configured its firewalls, among other things. Consolidated Audit Trail: Misguided Project? The weaknesses in the SECs cybersecurity protocols are especially worrying, given ambitious ongoing plans to collect more equity trading data including significant, nonpublic, market sensitive data that if compromised could be illicitly exploited, as well as detailed customer information that could facilitate identity theft. From Bloomberg: Still, Wednesdays disclosure may heighten concerns around the Consolidated Audit Trail, an enormous database of equity trades that is being built to give regulators better transparency into markets and help them figure out more quickly the causes of disruptions. Financial firms have expressed concern about data breaches once the new database is completed. The repository could include personal information such as names and addresses from more than 100 million customer accounts. The Wall Street Journal reports that executives at the New York Stock Exchange and the BATS Global System have warned that a planned data repository of all U.S. equity and options orders could become a juicy target for hackers a fact also acknowledged in the broader SEC statement. And, as the Journal further notes: The audit trail has been in the works for nearly seven years and the SEC approved its final design last year. However, exchange executives have recently cited the Equifax hack as evidence that the audit trail should be pared back, even if that takes away information that could help regulators spot manipulative traders more quickly. Stock and options exchanges, as well as the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, which oversees brokers, are due to begin reporting data to the repository in November. Robert Cook, chief executive of Finra, also has questioned whether the audit trail should be scaled back in light of the Equifax data breach. Speaking Wednesday at a banking luncheon in Washington, Mr. Cook questioned whether the database designed to help regulators sort through flash crashes and spot market manipulation should include personal information about stockbrokers customers. Especially post-Equifax when we are trying to win back investor confidence in the markets, it seems to be a useful question to ask whether weve got the right approach here or we need to revisit it, he said. This is not the first time that deficiencies in the EDGAR system have bedevilled the SEC. The system was originally intended to make it easier for ordinary retail investors to get access to information previously the province of more privileged investors. From the Journal: Academic researchers found in 2014, for instance, that hedge funds and other rapid-fire investors got earlier access to market-moving documents from Edgar than other users of the standard, web-based system, giving them a potential edge on other traders. The SEC later said it fixed the problem. SEC Investigation The SEC has provided few details on the course of its ongoing investigation to determine who might have profited from successfully exploiting the data breach a topic that will no doubt be probed further when Clayton testifies before the Senate Banking Committee next week. In its broader statement, the agency also summarized recent enforcement actions targeting the use of hacked information to place illicit trades: The Commission recently has brought several cases alleging the hacking and stealing of nonpublic information in connection with illicit trading activity. For example, in December 2016, the Commission charged three traders for allegedly participating in a scheme to hack into two prominent New York-based law firms to steal information pertaining to clients that were considering mergers or acquisitions, which the hackers then used to trade. The Commission also brought charges against two defendants who allegedly hacked into newswire services to obtain non-public information about corporate earnings announcements, as well as dozens of other defendants who allegedly traded on the information (citations omitted). Bottom Line The SECs disclosure of its own cybersecurity lapses at minimum considerably embarrasses the agency at a time when all US financial regulators are stepping up their focus on these issues in the wake of the Equifax debacle. Theres no small irony in the SECs EDGAR filing system itself being the source of non-public information that may have generated illicit trading gains. (Natural News) Tesla owners in Florida got an early, although temporary, Christmas present, if you can call it that. Those motorists in the Hurricane Irma evacuation zone earlier this month remotely received about 40 additional miles in extended range for their electric cars before they needed a recharge. Tesla vehicles apparently are equipped with the same 75 kWh battery, but software installed in less-expensive models limit capacity to 60 kWh. Gridlock on Florida roads evidently convinced Tesla to unlock all the battery packs for those in the path of the storm so that there would be less likelihood of people running out of juice while stuck in traffic heading north, the Electrek website reported. A Tesla Model S 60 owner in Florida reached out to us with almost 40 more miles than in his usual full charge and a new 75 badge in his car software. While he didnt ask for it nor knew why it changed, Tesla had temporarily unlocked the remaining 15 kWh of the cars software-limited battery pack option to facilitate the owners evacuation. We reached out to Tesla and a representative confirmed that the company has put in place the emergency measure to temporarily extend the range of the vehicles of Tesla owners in the path of Hurricane Irma. The company says that a Tesla owner in a mandatory evacuation zone required another ~30 more miles of range to optimize his evacuation route in the traffic and they reached out to Tesla who agreed to a temporary access to the full 75 kWh of energy in the battery pack The company described the decision as the result of exceptional circumstances, and that the extra boost for affected Tesla vehicles ended on September 16. Tesla owners were conflicted over the stopgap upgrade scenario, the New York Times explained. Many Tesla owners cheered the temporary enhancement ahead of Irma, which made landfall in Florida on [September 10]. Some, though, said the company was kneecapping vehicle range under normal circumstances in pursuit of profit. Others were concerned that the magnanimous move overshadowed the troubling extent to which Tesla can command customers cars. Tesla ordinarily charges in the range of $4,500 to $9,000 for the permanent, wireless-implemented upgrade. Tesla evidently has ended its practice of selling software-limited batteries in newer models, however. U.S. taxpayers subsidize Tesla to the tune of $7,500 per vehicle. Taxpayers in states like California and Colorado kick in even more. The company sold about 80,000 vehicles last year. Tesla boss Elon Musk has called for Congress to end the federal subsidies. (Read more about green initiatives at Environ.news.) Separately, Natural News has previously outlined the inherent contradiction of environmentally friendly electric cars. These pricey, trendy vehicles mostly get their electric charge via coal-fired power plants. With that in mind, according to some studies, gasoline-powered cars supposedly produce less pollution than their clean electric counterparts. Getting the materials to make lithium ion batteries, for example, is an extremely dirty business, and the electricity to recharge the batteries most likely comes from power plant fueled by coal or some other fossil fuel, Investors Business Daily noted. If you are a Tesla owner, are you satisfied with the service and performance? If not, would you ever consider purchasing an electric car? Sources include: TheGuardian.com Elecktrek.com NYTimes.com Investors.com NMA to shut hospitals from tomorrow Nepal Medical Association (NMA) said on Wednesday that hospitals and clinics across the country would be shut from Friday as part of its protest against government plan to force medical practitioners to pay compensation in the event of any untoward incident during the course of treatment. (Natural News) Over 31,000 scientists have united against the political agenda of global warming. The scientific consensus, which includes over 9,000 scientists with Ph.D.s, supports the necessity of carbon dioxide and sheds light on the agenda of global warming, which includes industrial energy rationing, central economic planning, and global taxation schemes. These scientists are now speaking out against the hoax of global warming and how global agreements to limit greenhouse gases are actually destructive to all plant and animal life on the planet. The petition, which includes important peer-reviewed research, is backed by various scientists with a wide spectrum of expertise. The petition warns the United States about signing international treaties that only put a financial burden on the citizens of the country, steal national sovereignty, and restrict its energy production. The global warming alarmism, in other words, is pseudo-warfare designed to take down a country. A letter from Frederick Seitz, President of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, is also being circulated with the petition. The letter warns about the flawed science against carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is essentially a miracle molecule of life, not a dangerous pollutant that needs to be eradicated from the atmosphere. His letter also shines a light on the dangers of the U.S. entering global treaties which will ration energy and confiscate the Nations wealth. Just because climate alarmist Al Gore can walk a stage, point to a graph, and correlate rising temperatures over oceans with a rise in greenhouse gases, does not make global warming a real issue or some kind of settled science that is going to destroy the planet. As the scientists point out, the vapor pressure of CO2 over sea water is temperature dependent. Its natural for the two data sets to go up together. Its not something to be alarmed about. The petition urges elected leaders to reject the global warming agreement that was written in Kyoto, Japan in December 1997 and all other proposals similar in nature. Thankfully, President Trump broke the U.S. free from the Paris Climate Accord. Removing greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide would actually hurt the planet, taking away the compound that plants need to thrive. If carbon dioxide is so bad for the planet, why do greenhouse growers buy CO2 generators to double plant growth? The petition and its accompanying research dispel the myth that projected carbon dioxide levels are going to cause a catastrophic heating of the Earths atmosphere and the disruption of climate. The evidence is actually in favor of greenhouse gases, which are beneficial to plant and animal environments on Earth. The petition also takes aim at the global warming agenda, and says that it will hinder the advancement of science and technology around the world. The confiscation of U.S. energy output is a threat to U.S. sovereignty and the nations ability to offer aid to other countries. What if climate change alarmists just took a deep breath, exhaled some carbon dioxide, and actually focused on real pollutants that are plaguing our environment and health? (Related: Read more at ClimateScienceNews.com.) Sources include: YouTube.com PetitionProject.org NaturalNews.com NaturalNews.com NaturalNews.com NaturalNews.com Increased attention to health and wellness has many consumers thinking about the healthfulness of their food and the ingredients used to make those products. In this new clean-label norm, consumers not only are seeking out minimally processed products made with recognizable ingredients, but they also are avoiding or limiting ingredients such as fat, sugars and sodium. There are several different types of dental braces that may be recommended to improve alignment of teeth including traditional metal braces, ceramic braces, lingual braces and invisalign. Each type is associated with a unique set of advantages and disadvantages that must be taken into consideration to decide the best treatment option for individual patients. Traditional Metal Braces Traditional braces involve brackets and wires, usually made out of metal, which are attached to the teeth and allow their positioning to be altered as required. Heat-activated archwires are a relatively new additional to traditional braces. These utilise body heat in the mouth to allow the teeth to move them more quickly and with less discomfort than was previously possible. Teeth with braces isolated on white. Medically accurate 3D illustration. Image Credit: Alex Mit / Shutterstock This type of braces is typically the least expensive option while being very effective, and is one of the most common types of braces in use today. However, they are the most noticeable type and some people may feel self-conscious about their appearance. It is possible to improve their appearance somewhat by using different colored bands over the braces to make them look more attractive, although they are still obvious. Ceramic Braces Ceramic braces are very similar to the traditional metal braces in size and shape, but they are constructed of a ceramic material that blends into the natural color of the teeth so that the braces are less noticeable. This type is just as effective as traditional braces at achieving the movement of teeth into desired positions, but are much less noticeable due to their color, which makes them a more favorable alternative for some individuals. However, they are typically more expensive than traditional braces and may become stained if they are not properly cared for. Orthodontist fixing invisible ceramic braces. Image Credit: Microgen / Shutterstock Lingual Braces Related Stories Nanoparticles may be the next-generation solution for teeth whitening Lingual braces similar to traditional braces in that they are made out of metal, but they are attached to the inside of the teeth so that they cannot be easily seen from the outside. This type has the obvious advantage of not being visible to other people because they are hidden behind the teeth. However, they are less effective than traditional braces and often take longer to achieve desired tooth alignment. they may also be uncomfortable for the patient as they come into direct contact with the tongue. Finally, they tend to be more difficult to clean. Lingual braces on dental mirror. Image Credit: Lucky Business / Shutterstock Invisalign Invisalign is the most distinct type of braces because they do not involve brackets and wires but instead utilize a series of custom-made clear plastic aligners that are worn over the teeth. These aligners are easy to remove and replace with the next one in the series every two weeks throughout the treatment period. Most individuals require between 18 and 30 different aligners to achieve the desired result. This type of braces is preferable for many patients because they are almost invisible and allow greater freedom to eat and drink anything. However, they are considerably more expensive and can only be used to correct minor to moderate dental problems in teenagers and adults. Invisalign braces or retainer isolated on black background. Image Credit: 1989studio / Shutterstock Self-Ligating braces Self-ligating braces are very similar in appearance to traditional metal braces, but utilize clips rather than elastic bands to hold the wire of the brace in place. As a result, there is less friction on the braces and it is usually easier for the individual to keep the braces and teeth clean. This type of braces has similar efficacy to traditional metal braces and may increase control over the appliance, leading to more precise tooth alignment. However, they are often more expensive and are still visible from the outside. References Further Reading The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today cleared the first duodenoscope with a disposable distal cap, a new feature that will improve access for cleaning and reprocessing. The Pentax ED34-i10T model duodenoscope is intended to provide visualization and access to the upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract to treat bile duct disorders and other upper GI problems. "We believe the new disposable distal cap represents a major step towards lowering the risk of future infections associated with these devices," said William Maisel, M.D., M.P.H., acting director of the Office of Device Evaluation in the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health. "Improving the safety of duodenoscopes is a top priority for the FDA, and we encourage companies to continue to pursue innovations that will help reduce the risk to patients." Duodenoscopes are used in more than 500,000 procedures each year as a less invasive way than traditional surgery to drain fluids from pancreatic and biliary ducts blocked by cancerous tumors, gallstones or other gastrointestinal conditions. The flexible lighted duodenoscope, which is threaded through the mouth into the top of the small intestine, is a complex medical device with many small working parts that can be difficult to clean. If not thoroughly cleaned and disinfected, the device can trap contaminated tissue or fluid in its crevices, transmitting infections between patients. It is critical that hospitals and health care facilities meticulously follow manufacturer's reprocessing instructions for cleaning and disinfecting duodenoscopes. This lowers the risk of spreading infections between patients. While the risk of infection transmission cannot be completely eliminated, the benefits of these devices continue to outweigh the risks in appropriately selected patients. In January 2017, the FDA issued a Safety Communication alerting health care providers about a design issue with an earlier version of the Pentax duodenoscope, the ED-3490TK. The communication identified the potential for cracks and gaps to develop in the adhesive that seals the duodenoscope's distal cap onto the scope. These cracks and gaps could allow fluids and tissue to leak into the duodenoscope. The new features of the Pentax ED34-i10T include a single use detachable and disposable distal cap, simpler user interface, improved ergonomics, improved image quality, and a reduced length. The FDA granted clearance of the ED34-i10T to Pentax of America. Researchers are developing a health app to incorporate into familiar technology such as a tablet or smartphone that will act as a clinical tool to assess atrial fibrillation, a growing heart ailment. A team of engineers and clinicians at Rochester Institute of Technology and the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) received a grant from the National Institutes of Health to develop a non-contact, video recording technology to detect the presence of atrial fibrillation--a heart rhythm disorder that affects more than 2 million Americans yearly. The URMC received $2 million in funding for the project, and RIT will be granted nearly $800,000 from that funding for its portion of the collaborative project to develop the video algorithm. Co-project leaders are Gill Tsouri, associate professor of electrical engineering in RIT's Kate Gleason College of Engineering, who is developing the video system algorithm and app, and Jean Philippe Couderc, a biomedical engineer and assistant director of UR's Heart Research Follow-up Program Lab, who will lead the clinical trials. The video algorithm is one aspect of a trend in non-invasive medical sensing technologies that can help in assessing health conditions such as the onset, or progression of, atrial fibrillation. The application would be installed on a tablet and run seamlessly in the background while an individual is using the tablet. The software would record the individual's heart rhythm for a longer monitoring period to capture data related to heart activity--compared to the shorter interval in a medical setting for EEG/ECG monitoring tests. Tablets will be provided to more than 260 patients expected to be enrolled in the study over the next four years. "We have shown that the technology developed at RIT is reliable enough to be used as a clinical tool in controlled hospital environments," said Tsouri, who is an expert in signal processing and has developed the video algorithm over several years. "Our purpose now is to make it more accessible and more useful in everyday life. The end goal of all of this is to show that it is a clinically viable approach, which means that seamlessly capturing videos without user participation provides significant data that could be used to deduce their cardiac condition." Participants will also wear an ECG patch, another means to monitor for atrial fibrillation. Researchers will compare data from the patch and the tablet to determine how accurate the tablet technology is in detecting the irregular heartbeats. "Our technology is unique because it requires no action on the part of the user aside from what they normally do - go on a tablet to shop, look at pictures, read articles, or whatever they like. If you are at risk for afib, you install it on your tablet or phone and don't think about it anymore," said Couderc, who also serves as associate professor of cardiology at URMC. Couderc has conducted a series of smaller studies that confirm afib can be detected from video of an individual's face. The new clinical study will move the technology closer to commercialization. Couderc received additional funding from NIH's Concept to Clinic: Commercializing Innovation (C3i) Program, which will provide training and tools to help bring this concept to market. According to the American Heart Association, atrial fibrillation can cause increased risk of stroke and heart failure. Electrical signals within the body drive the mechanical movement of the heart. Atrial fibrillation is an irregularity of the heart rate, specifically within the atria, the two upper chambers of the heart, due to a disturbance in the electrical activity. The app would not replace EKG/ECG monitoring tests that measure the electrical activity of the heart using contact-based sensing, but would replace PPG--a pulse plethysmograph that illuminates the skin and measures the volume changes in blood during a heartbeat. The app, with its unobtrusive technique and ability to capture more of this type of data, could determine, with a high percent of accuracy, an individual's risk for atrial fibrillation, according to the research team. This proactive health care monitoring could potentially improve the broader health care services system allowing medical practitioners to better focus resources. Tsouri will enhance the app with new algorithms to ensure that conditions are optimal for capturing a video for cardiac monitoring. Movement by the individual or poor lighting, for example, could impact video quality. "The advantages of this technology are, it does not require participation from the subject being monitored, and it can provide us with vast amounts of data. We are moving from monitoring a person for 30 seconds once-a-year to a few hours a day," Tsouri explained, adding that traditional EKG/ECG tests are shorter in duration, and some cardiac conditions cannot be detected in that short time. "One of the biggest focus of this grant is Silent Atrial Fibrillation. Silent AF might go undetected for many years, but it is a serious condition, and if you know about it in advance you can help improve a patient's health." Tablet usage has increased over the past several years, and the applications on devices, particularly cameras, are improving, making the technology platform an asset in health care, Tsouri added. The unobtrusive aspect of the sensing work the research team is implementing can help physicians assess some cardiac conditions that cannot be detected in an ECG test taken once-a-year during a physical. "In general, where the world is going with mobile health care services, it should be viewed as another aspect of our digital life, and right now, we are not used to it--yet. But it is coming," he said. Every time Jacque Pearson tried to devise a plan to move her 81-year-old dad, who has Alzheimer's, from his home in Boise, Idaho, to hers in Denver, she felt stuck. Then, two weeks ago, she had a breakthrough. It happened at an AARP-sponsored session in which Pearson created a "CareMap" a hand-drawn picture showing all the people she cares for as well as the people surrounding those individuals and her own sources of support. On one side of the paper, Pearson sketched out her father's situation. There were three friends from Alcoholics Anonymous and his longtime doctor the people he relies on most. There were three sisters and two sons in Arizona, not very involved. And there she was, the primary caregiver, far, far away. As she peered at the drawing later that evening, Pearson saw what she had to do. "I'm going to contact each of his Alcoholics Anonymous friends and his doctor and ask them to convince my father to come to Colorado," she told me when I called a week later. How could a quick sketch of stick figures (representing the people in her father's life), triangles (representing his medical providers), arrows (representing relationships between people) and box-like houses (where she and her father live) have this kind of impact? CareMaps are an intriguing new tool created by the Atlas of Caregiving, an ambitious project that hopes to gather comprehensive data about family caregivers. The project's pilot study examined 14 families in the San Francisco Bay Area who wore miniature cameras and sensors, kept a log of their activities and participated in extensive in-person interviews. One of the goals was to understand what Rajiv Mehta, the project's founder, calls the "ecosystem of family caregiving, the relationships that surround caregivers and that shape their experiences. One family caregiver might be at odds with her siblings but have a close group of friends she can turn to for emotional support as she cares for a disabled husband, for example. Another might be divorced but have a son living at home who can help with practical responsibilities as he cares for his mother with Parkinson's disease, who moved in a year ago. Yet another couple in their 60s, both struggling with serious illness, may rely primarily on their three children, all living nearby, but have few friends. How could these webs of relationships people who are caring for each other and who are cared for, in turn, by others be portrayed? Interviewers started drawing them quickly as family members were speaking. Symbols were assigned to people, pets, health care professionals, facilities and households. Over time, refinements were added. Bidirectional arrows, for example, could show support flowing between people in both directions and the amount of assistance being provided (multiple times a day, daily, weekly or occasionally). Instructions for drawing CareMaps anyone can give it a try are available on the Atlas of Caregiving website. At conferences, Mehta displayed some CareMaps and was surprised by the interest they generated. Somehow, seeing these pictures helped social workers, psychologists and other professionals understand what caregivers were experiencing in a different way. In California, the Santa Barbara Foundation launched a series of caregiving workshops last year, using the CareMaps tool. Carol Levine, who directs the United Hospital Fund's Families and Health Care Project and advises the Atlas of Caregiving, attended some of those sessions and was struck by how many participants seemed to have "aha moments." "There's something visceral about making these pictures it seems to open people's vision to a broader view of what they were doing as caregivers," she said. Phylene Wiggins, director of the community caregiving initiative at the Santa Barbara Foundation, recalled leading a group at one of the workshops. "After people drew their CareMaps, we started going around the table and talking about their maps, and it was so heartbreaking," she remembered. "One by one, each caregiver said 'I am so alone. I am so alone. I am so alone.'" Encouraging those kinds of conversations and discovering ways to address that social isolation are among the foundation's priorities, she said. Cynthia McNulty, a social worker at Family Service Agency in Santa Barbara County, said her agency is using CareMaps in individual and group counseling sessions as a conversation opener. "Many of the people we work with, especially Latinos, don't even acknowledge themselves as caregivers," she said. "This is a useful way to shed light on the responsibilities they've taken on and needs that might not be met." "There's no stigma attached: You're just drawing a picture, not complaining," she said. AARP is testing CareMaps in six cities this year Charleston, S.C.; Denver; Houston; Los Angeles; Phoenix; and Tulsa, Okla. It may roll out workshops more widely next year, depending on feedback. And the Atlas of Caregiving is preparing a web-based version, set to debut by year's end or early next year, Mehta confirmed. In Denver, Alice Jordan, 69, is the primary caregiver for her partner, Vickie, 64, who has multiple sclerosis. When she drew her CareMap recently, Jordan saw that almost nobody was supporting Vickie other than her brother Bob, the only one of four siblings who checks in to see how she's doing. "MS isn't a warm-and-fuzzy type of illness," Jordan said, when I contacted her after attending one of the AARP sessions. "I'm going to call Bob and tell him how much we both appreciate him." For her part, Jordan initially felt that the circle of people who care for her would be empty. "When we started doing the diagram, it was like, 'Bloody hell, I don't have anybody,'" she said. But she found herself drawing Steve, a neighbor, who helps out when she goes out of town; Mary, a former colleague whom she walks with once a week; Onna, one of her sons whom she has lunch with regularly; Irene, a friend with Parkinson's disease who's always ready to talk; and her church, a source of comfort and connection. "It made me realize I had more support than I thought," Jordan said. And for that, she added, she's very grateful. We're eager to hear from readers about questions you'd like answered, problems you've been having with your care and advice you need in dealing with the health care system. Visit khn.org/columnists to submit your requests or tips. KHN's coverage related to aging & improving care of older adults is supported by The John A. Hartford Foundation and coverage of end-of-life and serious illness issues is supported by The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. Today, the Heart Rhythm Society (HRS) issued an international consensus statement that comprehensively addresses lead management for patients with cardiovascular implantable electronic devices (CIEDs). The 2017 HRS Expert Consensus Statement on Cardiovascular Implantable Electronic Device Lead Management and Extraction was presented today at the 10th Asia Pacific Heart Rhythm Society (APHRS) Annual Scientific Session held in conjunction with the Annual Meeting of the Japanese Heart Rhythm Society (JHRS). The expert consensus statement is the first to have a comprehensive discussion of lead management issues, including lead extraction, and is an update to the 2009 HRS lead extraction clinical document. It is estimated that 1.21.4 million CIEDs are implanted annually worldwide (MedMarket Diligence LLC Report C500), and most use leads that connect the generator to cardiac tissue. Questions on lead management arise in several situations, including when changes in a patients clinical condition make a different functionality more or less important, if a lead becomes nonfunctional, and if the presence of a lead is thought to interfere with the patients optimal treatment. The document is intended to help physicians, facilities, and other health care professionals involved in the care of patients with CIEDs in their decision-making process for managing leads. The authors address practical clinical guidance in the broad field of lead management, including extraction. The document includes specific recommendations in the following areas: Lead Survival Existing CIED Lead Management Indications for Lead Extraction (Infectious) Indications for Lead Extraction (Noninfectious) Outcomes and Follow-up Lead management is important now more than ever given the growing number of implanted devices due to worldwide aging demographics, the increased clinical utilization of CIEDs, and the time required for technology development of devices that do not utilize leads, says Fred M. Kusumoto, MD, FHRS, FACC, director of heart rhythm services at Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida, and professor at Mayo Clinic School of Medicine. The new expert consensus statement provides a much-needed single set of recommendations that clinicians from around the world can consult, which will ultimately lead to improved patient care. The 29-member expert group, which created the recommendations, included representatives from international professional societies focused on heart rhythm issues and other organizations representing subspecialties such as cardiac surgery, infectious diseases, anesthesiology, and pediatrics. The writing group performed literature searches and developed recommendations based on available data and commonly encountered clinical situations identified by the writing committee. Evidence was assessed by writing committee members, and the recommendations underwent a public comment period, internal review, and external peer review for further consensus. The writing group notes that registries will be critical to further understand lead management in the setting of infection, lead failure, and changing clinical conditions. International interactions and collaboration on technique and methodology can also further help identify best practices and can contribute to the understanding of clinical outcomes in patients. The expert consensus statement was developed in collaboration with ten international organizations: Heart Rhythm Society (HRS), American College of Cardiology (ACC), American Heart Association (AHA), Asia Pacific Heart Rhythm Society (APHRS), American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA), Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), Latin American Heart Rhythm Society (LAHRS), Pediatric and Congenital Electrophysiology Society (PACES), and Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS). The statement was published today in the online edition of HeartRhythm, the official journal of the Heart Rhythm Society, and is also posted on the HRS Clinical Guidelines & Documents website. A new study by Yale-NUS College Assistant Professor of Social Sciences (Psychology) Cheung Hoi Shan has discovered that shy children with low English vocabulary skills, can still be popular among their peers if they have high-functioning social communication skills that enable them to engage and interact well with their peers in social settings. Dr Cheung conducted the study involving 164 preschoolers between 52 and 79 months old in Singapore. She co-authored the paper with Associate Professor John Elliott from the Department of Psychology under the National University of Singapore's Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. The paper was recently published in the British Journal of Developmental Psychology. Earlier studies found that shy children tend to be less well-liked among their peers. Researchers have tried to identify factors such as good vocabulary skills and social communication skills, which can buffer the negative effects of child shyness and make shy children more well-liked by their peers. However, the interaction between these two factors and how they may have a combined effect on children was unknown. Contrary to existing assumptions that shy children with low vocabulary skills struggle with peer likeability, Dr Cheung's research has shown that as long as a shy child is equipped with high functioning social skills and able to react well across different social situations, the child's poor vocabulary skills become inconsequential. This suggests that social communication skills have a buffering effect. Some examples of social communication skills include non-verbal communication (e.g. ability to recognize when other people are upset), inappropriate initiation (e.g. talking repetitively about something that no one is interested in), and use of context (e.g. ability to adapt and communicate based on situation and audience). "Presumably, having a good expressive vocabulary, and by extension a good command of language, makes it easier for children to engage and interact with peers. However, we have found that the presence of a good vocabulary in a shy child offered no additional buffering effect for peer likeability if the child did not possess high-functioning social communication skills. Conversely, shy children with poor vocabulary skills were assumed to be less likeable, but high-functioning social communication skills serve as an effective buffer against the presumed language disadvantage. The more shy a child was, the more pronounced the effect of social communication skills," Dr Cheung shared. The findings for this study suggest that parents should consider placing more emphasis on developing a shy child's social communication skills, instead of only looking to expand their vocabulary. Traditionally, parents tend to focus on increasing a child's vocabulary as the way to improve a child's language and communication skills. However, it is high social communication skills, instead of good vocabulary, that appears to serve a protective function for shy children, helping to increase their peer likeability. The implications of the research are particularly relevant to families who live in Singapore's multilingual environment as the study included local bilingual or trilingual preschoolers. Assoc Prof Elliott noted the impact of culture and the local context on the study. "It turns out that being a shy child in Singapore is not quite the negative thing it is often thought to be in places like the United States, which have strongly individualistic cultures. In Singapore, it may be considered quite appropriate, and need not diminish the child's popularity among peers, if the child has good social communication skills," he pointed out. "Social communication skills such as making eye contact, ability to adapt and communicate in different situations can be taught deliberately, instead of leaving children to observe and pick up these skills on their own. Parents of shy children may want to consider developing such skills in their children so that they can learn how to better engage with their peers, helping them to develop meaningful relationships despite their shyness," explained Dr Cheung. Highlighting the potential for future research, Assoc Prof Elliott added, "This finding is only one aspect of the research that Dr Cheung conducted. Patterns of parenting are not the same everywhere and we have shown that what counts as sensitive and appropriate parenting is quite hard to determine using assumptions and methods developed elsewhere. I hope the research can be taken forward in the direction of further investigating local parenting practice and its effect on child socialization, while developing locally appropriate methods." Dr Cheung conducted the study while she was a PhD candidate at the National University of Singapore, and has a long-standing interest in the study of parenting practices and their influence on children's social development. Her current work investigates cultural differences in parenting styles and practices, which have implications on the interpretation of parent-child relationship quality and consequently, children's development. Dr Cheung has also published another paper in Child Development, which argues that cultural context has significant impact on the measurement of maternal sensitivity, i.e. the extent to which mothers are able to perceive and interpret their child's signals accurately and respond in a timely and appropriate manner. She found that it may not be effective for studies in Singapore to use the typical western scales to make these measurements, hence pointing to the need for more research to better understand parenting norms in the local context. insights from industry Dr. Robert Switzer President and Chief Scientific Officer of NeuroScience Associates (NSA) An interview with Dr. Robert Switzer, President and Chief Scientific Officer of NeuroScience Associates (NSA), conducted by April Cashin-Garbutt, MA (Cantab) Can you please outline the vision behind NeuroScience Associates (NSA)? Leveraging the mass production benefit that MultiBrain technology brings to neurohistology, NSA can accelerate the R&D preclinical and safety assessment processes many fold and perform them less expensively. This results in faster times for a potential drug to move from R&D to clinical trials and sooner for use in people. Additionally, utilizing some of the same principles, our proprietary Large Format technology enables us to embed and section an entire human brain hemisphere intact. This not only speeds up processing, but dramatically improves visualization of the entire hemisphere, vs the standard practice of viewing small 1-2cm slabs. How is NSA able to perform neurohistology up to 40X faster than traditional methods? Traditional histologic methods section one brain at a time using paraffin embedded tissue or freeze-sectioning with cryostats. With MultiBrain technology we embed up to 40 mouse brain hemispheres or 40 spinal cords into one MultiBrain gelatin block. The block is freeze-sectioned with all of the cut sections collected into an array of containers filled with antigen preserve solution. Image credit: Huron Digital Pathology. The resulting sheets of sections are stained, usually free floating (not mounted on slides yet) which allows all of the sections from different brains contained in the sheets to be exposed to identical staining conditions. This is extremely important in interpreting staining differences across different brains. How large is the tissue you are processing? A wide range of sizes of tissue can be accommodated by our technology: mouse spinal cords to human brain hemispheres. Of course, only one human brain hemisphere can be embedded in one block! Most of the large tissues we process are from the brains of non-human primates, dogs, sheep and pigs. The larger brains are important in that they mimic more closely the human brain. What are the challenges with sectioning such large tissue? The challenges of sectioning the Large Format tissues are not significant compared to a block of mouse or rat brains. Since the tissue is being frozen and then sectioned, its important that the tissue is adequately treated with so called cryo protect solutions, which retard the size of ice crystals that form when the block of tissue is frozen. Such crystals, if allowed to grow, would create large tears in the tissue and ruin the anatomy. Traditionally, sucrose (20-30%) has been used to saturate the tissue, but for the last 30 years we have used a 20% glycerol solution that yields superior results. Image credit: Huron Digital Pathology. What does the multiple embedding process involve? MultiBrain technology allows for many brains and/or spinal cords to be embedded in a single gelatin matrix block. From that point forward, the tissues remain together for all staining procedures. What impact has the TissueScope LE120 whole slide scanner from Huron Digital Pathology had on your workflow? Did anything surprise you when you started scanning? The Tissue Scope LE120 has allowed us to meet a growing demand from scientists for high quality digital images of the stained sections. Up until a few years ago, we only provided stained slides of brain or spinal cord tissues. At the same time that the demand grew for digital images of the brain and cord sections, the demand for providing image analysis skyrocketed. Of course, in order to perform the analyses, digital images are required. Image credit: Huron Digital Pathology. The LE120 allowed us leverage MultiBrain processing because Hurons software engineers designed programs that could capture images of individual brain sections from one MultiBrain sheet and group them. The common practice with other image capture systems on the market is to capture the whole slide (holding up to 40 different specimens) and leave it to the user to pluck out the individual sample images. That calls for human involvement which is costly and time consuming. With Hurons system we continue to accelerate the process of extracting data from our clients experimental tissues. Our biggest surprise when we first began using the LE120 was how easy it was to use, especially with the accommodations that the software engineers provided to meet our rather unique requirements. Can you please explain how NSA is involved in large format technology that allows the sectioning of large intact brains continuously without the need to subdivide into slabs or cubes? The capability to section large tissues is governed by the microtomes used to cut the sections. Most microtomes are designed for tissue embedded in paraffin blocks. Tissues are usually small samples so they are embedded in small blocks of paraffin. Since most microtomes available can only accommodate a postage stamp size block, tissues larger than that must be subdivided. For brain studies of animals larger than rats, such subdividing makes analysis quite impossible to assess the anatomical context of a full, intact brain. The microtomes we used were designed in the early 1900sThe AO860 microtome is our workhorse. How does Huron help in terms of digitizing the large finished slides? It appears that from the onset of Hurons evolution in designing digital capture instruments that image of large tissue such as a full human brain was their intent. Hurons designs allow standard 1x3 slides to be digitized but can also digitize slides as large as 6x8- a whole cross section of human brain. What was your motivation for moving to a digital workflow and what benefits are you seeing from the transitioning to digital? This has been not so much transitioning to digital as it is to include it as part of our service packagealong with image analysis. The speed and results of the newer image analysis tools are behind most of the demand in digitization. How are you dealing with the large amounts of data generated from scanning large tissue? The file sizes of the digital images are hugemeasured in gigabytes versus megabytes in conventional microscope cameras. NSA does not currently store or provide a server of the images to clients. Rather, we ship a hard drive containing the images captured on behalf of the client. The original image data captured at NSA is deleted sometime after the client has received the hard drive. The large files sizes are posing a challenge to many of the current software programs which have not grown to keep pace with the new capabilities of full-section digital capture. There are work-arounds, but the demand is there so it should improve in the near futurewe hope! Do you store the files locally or on the cloud? Files are temporarily stored locally. They are sent physically to the client. Can MultiBrain principles be applied to a variety of tissue types, orientations and numbers? MultiBrain technology is quite versatile and can accommodate many variations on a theme of orientations and numbers. Tissue types are restricted by the physical integrity of the tissue in the sectioned state. We confine our service to brain and spinal cords. Other tissues, such as spleen, liver, kidney, dorsal root ganglia have occasionally been successfully processed because when fixed by formaldehyde the sections stay intact and dont disintegrate as would happen with thymus, adipose, or pancreatic tissue, for example. What do you think the future holds for neurohistology? Neurohistology will always be needed because no matter what other kind of in vivo imaging capabilities may be developed, one must always, eventually, look to see what is happening in the tissue itself. NeuroScience Associates (NSA) Overview 2017 Play What is next on the horizon for NSA? Image analysis capabilities is the biggest growth area that I see. Being able to assign some kind of numerical data point to the stained structures/features on slides is in high demand. The range of possibilities is almost endless because it all comes down to what the investigator wants to see or compare. The next area posing the biggest challenge is being able to mine the data that is generated. This is where the informatics folks will find lots of work! Where can readers find more information? Please go to our website: NSALabs.com and if you cant find what you are looking for there, please call or email us: [email protected]. We enjoy such inquiries and it helps us stay current and to be ahead of the curve in identifying unmet needs. About Dr. Robert Switzer Dr. Robert C. Switzer, III has over thirty-five years of experience in the neuroscience field. Immediately prior to founding NSA, he was the Director of the R. H. Cole Neuroscience Lab at the University of Tennessee which focuses on research related to Parkinsons and Alzheimers disease. Dr. Switzer also has held positions at the National Institute of Mental Health and the Comparative Animal Research Lab in Oak Ridge Tennessee. Dr. Switzer has authored more than forty manuscripts in peer reviewed journals, published over fifty scientific meeting abstracts and contributed to seven books. In addition, Dr. Switzer is the inventor of NSAs MultiBrain technology and was awarded a patent for silver staining techniques used to detect Alzheimers disease pathology. Dr. Switzer graduated from Michigan State University with a B.S. in Physics and Astronomy and then joined the Biophysics department under Dr. Barnett Rosenberg to study olfactory transduction mechanisms. Later, the intrigue of comparative neuroanatomy attracted him to the laboratory of Dr. John I. Johnson under whom he obtained his M.S. and Ph.D. in Biophysics. As a post-doctoral fellow under the tutelage of Drs. Lennart Heimer and Jose deOlmos at the University of Virginia he learned neurohistologic silver staining techniques for identifying neuronal pathways in the brain. As an NIH Staff Fellow, he evolved the application of silver staining methods to specifically detect neurotoxic effects. The neurotoxic effects of alcohol and high pressure oxygen were among his first applications of the silver staining methods for this purpose. Among Dr. Switzers most significant technical contributions to neuroscience are the invention of MultiBrain technology, the Campbell-Switzer Alzheimers stain and also the development of the first silver stain for proteins in 2-D gels. Some highlights of his scientific contributions to neuroscience include papers published on the neurotoxic effects of alcohol, a neuroanatomical trait as a phylogenic discriminator, absence of mitral cells in monotremes, and the locus of ventral globus pallidus as defined by ferric iron. Police nab five traders Police on Wednesday arrested five more persons in connection with the 88kg gold smuggling case. Police on September 4 had confiscated the biggest haul of the precious yellow metal ever confiscated-worth over Rs 340 million from Chhetrapati in the Capital. Remote Diagnostic Technologies Ltd. (RDT), an innovator in pre-hospital care, today announced the launch of its Tempus ALS monitor and defibrillator at the Emergency Services Show in Birmingham. Lighter and more focused than existing technologies, the Tempus ALS enables paramedics to carry less and do much more. Furthermore, its advanced data collection and sharing capabilities offer a clear pathway for organizations looking to realize the vision of the Smart Ambulance. The military-grade Tempus ALS comprises a 3.2 kg advanced vital signs monitor and 2 kg professional defibrillator that slots into the paramedics fully-equipped grab bag. It is the lightest and most ergonomic solution on the market, minimizing the load carried by already overburdened paramedics. The compact lightweight design further allows for standardization across all vehicle types from bikes to cars, ambulances to helicopters offering unprecedented flexibility of deployment. As a defibrillator is mandatory, but only used in a small percentage of call-outs, the Tempus ALS incorporates a unique dual screen capability that allows the monitor and defibrillator to perform all functions independently but to automatically pair when together. This helps the user to focus solely on the critical information at hand and to better recognize and manage a deteriorating patient this is further supported by the fact that both devices are intuitive and easy to use. The Tempus ALS is underpinned by the same Tempus platform that powers the Tempus Pro, the vital signs monitor of choice for the UK MOD and a large percentage of NATO militaries. Its smart data capture and sharing capabilities improve situational awareness and allow for better informed treatment decisions to be made. For example, patient data can be integrated with existing patient record systems or streamed in real-time to boost ER and Cath Lab preparedness. The platform is also designed with the flexibility to incorporate new technologies as they become available or as user needs evolve, all achievable through in-field upgrades providing a future proof solution. Advanced accessory options that are already available include Video Laryngoscopy, Ultrasound and Anaesthetic Gas monitoring with more in development. Kent, Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance Trust (KSSAAT), is already making use of the Tempus Pro vital signs monitor and is amongst the first to deploy the Tempus ALS: Measuring, recording and transmitting physiological data accurately is crucial, not only for life-saving pre-hospital care, but also for audit, research and clinical development said Professor Richard Lyon MBE - Associate Medical Director, KSSAAT. At Kent, Surrey & Sussex Air Ambulance, we have embedded the Tempus ALS system into the core of our operation. The Tempus design allows it to be carried easily within our response pack, yet it is versatile enough to transmit data directly from scene, ambulance or even helicopter in-flight. The data handling capacity of the Tempus is first-class, as it seamlessly interfaces with our patient record system, improving clinical care and powering research and development. Graham Bird, Practicing Ambulance First Responder and Head of Global Sales at RDT added: Emergency response work is physically and mentally exhausting, placing extreme demands on the paramedic. From its compact form factor and unique intuitive task focused user interface, through to the data-sharing platform that underpins it, weve developed the Tempus ALS to focus on the needs of the paramedic, so that they can focus solely on the needs of the patient. Source: http://www.rdtltd.com/ The answer to regenerative medicine's most compelling question -- why some organisms can regenerate major body parts such as hearts and limbs while others, such as humans, cannot -- may lie with the body's innate immune system, according to a new study of heart regeneration in the axolotl, or Mexican salamander, an organism that takes the prize as nature's champion of regeneration. The study, which was conducted by James Godwin, Ph.D., of the MDI Biological Laboratory in Bar Harbor, Maine, found that the formation of new heart muscle tissue in the adult axolotl after an artificially induced heart attack is dependent on the presence of macrophages, a type of white blood cell. When macrophages were depleted, the salamanders formed permanent scar tissue that blocked regeneration. The study has significant implications for human health. Since salamanders and humans have evolved from a common ancestor, it's possible that the ability to regenerate is also built into our genetic code. Godwin's research demonstrates that scar formation plays a critical role in blocking the program for regeneration. "The scar shoots down the program for regeneration," he said. "No macrophages means no cardiac regeneration." Godwin's goal is to activate regeneration in humans through the use of drug therapies derived from macrophages that would promote scar-free healing directly, or those that would trigger the genetic programs controlling the formation of macrophages, which in turn could promote scar-free healing. His team is already looking at molecular targets for drug therapies to influence these genetic programs. "If humans could get over the fibrosis hurdle in the same way that salamanders do, the system that blocks regeneration in humans could potentially be broken," Godwin explained. "We don't know yet if it's only scarring that prevents regeneration or if other factors are involved. But if we're really lucky, we might find that the suppression of scarring is sufficient in and of itself to unlock our endogenous ability to regenerate." The prevailing view in regenerative biology has been that the major obstacle to heart regeneration in mammals is insufficient proliferation of cardiomyocytes, or heart muscle cells. But Godwin found that cardiomyocyte proliferation is not the only driver of effective heart regeneration. His findings suggest that research efforts should pay more attention to the genetic signals controlling scarring. The extraordinary incidence of disability and death from heart disease, which is the world's biggest killer, is directly attributable to scarring. When a human experiences a heart attack, scar tissue forms at the site of the injury. While the scar limits further tissue damage in the short term, over time its stiffness interferes with the heart's ability to pump, leading to disability and ultimately to terminal heart failure. Genetics & Genomics eBook Compilation of the top interviews, articles, and news in the last year. Download a copy today In addition to regenerating heart tissue following a heart attack, the ability to unlock dormant capabilities for regeneration through the suppression of scarring also has potential applications for the regeneration of tissues and organs lost to traumatic injury, surgery and other diseases, Godwin said. Godwin's findings are a validation of the MDI Biological Laboratory's unique research approach, which is focused on studying regeneration in a diverse range of animal models with the goal of gaining insight into how to trigger dormant genetic pathways for regeneration in humans. In the past year and a half, laboratory scientists have discovered three drug candidates with the potential to activate regeneration in humans. "Our focus on the study of animals with amazing capabilities for regenerating lost and damaged body parts has made us a global leader in the field of regenerative medicine," said Kevin Strange, Ph.D., MDI Biological Laboratory president. "James Godwin's discovery of the role of macrophages in heart regeneration demonstrates the value of this approach: we won't be able to develop rational and effective therapies to enhance regeneration in humans until we first understand regeneration works in animals like salamanders." Godwin, who is an immunologist, originally chose to look at the function of the immune system in regeneration because its role as the equivalent of a first responder at the site of an injury means that it is responsible for preparing the ground for tissue repairs. The recent study was a follow-up to an earlier study which found that macrophages also play a critical role in limb regeneration. The next step is to study the function of macrophages in salamanders and compare them with their human and mouse counterparts. Ultimately, Godwin would like to understand why macrophages produced by adult mice and humans don't suppress scarring in the same way as in axolotls and then identify molecules and pathways that could be exploited for human therapies. Godwin holds a dual appointment with The Jackson Laboratory, also located in Bar Harbor, which is focused on the mouse as a model animal. The dual appointment allows him to conduct experiments that compare genetic programming in the highly regenerative animals used as models at the MDI Biological Laboratory with genetic programming in neonatal and adult mice. New research conducted in mice provides evidence that highly lethal brain tumors, called high-grade gliomas, stop growing when deprived of a specific molecule naturally produced when brain cells fire. The experiments, led by a group of scientists from Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, suggest that targeting a protein called neuroligin-3 may prove beneficial in patients with these diseases. The work was published in Nature and supported by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), part of the National Institutes of Health. "This study transforms our understanding of how neurons influence the growth of gliomas, and opens a new door for potential treatments," said NINDS Program Director Jane Fountain, Ph.D. High-grade gliomas cause more deaths than any other form of brain cancer, partly due to the extreme difficulty surgeons have in removing all of the tumor cells. This leaves clinicians dependent on traditional chemotherapy and radiation treatments that have limited success. Depending on the specific subtype of tumor, more than three-quarters of patients die within five years, and for the most common childhood glioma that number exceeds 99 percent. "Treating these tumors is very difficult, in part because we don't fully understand what drives them," said senior author Michelle Monje, M.D., Ph.D, an assistant professor of neurology at Stanford. In a 2015 paper published in Cell, Dr. Monje's team identified several chemicals released by brain cells in response to neural activity that cause high-grade gliomas to grow. One of them was neuroligin-3, a protein that helps neurons communicate. In the current study, the researchers extracted tumor cells from patients with several varieties of high-grade gliomas and inserted them into the brains of two breeds of mice, one normal and one lacking the gene that produces neuroligin-3. In the latter, none of the tumors grew substantially for four and a half months and roughly half remained stagnant after six months, whereas tumors grew markedly in the mice with an intact neuroligin-3 gene. Further experiments suggested neuroligin-3 triggers a series of chemical reactions that stimulates multiple signaling pathways involved in glioma growth, causing the tumors to expand. Lab Diagnostics & Automation eBook Compilation of the top interviews, articles, and news in the last year. Download a copy today "We knew neuroligin-3 was one of many secreted factors that can promote tumor growth, but we didn't expect it to be so essential," said Dr. Monje. "I think that speaks to something fundamental that neuroligin-3 is doing in high-grade glioma that we need to better understand." The team also discovered that neuroligin-3 release is triggered when active neurons secrete a protein called ADAM10, which causes neuroligin-3 to detach from the surface of cells. Stopping neurons from firing prevented the release of both ADAM10 and neuroligin-3, and genetically deleting ADAM10 from neurons in mice reduced neuroligin-3 release. In addition, the team found that a group of brain cells called oligodendrocyte precursor cells can release neuroligin-3, suggesting those cells may play a role in accelerating glioma growth. Finally, Dr. Monje's group showed that blocking ADAM10 activity with a drug designed to treat other types of cancers dramatically reduced the growth of two types of gliomas implanted into the brains of mice. "That's really exciting because it may be that we can use ADAM10 inhibition as a complement to the therapeutic strategy we are already using," said Dr. Monje. In addition to working towards a better understanding of why gliomas are so dependent on neuroligin-3 for growth, Dr. Monje's team is now hoping to initiate a clinical trial using an ADAM10 inhibitor in human glioma patients. She is also interested in how neuroligin-3 binds to glioma cells, research that could lead to a method of slowing glioma growth by preventing this interaction. Although treatments targeting ADAM10 and neuroligin-3 might extend patients' lifespans, they would not kill the tumors, making additional treatments necessary to cure the disease. "I am a pediatric neuro-oncologist -- I take care of patients with these tumors and I have no effective therapy for them," Dr. Monje said. "There is an urgent need to find a better therapy for gliomas, and I think that we are now pursuing an avenue of research that holds great promise." GamesRadar+ is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Heres why you can trust us. China plans to more than double its atomic power capacity in the next decade, bucking the trend of consolidation in western Europe and North America. The Asian nations expansion will contribute to a 6.6 percent increase in global nuclear capacity over the next decade, according to BMI Research. Late in 2017 or early in 2018, two AP1000 nuclear reactors will start operating in China. Plans for future AP1000 units will now be CAP1000, which is a local standardization of the design, transitional to the CAP1400. It is said to have reduced cost and improved operation and maintenance attributes. The demonstration CAP1000 plant is planned for Haiyang 3 and 4 CAP1000 localization is 80%. In mid-2013 SNPTC quoted approx. $3000/kW capital cost and 7 c/kWh for the CAP1400 (1400MW version of a china modified AP1000). CAP1400 may be followed by a larger, three-loop CAP1700 design if the passive cooling system can be scaled to that level. Agreements with Westinghouse stipulate that SNPTC will own the intellectual property rights for any derivatives over 1350 MWe. SNPEC is doing the engineering under a team from SNERDI, the Shandong Electric Power Engineering Consulting Institute (SEPECI), and the State Nuclear Power Equipment Manufacturing Company (SNPEMC), which will make the components. China also has the Hualong One reactor design. The CPR-1000 used as its base design units 5 and 6 of the Gravelines Nuclear Power Station in France. Some CPR-1000 intellectual property rights are retained by Areva, which limits overseas sales potential. there was an advanced CPR-1000 design called the ACPR1000. China merged the ACPR1000 with the China National Nuclear Corporation ACP1000 design, while allowing some differences, under direction of the Chinese nuclear regulator. Both are three-loop designs originally based on the same French design, but now have different nuclear cores. The CNNC Hualong One version will be the main domestic model built with the aim of lowering the price of the reactor to equip the national fleet cheaply. After Fuqing 5&6 CNNC plans to build the next at Zhangzhou in Fujian province, previously an AP1000 project. This reactor design will be dedicated to the domestic market and some international markets such as Pakistan, Argentina, and possibly Eastern Europe. It is under construction in Pakistan. China is also completing a commercial high temperature pebble bed reactor in 2018. China is working on fast neutron nuclear reactors. China will likely start developing a supercritical water nuclear reactor. You are clearly a super-user of NUVO.net. Thats a good thing. It means you depend on independent and local news sources to keep you informed. You are a smart person. Coincidentally, independent and local news sources depend on you too. Youve read 25 articles this month and now, wed like you to be join our mission and become a NUVO Supporter. For as little as $4 a month, you can keep us alive and fighting -- and can have unlimited access to the independent news that cant be found anywhere else. Raijin Energy claims Rs2.8b in compensation from NEA Raijin Energy Co has claimed Rs2.8 billion in compensation from the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) after it scrapped a contract to install solar plants at Devighat and Trishuli in Nuwakot district on orders from the parliamentary Public Accounts Committee. RJP-N cadre killed in clash with NC cadres A man died when the Nepali Congress (NC) cadres attacked him over the election row in Katahariya Municipality of Rautahat district on Wednesday night. WASHINGTON Paul J. Manafort, the former campaign chairman for President Trump who is at the center of investigations into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election, is working for allies of the leader of Iraqs Kurdish region to help administer and promote a referendum on Kurdish independence from Iraq. The United States opposes the referendum, but Mr. Manafort has carved out a long and lucrative career advising foreign clients whose interests have occasionally diverged from American foreign policy. And he has continued soliciting international business even as his past international work has become a focus of the investigation by the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, into ties between Russia and Mr. Trump and his associates, including possible collusion between them to influence the presidential election. In fact, the work for the Kurdish group appears to have been initiated this summer around the time that federal authorities working for Mr. Mueller raided Mr. Manaforts home in Virginia and informed him that they planned to indict him. While the Kurdish referendum, scheduled for Monday, would not immediately trigger independence, the American government and the international community have expressed serious concerns about it. They fear that, if it passes overwhelmingly, as expected, it could further destabilize Iraq, damage the coalition fighting the Islamic State, and potentially spark violence in disputed areas. Sacked NOC boss Khadka files writ Sacked managing director of Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) Gopal Bahadur Khadka on Wednesday moved the Supreme Court (SC) saying that the Cabinets decision to dismiss him was illegal and should be annulled. SAsia meet on water, energy, food kicks off The South Asian Regional Knowledge Forum on Water, Energy and Food kicked off in Kathmandu on Wednesday. Submissions up this year but not satisfactory yet Out of 86,895 civil servants, 4,812 have failed to furnish property details. The deadline for submitting the property details ended on August 30. International sightseers visiting the region of Gilan tend to go to Masouleh, a 10th-century terraced village, or the enormous ruins of Rudkhan Castle, built during the Seljuk dynasty. But most Iranian families trek north to escape the summer heat at the beaches along the Caspian Sea. In accordance with religious laws, Irans beaches are divided into three sections: one part for men only, another for women and a family section where all are welcome. Women are free to wear bathing suits at the female-only beaches, but at the family beaches, they must be fully clothed and wear a head scarf. One bather said that she doesnt know how it would feel going into the sea without full hijab, because as a religious woman, she always prefers to swim with family members, rather than keep to herself at a single-sex beach. Another beachgoer said that it is difficult to swim in a hijab and that enjoying a family vacation is tough when you are unable to go in the water together comfortably, without being weighed down by clothes. The men are, by contrast, unencumbered. A man from Maragheh, a city in the north, was taking a vacation from his job at the utility company. He visited Gilan with his twin brother to swim all day long and feel free and calm. Here we dont really think of anything. North of Iran is totally different from anywhere else in world. J.L. Friday 1) 3 P.M. Bocadillo, Two Ways Theres probably no dish more emblematic of Madrid than the bocadillo de calamares, the simple wedding of crusty baguette and squid fried in olive oil that, when done right, is extremely satisfying. Grab a standing spot at one of the bars at the edges of the grand, arcaded Plaza Mayor to enjoy a classic, under-three-euro (or about $3.60) version of the sandwich, washed down with a cana, or small beer. Or pair an acorn-fed Iberian ham bocadillo with a chilled glass of Champagne a combination thats been winning the hearts of local foodies at Bocadillo de Jamon y Champan in the Alonso Martinez neighborhood. 2) 5 P.M. Boho Barrio One of Madrids most of-the-moment shopping areas is Las Salesas, the leafy downtown neighborhood running from Chueca to Salamanca. The concept store Do Design carries design, fashion and art objects, while quirky Cacto-Cacto carries only, yes, cacti. Check out the elegant, century-old pastry shop La Duquesita Pasteleria, which got a smart makeover at the end of 2015, as well as the tiny, three-year-old boutique Japines (think Happiness with a Spanish accent), which the local designer Maria Beltran Joyas filled with a tastefully eclectic assortment of accessories, candles, perfume and jewelry, much of it of her own design. Patrons enjoy drinks in La Latina neighborhood. Credit Javier Luengo for The New York Times 3) 10 P.M. New Wave Tapas One of the best of the recently opened crop of modern tapas bars, Celso y Manolo knows what to update and what to leave alone. This goes for the stylish interior, with its preserved 1950s-era bar and floor tiles, as well as the menu, featuring reworked classics like grilled organic Cantabrian veal ribs with chimichurri (10 euros) or the chuleton de tomate, a luscious layering of avocado, mango, papaya, olive oil and fresh herbs on a half heirloom tomato (10 euros). 4) 11:30 P.M. Old Wave Spirits Some things dont need updating, like La Venencia, a gorgeously musty, sepia-toned sherry bar frequented by Hemingway that has hardly changed in 70 years. Tipping and taking photos are still strictly forbidden remnants of the bars time as a Republican haunt during the Spanish Civil War and the only drink on offer is sherry: exquisite, honey-hued and poured from hulking oakwood casks, same as it ever was. Another fetching Madrileno relic, Bar Cock has been open since 1921 in a cavernous former brothel decked out like an English gentlemens club. With its well-poured cocktails, pleasantly stagey interior, and whiff of debauchery, its easy to see why its been a late-night spot for everyone from Frank Sinatra to Pedro Almodovar to Francis Bacon, who according to bar legend came here for his final martini. In the name of charity, Rs 50 lakh transferred to personal A/C: ED in chargesheet against Rana Ayyub Rana Ayyub used money collected for charity for her own use Who is Isudan Gadhvi? Know all about AAP's CM candidate 4 arrested in Tripura scribe murder case India oi-PTI Agartala, September 21: Tripura Police arrested four activists of the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) on Thursday in connection with the killing of a journalist and arson. Avijit Saptarshi, Superintendent of Police (SP), Tripura West, said, "Sixteen police personnel were injured. Two vehicles were damaged by the IPFT activists at the Mandai and Khumulwung areas of the district." He added that the police were attacked with bows and arrows and bottles and machetes. "We fought pitched battles with the activists in at least five places," the SP said, adding that the situation was tense but under control. Santanu Bhowmick, a journalist associated with the 'Dinrat' television news channel, was yesterday killed in West Tripura district while he was covering an IPFT agitation. He was reportedly hit from behind and abducted at Mandai. Bhowmick was subsequently found with serious stab injuries and was rushed to the Agartala Medical College and Hospital, where the doctors declared him "brought dead". Aftermath of the incident internet services were suspended across the state to prevent rumour mongering. PTI For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, September 21, 2017, 17:49 [IST] Routine for Pak to come up with 'farcical actions' prior to key intl meets: MEA on Lakhvi sentencing The Imam of Jihadis: Why Pakistans actions against Lakhvi are just an eye-wash After losing sons in Kashmir, Lakhvi sends nephew over India oi-Vicky By Vicky Amidst the infiltrations that has been taking place, Umiar, nephew of Lashkar-e-Tayiba commander Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi has managed to cross over into Kashmir. Latest intelligence reports suggest that Umair who joined the Lashkar-e-Tayiba recently managed to cross over into Kashmir. He has come to join the other terrorists and wage jihad against India, the report stated. This is the third time that Lakhvi is sending across members of his family to wage a battle in Kashmir. Earlier he had sent both his sons, Qasim and Musaib. Both were killed in an encounter. The IB report states that around 10 Lashkar-e-Tayiba operatives crossed over with Umair into Kashmir. They then moved towards the outskirts of Srinagar where they are believed to be active. Further the report stated that they are trying to move a consignment of arms to South Kashmir from the northern part of the state. An operative by the name Zargam is overseeing the operation, the IB report also states. The Lashkar-e-Tayiba is looking for a fresh lease of life after having lost its commanders recently. The Jammu and Kashmir police said that the Lashkar-e-Tayiba has not appointed any commander, although it is widely believed that Zeenat-ul-Islam would be take over. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, September 21, 2017, 15:13 [IST] Storm Roslyn likely to be a hurricane, hit Mexico's tourism Mexico: Two dead as Hurricane Roslyn weakens after landfall All Indians safe in earthquake hit Mexico says Sushma Swaraj India oi-Vicky By Vicky All Indians are safe in Mexico which was hit by a terrifying earthquake on Wednesday which left over 200 dead. I have spoken to our Ambassador in Mexico and was told that all Indians are safe said External Affairs Minister, Sushma Swaraj. Swaraj, who attending the 72nd annual session of the UN General Assembly, said India stands with Mexico in this hour of grief. "My deepest condolences to the families of those who have lost their lives in the second earthquake in Mexico," she said. At least 225 people were killed when a powerful 7.1- magnitude earthquake struck Mexico, including 21 children crushed beneath an elementary school that was reduced to rubble. The destruction revived horrific memories in Mexico on the anniversary of another massive quake in 1985, the disaster-prone country's deadliest ever. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, September 21, 2017, 6:26 [IST] Kerala IAS officers speech carrying her child gets mixed reactions Kerala govt intends to replace Governor as Chancellor of universities through ordinance DGP Kerala orders FIR against The Kerala Story after TN journalist forwards complaint to CM Amid massive row, Kerala drops Guv Arif Mohammed Khan as chancellor of deemed university Asianet channel's office attacked in Kerala's Alappuzha India oi-Chennabasaveshwar By Chennabasaveshwar Unidentified assailants on Thursday morning attacked Asianet Television Network's Alappuzha bureau office in Kerala. The attackers vandalized company car parked outside the office. No causalities reported. A reporter and editor were in office at the time of attack. They were not harmed. Police has begun investigation in this connection. A police team led by Alappuzha district police chief S Surendran launched a hunt for the assailants. Surendran told Times of India, they were checking the CCTV visuals of nearby homes. A dog squad and finger print experts collected evidences from the spot The attack was made using an interlock stone. Members of the Kerala Union of Working Journalists staged a protest in Alappuzha to protest against the attack on Asianet. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, September 21, 2017, 14:22 [IST] Cheque books of these 6 banks to be invalid: Apply by Sep 30 India oi-Vicky By Vicky If you are a State Bank of India customer holding an account in its subsidiary banks, you will soon have to get a new cheque book along with the Indian Financial System (IFS) code. The SBI has asked its customers of its subsidiary banks to apply for new cheque books and IFS codes "as soon as possible". All the erstwhile associate banks of SBI and the Bharatiya Mahila Bank users need to upgrade their cheque books, the SBI said in a tweet. Accounts holders of State Bank of Patiala, State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur, State Bank of Raipur, State Bank of Travancore, State Bank of Hyderabad and Bhartiya Mahila Bank will have apply for the new cheque books and IFS codes. SBI also stated that the old cheque books and IFS codes of these six banks will not be valid after September 30. Users can avail the new cheque books via internet and mobile banking, ATM or by visiting the home branch. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, September 21, 2017, 6:58 [IST] Is the 2019 election the last one ever? This is what Sakshi Maharaj has to say Unnao MP Sakshi Maharaj meets rape accused MLA in jail to thank him after election BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj asks Hindus to be armed with arrows, bottles to deal with jihadis Couples displaying affection in public should be jailed: Sakshi Maharaj India oi-PTI Jaipur, September 20: In a controversy remark, BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj has said couples displaying affection in public should be put behind bars. "Be it a motorcycle, car or park, couples can be seen behaving in a vulgar fashion. They hug each other as if the girl will eat the boy or the boy will eat the girl," the Lok Sabha member from Unnao in Uttar Pradesh said. Maharaj told reporters in Bharatpur in Rajasthan, "It will be appropriate to take action and put such couples behind bars before anything wrong occurs." Known for not mincing his words, the BJP leader said everyone ignores them but when rape occurs people demand action by the police. Maharaj, who had earlier defended Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, said he had no ties with him but some political leaders seek cooperation of fake godmen to fetch votes. The Dera chief has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for raping two of his disciples. "People such as Ram Rahim and Rampal have emerged from vote bank politics and political leaders need to introspect on whether such godmen (babas) should be encouraged," he said. Ram Rahim and Rampal were "hypocrites", he alleged. Commenting on the Rohingya Muslim refugees issue, the BJP MP said they had no right to stay in the country. PTI For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, September 21, 2017, 8:57 [IST] Dawood is in Pakistan: Iqbal Kaskar tells police India pti-PTI Thane, Sep 21: Dawood Ibrahim's brother Iqbal Kaskar, who is being interrogated in extortion cases, has told the police that the fugitive underworld don is in Pakistan. Yes he (Iqbal Kaskar) did say that: DCP Abhishek Trimukhe (crime branch, Thane) on Dawood Ibrahim being in Pakistan pic.twitter.com/q7Z514LFP7 ANI (@ANI) September 21, 2017 Thane police arrested Kaskar two days ago in Mumbai in a case of extortion. "Along with crime branch officials, Iqbal is also being questioned by the IB officials for the last two days and he has provided some vital information related to Dawood and his whereabouts," said a senior official of Thane police. Kaskar, according to the official, confirmed that his brother, wanted in several cases including the 1993 Mumbai blasts case, is in Pakistan. Dawood is of late wary of calling his relatives or his men in India on phone for fear of tapping, he said. Kaskar also told the interrogators that he has spoken with his other brother, Anees Ibrahim, who lives with Dawood, only four or five times in the recent past. The information given by Kaskar will help in the investigation of several cases registered against the members of Dawood gang in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Thane, the official said. According to the police, Dawood's drug business has spread to Africa and even South America, while Kaskar looks after his 'real estate business' in Mumbai area. The crime branch has also sent a team to Bihar to probe the present case, as the shooters hired to scare the complainant had been hired from there, the officer said. Two more persons have come forward to complain about the extortion racket run by the Dawood gang in Mumbai-Thane area since Iqbal's arrest, and the police are expecting at least a dozen more complaints. The police are likely to give protection to the complainants, the official said. Kaskar and his associates had allegedly been threatening a prominent builder in Thane in Dawood's name since 2013 and had extorted Rs 30 lakh and four flats from him. Kaskar was deported from the UAE in 2003. PTI Dawood moved location 4 times since Modi came to power says brother India oi-Vicky By Vicky He has moved his location four times since Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister, Iqbal Kaskar said about his brother, Dawood Ibrahim. While confirming that he was in Pakistan, Kaskar arrested in an extortion case said that since 2014, Dawood's security too has been enhanced. The probe which is also focusing on the role played by Dawood in running the extortion racket also confirmed his presence in Pakistan. Kaskar told the police that Dawood does not speak to his family over phone. He has made investments in eastern and western Africa, he also said. He has links with Latin American drug lords, he said. He further said that he has four locations in Pakistan. Since the BJP led government came to power he has changed location at least four times, Kaskar told the probe agency. He further said that since 2014, security around the don has been very tight. Meanwhile the role of 2 NCP leaders is also under probe. The police suspect that these leaders acted as middlemen in the extortion case. Police commissioner of Thane, Parambir Singh said that the probe was also focusing on whether Dawood himself was controlling the racket. We are also probing if the money was transferred through an illegal hawala route. He also said that a few politicians were helping Kaskar in this racket. The probe found that owing to recession and demonetisation, the builders were hit badly. This led to Kaskar seeking extortion in the form of flats. A builder had complained that Kaskar had demanded three flats from him. The probe also found that Kaskar was threatening both builders and jewelers in the Thane area since 2013. The probe found that Kaskar had taken possession of a flat in Ghodbunder. It is suspected that one of the two NCP leaders had stood guarantor for the same. The NCP has however denied charges of its leaders being involved. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, September 21, 2017, 15:03 [IST] SC seeks reply from HCs on plea for 'Gram Nyayalayas' JEE Main 2023 exam dates to be out soon: Check details Delhi: Suspicious object detected with passenger trying to board Indigo flight India oi-Deepika By Deepika A suspicious object was found during the screening of a passenger while he was trying to board an IndiGo flight. Bureau of Civil Aviation Security investigating confirmed that the object was found "before loading into the cargo bay of Indigo flight, not pax screening". Recently, a suspicious object was found from a man's luggage while he was trying to board another IndiGo flight at Mangalore airport. A Dubai-bound passenger's power bank was found to have a suspicious clay-like object in his check-in baggage. he cellphone bomb was detected by the staff screening baggage in an X-ray machine. Earlier it was presumed to be a cellphone bomb. The incident led to a delay of an IndiGo flight scheduled to head towards Dubai. OneIndia News Tuesday is now No Meeting Day in Haryana and officers to be with people on Friday Haryana govt asks all boards, corporations to provide caste data India oi-PTI Chandigarh, September 21: In order to comply with directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, the Haryana government has decided that all departments, boards and corporations would provide information of caste data of all the employees working under them. A circular to this effect was issued by the chief secretary on Wednesday. "The Punjab and Haryana High Court order states that the state government shall place before the Haryana Backward Classes Commission the quantifiable data amongst other things, besides, the Haryana Backward Classes Commission itself would be at liberty to seek the data, information, as may be required by it from the state government, the Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes Department and/or any other department...," an official release said. The state government, the Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes Department and/or any other department as also any other stakeholder or interested person may submit data for or against the reservation before the Haryana Backward Classes Commission by November 30, 2017, the release quoting the order said. The circular said that the data furnished shall be put up by the Haryana Backward Classes Commission on its website. PTI For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, September 21, 2017, 10:54 [IST] How Dawoods brother pocketed Rs 100 crore with help of two politicians India oi-Vicky By Vicky Recommended Video Dawoods brother helped by two politicians to pocket Rs 100 crore, probe on| Oneindia News The probe being conducted following the arrest of Dawood Ibrahim's brother, Iqbal Kaskar is focusing heavily on the politician nexus. The probe has found that political support could have helped Iqbal pocket nearly Rs 100 crore in the past few years. The role of 2 NCP leaders is also under probe. The police suspect that these leaders acted as middlemen in the extortion case. Police commissioner of Thane, Parambir Singh said that the probe was also focusing on whether Dawood himself was controlling the racket. We are also probing if the money was transferred through an illegal hawala route. He also said that a few politicians were helping Kaskar in this racket. The probe found that owing to recession and demonetisation, the builders were hit badly. This led to Kaskar seeking extortion in the form of flats. A builder had complained that Kaskar had demanded three flats from him. The probe also found that Kaskar was threatening both builders and jewelers in the Thane area since 2013. The probe found that Kaskar had taken possession of a flat in Ghodbunder. It is suspected that one of the two NCP leaders had stood guarantor for the same. The NCP has however denied charges of its leaders being involved. The probe also found that extortion calls were made from outside the country as well. The builders who were threatened were asked to route the money abroad through hawala channels. The Thane police currently probing the case will seek the help of the Enforcement Directorate to probe into the money trail, sources say. 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. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, September 21, 2017, 8:34 [IST] Who is V G Siddhartha? Here's all you need to know about India's coffee king Today I gave up said V G Siddhartha in letter to Coffee Day family before he went missing IT raids on former external affairs minister S M Krishna's son-in-law's firms India oi-Anusha Recommended Video S M Krishna's son-in-law's firms raided by IT | Oneindia News Income Tax department is said to be carrying out raids on properties belonging to former Karnataka Chief Minister S M Krishna's son-in-law. Reports suggested that V G Siddhartha's firms and properties at multiple locations are being searched. No official word on the raids has come in from the Income Tax department as yet. The former external affairs minister's son-in-law's firms including the famous Coffee Day, Way to wealth group, Serai group and some premises on Global Village are being searched by IT sleuths. In Bengaluru, Coffee day square, the headquarters of the chain of cafes is being searched. The searches began at around 8.30 AM on Wednesday and teams are also conducting raids on Siddhartha's residence in Bengaluru. Siddhartha is best known as the founder-owner of the chain of Cafe Coffee Day outlets. Siddhartha owns Amalgamated Bean Company (ABC)- India's largest exporter of green coffee. After spending 46 years of his political life as a Congressman, S M Krishna, Siddhartha's father-in-law joined the BJP in March this year. S M Krishna, apart from being the former Chief Minister of Karnataka, has also been the External Affairs Minister in the UPA government as well as the Governor of Maharashtra. OneIndia News With Islamic radicalisation running so deep, why an NIA branch in every state matters Kashmir terror funding: Two confessional statements that would nail separatists India oi-Vicky By Vicky The noose around the separatists of Kashmir tightened with the National Investigation Agency securing the confessional statements of two persons. 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. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, September 21, 2017, 8:25 [IST] Ready to quit cinema if it becomes hurdle to political career: Kamal Haasan Chennai Rains: Kamal Haasan asks fans to help flood victims as his birthday gift 'Fight against corruption brought Kejriwal and me together',says Kamal Haasan India oi-Chennabasaveshwar By Chennabasaveshwar After meeting with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Superstar Kamal Haasan said the fight against corruption brought them together. In a press conference, Haasan said, "I find it amazing that he (Kejriwal) wanted to meet me, anyone related to corruption cannot be related to me. The reason we got together is his fight against corruption." "His conviction, courage admirable," he added. Arvind Kejriwal said, they had a very good meeting and will continue to do so in future. "He (Kamal Haasan) should enter into politics," Kejriwal said. "We will continue to discuss and meet each other in future also, " he added. Had an excellent meeting, we exchanged our ideas. He (Kamal Haasan) should enter into politics: Arvind Kejriwal in Chennai pic.twitter.com/SfMH4qFg7e ANI (@ANI) September 21, 2017 Kejriwal met with the superstar at his residence in Chennai. It was rumoured that Kejriwal is likely to offer Haasan the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) platform to pursue his career in politics. Haasan has been very active politically of late, often times levying corruption charges against the state government. As per the Times of India report, Haasan wanted to meet Kejriwal. A telephone conversation set the ground for today's meeting. Tamil Nadu: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal received by Kamal Haasan's daughter Akshara Haasan in Chennai. pic.twitter.com/hgUDcsIFSc ANI (@ANI) September 21, 2017 This is not the first time Hassan is meeting the Delhi Chief Minister. Haasan had called on Kejriwal two years ago at the Delhi secretariat on September 11, 2015. Then they said to have discussed ideas related to promotion of the film industry and easing the process of shooting in the national capital. But today's meeting gains significance after Haasan met Kerala Chief Minister P Vijayan in Thiruvananthapuram. However, he denied joining the communist party. The Delhi Chief Minister will also visit a Tamil Nadu government-run skill development centre in Chennai. Mr Haasan had been opposing the ruling AIADMK in Tamil Nadu, whose political adversary DMK has voiced support for him. (With agency inputs) Himachal was valued less on strength, more on Parliament seats before: PM Modi Large number of devotees from across the region thronged temples in Himachal Pradesh India oi-Oneindia By Vijyender Sharma SHIMLA: Large number of devotees from across the region on Thursday thronged temples in Himachal Pradesh to mark the onset of the 10-day long Navratri festival, the holy period for the Hindus. "We are expecting over 30,000 devotees every day at the temple," C P Verma Deputy Commissioner Kangra told at Jawalamukhi. One of the busiest shrines in north India, the Naina Devi temple in Kangra district sees a majority of pilgrims from Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. Likewise, a huge rush was seen since early morning at the popular temples of Chintpurni in Una, Baba Balak Nath in Hamirpur, Brajeshwari Devi, Jwalamukhi and Chamunda Devi in Kangra and Bhimakali and Hateshwari in Shimla district. The festival will conclude on September 30. Devotees would be able to watch live 'darshan' of Brajeshwari Devi, Naina Devi, Chintpurni, and Jwalaji temples and would also be able to offer online offerings. The ten day ASHVIN Navratra Mela today begins with traditional enthusiasm and religious fervor at the famous Hindu shrine of Jawalamukhi in Kangra district of Himachal Pardesh. All arrangements have been completed by the authority to ensure smooth celebration of MELA. The Jawalamukhi Temple Trust authorities are making arrangements for over five lakh pilgrims, who are expected to arrive here from PUNJAB, CHANDIGARH, HARYANA, UTTAR PRADESH AND RAJASTHAN to pay obeisance to the Goddess during the MELA. According to the Deputy Commissioner of Kangra District Mr. C. P . Verma , elaborate security arrangement had been made to maintain law and order during the MELA. Special police force and home guards would be put on duty to check theft and Pick-pocketing. He said an Executive Magistrate is appointed for Mela on Duty round the clock. The administration also banned the carrying of all types of fire arms ammunition and lethal weapons inside the Territory of JawalaMukhi Nagar Panchayat of the district with immediate effect. The D.C. said, to maintain sanitation during the MELA the entire area of the town divide into sectors. Besides the regular sanitation staff 50 Safai Sewaks would be recruited for this work. The Medical facilities were also provided by the authority round clock, said D.C. Kangra. Direct buses would be piled between Jawalamukhi, Chandigarh & Hoshiarpur. Mr Verma who is holding the charge of Temple Commissioner also, said in addition the state public relations department will set up a reception room, information centre to provide regular information of the MELA to devotees. The Health Department has been asked to ensure potable water for the Pilgrim. Similar fairs would be held at Barjshwari Devi Temple Kangra & Chamunda in this district. Meanwhile Police Chief of Kangra, while talking to reporters, said that bomb disposal squads had been deputed at all three main temples in the district in view of terrorist threat perception. The three temples include Jawalamukhi temple, Barjeshwari Devi temple in Kangra and Chamunda temple. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, September 21, 2017, 13:36 [IST] Mamatas order to ban Durga idol immersion during Muharram revoked by HC India oi-Vicky By Vicky The Calcutta High Court has revoked the ban order on Durga idol during Muhharam. The court had taken a serious view of this order and had said that this amounted to hindering a citizen's right to practise religion. "Let them (Hindus and Muslims) live in harmony, do not create a line between them," Acting Chief Justice Rakesh Tiwary said, asking the government to provide a "concrete ground" for its decision to stop the immersion of Durga idols after 10 pm on September 30 (Vijaya Dashami day) and on October 1 on account of Muharram. Hearing three PILs challenging the restrictions on immersion of idols at the end of the five-day Durga Puja festival, a bench, also comprising Justice Harish Tandon, said a mere assumption that a law and order situation might arise, owing to Vijaya Dashami and Muharram falling one after the other, could not be the basis of imposing curbs on immersion timings. Observing that chief minister Mamata Banerjee had herself told a public meeting that Hindus and Muslims lived together in harmony in the state, the bench said, "Listen to what the head of the state says and not a police officer." "People have the right to practise their religious activities, whichever community they may be of, and the state cannot put restrictions, unless it has a concrete ground to believe that two communities cannot live together," the acting chief justice said. "You must clarify why are you apprehending a law and order situation," the bench told state Advocate General (AG) Kishore Dutta, who claimed that it was the administration's prerogative to decide on steps to prevent any untoward situation. "Public order and law and order are administrative issues," Dutta submitted, while claiming that the court's interference in it would amount to trudging into the administration's domain. The West Bengal government has imposed restrictions on Durga idol immersions on September 30, the Vijaya Dashami day, after 10 PM and no immersion would be allowed on October 1, the day Muharram is scheduled to be observed. The bench said the administration could regulate the routes for the immersion processions to follow and those through which the 'Tajia' processions of Muharram would pass. "In the interest of maintaining law and order and in order to prevent an untoward incident, the administration can regulate a religious congregation or procession," the AG submitted before the court. "It is a preventive action to rule out any possibility of a law and order situation," he said. The court observed that it was not disputing the state's right to regulate, but the administration could not restrict the observance of one's religious rights. "We are asking you to eliminate the element of arbitrariness and provide a concrete ground for your action," the bench said. "If you say there is complete harmony, are you (the state administration) not creating a line of division between the two communities by your action?" asked Justice Tandon. When the AG reiterated that the state had taken the decision to prevent any untoward incident, the acting chief justice observed, "Let them live in harmony, do not create a line between them." The court further said it was advocating peace, harmony and living together. The hearing in the three PILs was concluded and the order is scheduled to be passed on Thursday. OneIndia News Mumbai: 6-year-old boy collapses while playing in school, dies India oi-Deepika By Deepika A 6-year-old boy studying in Chandivali's Pawar Public School died after he collapsed in the school premises on Thursday morning. School officials said that the incident was shocking for them as the child had no medical history and looked fine that day. Swarang Dalvi, a Class 1 student, was playing with his friends during the short break at around 10.10 am when he collapsed. He was taken to the medical room in the school where the doctor reportedly suggested that the child be taken to the hospital as he was not responding. School officials rushed him to the nearby Hiranandani hospital where he was declared dead. CCTV footage shows tht student fell unconscious suddenly; Parents said that there was no history of illness: Principal. Pawar Public School pic.twitter.com/wYMWigoJpn ANI (@ANI) September 21, 2017 He was playing with the children outside their second floor classroom when he fell on the floor. We took him to the hospital immediately." DCP, ACP Sakinaka and Senior PI Sakinaka visited Hiranandani Hospital and the school. Police have registered an Accidental Death Report and the investigation is on. However, the cause of death is still unknown. OneIndia News (with agncy inputs) For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, September 21, 2017, 16:31 [IST] In town near Kolkata women priests, Dhakis at first community Durga Puja In Tripura, liquor shops and bars to remain closed during Durga Puja, Diwali Shakti Squad to ensure safety of women during Durga Puja in Jharkhand UP: Two electrocuted to death at Durga Puja pandal Navratri 2017: Know the 9 different avatars of goddess Durga India oi-Deepika By Deepika Recommended Video Navratri 2017: Nine different avatars of goddess Durga; all you need to know | Oneindia News Navratri festival has already started and devotees celebrate this festival with lot of enthusiasm. The auspicious festival started from September 21st and will be celebrated for 9 days and nights. Devotees worship Goddess Durga and all her nine forms for the 9 days to seek divine blessings. The Hindu holy festival is mostly celebrated in the month of Ashwin, according to the lunar calendar. The festival overlaps with the nine-day Navratri celebrations and ends on Dussehra, also known as Vijaydashami. But there is a precise series of events that lead to the celebrations of Durga Puja. Navratri festival is celebrated by worshiping Goddess Durga and her 9 different avatars. Here are the details of the 9 manifestations of Goddess Durga. Pratipada: The day Navratri begins is marked by the ritual Ghatasthapana which is performed to invoke the energy of the Goddess Durga. The goddess is worshipped on this day as Shailputri is an incarnation of the Goddess Pravati. Dwitiya: The goddess is worshipped as Brahmacharini who is the unmarried form of the Goddess Pavrati. She enlightens us in the magnificent embodiment of Durga with great powers and divine grace. Tritiya: The third facet of Goddess Durga is 'Chandraghanta', who is worshipped on the third day of Navaratri, for peace, tranquility and prosperity in life. Chaturthi: Kushmanda is the fourth form of the mother goddess and is worshipped on the fourth day of Navaratri. She is considered the creator of the universe. Panchami: The fifth aspect of the Mother Durga is known as 'Skanda Mata' - the mother of Skanda or Lord Kartikeya, who was chosen by gods as their commander in chief in the war against the demons. She is worshipped on the fifth day of Navaratri. She is accompanied by the Lord Skanda in his infant form. Shasthi: The sixth form of Mother Durga is known as 'Katyayani', who is worshipped on the six day of Navaratri. The legend behind her name goes thus: Once upon a time, there was a great sage called Kata, who had a son named Katya. Saptami: This is the seventh form of Mother Durga and is worshipped on the seventh day of Navaratri. She has a dark complexion, disheveled hair and a fearlessness posture. A necklace flashing lightning adorns her neck. Ashtami: Maha Gouri is worshipped on the eighth day of Navaratri. Her power is unfailing and instantly fruitful. As a result of her worship, all sins of past, present and future get washed away and devotees get purified in all aspects of life. Maha Gauri is intelligent, peaceful and calm. Navami: Siddhidatri is the ninth form of Goddess. She is worshipped on the ninth day of Navaratri. Siddhidatri has supernatural healing powers. She has four arms and she is always in a blissful happy enchanting pose. She rides on the lion as her vehicle. Dussehra: The victory of good over evil. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, September 21, 2017, 11:57 [IST] Gyanvapi-Shringar Gauri case: Court asks mosque management to file objections to plea for carbon-dating of 'Shivling' On camera: Varanasi folks in panic as 'ghost in white' goes for a walk on rooftops Varanasi to light up for Deep Deepavali, a festival of lights that is not Diwali Varanasi lights up with 8 lakh lamps on Dev Deepawali; PM shares pics too PM Modi to inaugurate 17 infrastructure projects during 2-day visit to Varanasi India oi-PTI Varanasi (UP), September 21: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will begin a two-day visit to his Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency tomorrow, during which he will inaugurate nearly 17 infrastructure projects and address public meetings. Varanasi District Magistrate Yogeshwar Ram Mishra said Modi would open the second phase of a trade facilitation centre for weavers and handicraft workers in Bada-Lalpur near here on September 22. He will inaugurate infrastructure projects, including the Ramnagar-Samne Ghat bridge and the Balua Ghat bridge, and lay the foundation of nearly six projects including Ramna Sewage Treatment Plant (STP), said Sanjay Bhardwaj, the BJP's eastern Uttar Pradesh media in- charge. The prime minister will dedicate to the nation a community kitchen ('Annakshetra') near the famous Kashi Vishwanath temple, Varanasi Divisional Commissioner Nitin Ramesh Gokarn said. He will flag off the country's third Mahamana Express train between Varanasi and Vadodara remotely. He will then head for the Diesel Locomotive Works (DLW) guest house where he will meet BJP workers. Modi is scheduled later offer prayers at the Tulsi Manas Temple and Durga Temple in Durgakund. He will also release a commemorative stamp on the Ramayana, the official said. On September 23, Modi will inaugurate 'Pashu Arogya Mela' in Shahanshahpur on the outskirts of the city. He will also address a gathering of farmers there. He will also distribute loan waiver certificates to some farmers, whose loans have been waived by the BJP-led Uttar Pradesh government and will address the farmers. After addressing the farmers, he will leave for Delhi. PTI For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, September 21, 2017, 16:18 [IST] Raj Thackeray joins Facebook to revive his political career? India oi-Oneindia By Oneindia Mumbai, Sep 21: At a time when tech-savvy politicians, cutting across party lines, are interacting with voters on social media, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray seems to have realised the power of virtual world pretty late. Thackeray, who of late has been lying low, suddenly decided to join the popular social networking site, Facebook, on Thursday. Political pundits were quick to comment that probably Thackeray thought that he could revive his almost non-existent political career by joining social media. "Thackeray, once the right hand man of his uncle Bal Thackeray, is facing existential crisis. After leaving the Shiv Sena, Thackeray has been struggling to establish himself as a powerful politician, but unfortunately he has failed to do so. Hopefully, social media would be able to revive his almost drowning political career," said a political analyst on condition of anonymity. After making his Facebook debut, Thackeray said to his followers in Marathi that they invited him on Facebook and he was there. He added that his Facebook debut was an attempt to connect with the masses. Thackeray also conducted a Live Facebook session to answer queries posted by people. Just within a few hours of his debut on Facebook, at the time of filing this report, Thackeray garnered 449,163 followers and got 444,871 likes. Even Twitter could not stop talking about Thackeray's entry into Facebook. The hashtag--#RajThackerayonFb--trended on Twitter on Thursday, where Twiterrati along with welcoming the MNS chief also took a dig at the kind of "hate" politics propagated by him. Here we bring you a few tweets: you can hate him but cannot ignore him. one and only Raj is on FB. now you will see storms on FB. #RajThackerayonFb @mnsadhikrut Pravin Mehetre (@Pravin7891) September 21, 2017 #RajThackerayOnFB! Let's see if Raj Ji sends a FRIEND Request to Uddhav Ji or other way round (If latter is also on fb; or will he be now?) Sandeep Atre (@Dr_SandeepAtre) September 21, 2017 Facebookers on knowing about the new entrant. #RajThackerayonFb pic.twitter.com/p1UhLsaM21 Krushant Shah (@krushant) September 21, 2017 OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, September 21, 2017, 15:10 [IST] Explained: What is Lumpy Skin Disease? Can humans get infected with it? Rajasthan plans OLX like portal for cows India oi-Vicky By Vicky The Rajasthan government has decided to set up a portal which would help people to buy and sell cows. The website which would look like OLX and Quickr.com will host pictures of the cows, price, yield, contact details of the owners. Buyers and sellers could get in touch directly through this portal. "Our efforts are to increase farmers' income and ensure no cow is abandoned. The farmers will receive right price of cattle and role of middlemen will be curbed," said Rajasthan cow welfare minister Otaram Devarsi. The portal is expected to come up in six months, said Lal Singh, additional director of the cow welfare ministry. The portal is aimed at boosting cattle trade in the state with a dedicated ministry for cows. Rajasthan has 2,327 shelters with 660,000 cattle, said government figures last year. The livestock census of Rajasthan (2012) put the state's bovine population at 13.3 million, of which 11.5 million are indigenous. Cattle trade is usually unregulated with farmers relying on local middlemen to sell or buy animals at local cattle fairs. Thegovernment hopes that the web portal will centralise the process and eliminate commissions charged by local traders. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, September 21, 2017, 10:19 [IST] Refugee crisis in Arunachal Pradesh: Open letter to Rajnath Singh from Indian Chakma India oi-Oneindia By Oneindia New Delhi, Sep 21: Currently, India is juggling with issues related to refugees on two fronts. First, the Narendra Modi government has decided to deport around 40,000 Rohingya refugees citing security concerns at a time when lakhs of them are fleeing from Myanmar due to violence and persecution. Moreover, India has increased vigil in and around Indo-Myanmar borders to check any entry of Rohingyas to the country. Simultaneously, Arunachal Pradesh is on a boil after the Centre decided to honour the 2015 Supreme Court judgement to give citizenship to Chakma and Hajong refugees staying in the state since 1960s after they fled Bangladesh. However, as protests broke out in Arunachal Pradesh over the Modi government's decision on Chakma-Hajong refugees, Mahendra Chakma, president of Right Cause Society, an NGO in Bengaluru, wrote an open letter to Union home minister Rajnath Singh about the complex refugee issue and why he feels that citizenship without any land rights and grant of schedule tribe status for the Chakmas and Hajongs hold no meaning. Read the entire letter below: Dear Rajnath Singh, I am writing this as a concerned Chakma who was born in India and has been flooded with queries about my nationality from friends, colleagues and even strangers they learn that I am a Chakma from Arunachal Pradesh. In fact, a few well-wishers came up to me and congratulated me for this so-called citizenship that we were recently granted. This, to me is a non-issue, something that has been blown out of proportion, just like the debate over eating beef has become one of sacred vs profane among a naive populace and a TRP-hungry media. The manner in which the Centre's decision to confer citizenship to Chakma and Hajong people has been communicated is flawed. There seems to be a gross generalisation that all Chakma and Hajong people in Arunachal are refugees, which is far from the truth. You would be aware of the legal position on this. Multiple verdicts from by Supreme Court and other courts have upheld that Chakmas and Hajongs are eligible for citizenship under section 5(a) of the Citizenship Act, 1955 and those who were born in India are already citizens under Section 3(a) of the Act. A majority of the Chakmas fall under this. So why the hype? These two categories - regfugees and non-refugees - are to be treated separately and a blanket declaration by the government putting all Chakmas and Hajongs in one bracket baffles me. As a common Chakma man, I am also not clear what "limited citizenship" without land rights really means. Nowhere in the world have I heard of this concept. As I think of its implications, I am anxious to know whether we will continue to have ownership rights over land allotted to our parents and forefathers at the time of rehabilitation in the late 1960s. I am also surprised by the government's decision that my Chakma and Hajong brethren and me would need the Inner Line Permit to travel and work within the state of which I am a native. Isn't it strange and illogical to apply for the Permit when I am a resident of the state? What outside address do I give when I file the application form for the Permit? I also read in the press that I would not be entitled to Scheduled Tribes status like my fellow brethren in Assam, Tripura, Meghalaya, Mizoram and West Bengal. This is unfair because I understand that the primary consideration for inclusion in Scheduled Tribes list has more to do with our primitive tribal characteristics, which I am sure, are not substantially different from my other fellow brethren in other states. We are geographically isolated and have very little contact with outside community at large, and have remained economically backward due to policy of exclusion for so many decades. Hence, I am not happy with your decision not to grant us Arunachal Pradesh Scheduled Tribe status but I can understand the compulsion and the lack of political will. However, I did think that your government, now that it is at the helm of affairs both at the Centre and in Arunachal Pradesh, would be bold enough to stand for equal rights and justice. It will be a travesty of justice if we are treated differently from Chakma and Hajong people elsewhere in India, as we have the same social, ethnic and cultural characteristics as our fellow brothers and sisters in other states. In fact, political deprivation has aggravated our economic condition and left us more backward. As I reflect upon the xenophobia and fear fuelled by vested interests, I also wonder at the vulnerability of our tribe, which has been facing such stiff resistance since the 1980s. This has happened even as millions of Hindu Bengalis, more than 50,000 Garos and an equal number of Hajongs who came to Assam, Tripura, West Bengal and Dandakaranya in Madhya Pradesh--after the rumoured theft of the Prophet's hair, a sacred relic, from Kashmir's Hazratbal Shrine in 1963 triggered the persecution of Hindus in erstwhile East Pakistan--were welcomed with open arms and are recognised Indian citizens. The vulnerable minority of 14,888 Chakma and Hajong people who were rehabilitated in the North East Frontier Agency (which became Arunachal Pradesh) in the late 1960s -- which has now grown to a little over 40,000 -- now have to choose between limited citizenship and the threat of being declared as foreigners again. This is an untenable position. Assam, the gateway to the North East, is where the anti-foreigner sentiment first grew. From 1979 to 1985, the state witnessed a massive movement against immigrants from Bangladesh and Nepal, who were perceived as foreigners. It is from here that the sentiment spread to neighbouring Arunachal [then a Union territory]. In the hunt for so-called foreigners, with a binary world view that saw everything from the "sons of the soil versus outsiders" frame of reference, the peace-loving Buddhist Chakmas and a microscopic Hajong Hindu tribal community became soft targets. The process of de-recognition, disenfranchisement and withdrawal of rights began when the North East Frontier Agency became a Union Territory in 1972 and subsequently the full-fledged state of Arunachal Pradesh with federal powers in 1987. Just as Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes were reduced to scraps of paper without value after the note ban was announced last year, the Chakmas and Hajongs lost their value and identity as citizens and were stripped of all rights by the Arunachal government one by one - employment banned in 1980, trade licenses revoked, issuance of ration card stopped in 1991 and order of appointment of the post of Gaon Burah or to the Panchayat revoked in 1994, on the mere suspicion that we were foreigners or refugees. But for the timely intervention of the National Human Rights Commission and the Supreme Court in 1996, which directed the Arunachal government to protect the life of Chakmas and laid down some criteria for citizenship, the fate of the community would have taken a turn for the worst. It has been the dream of the Chakma community to be part of India. During the Partition in 1947, Chakmas hoisted the Indian flag for six days when their homeland, the Chittagong Hill Tracts with a 98% non-Muslim population, was declared a part of East Pakistan. My father, who was born in 1942 as an Indian, lost his Indian citizenship at the age of five. Then, in 1964, he became a refugee in his motherland, as he, along with thousands of Chakmas and Hajongs, migrated from East Pakistan to India. In 1969, he jumped with joy, thinking he had got back his nationality, when he was rehabilitated in the North East Frontier Agency with full state assistance. Little did he realise that it was not to be. One wonders then, what does citizenship truly mean? When does a period of refugee-hood begin and end, and when does one fully become a citizen? Is it simply acceptance or a mere geographical boundary change due to political conditions beyond one's control? Is it consistent with the western notion of nationalism and citizenship? As the politics of fear and xenophobia and frayed tempers circulate in the media to no end, I am also dismayed by the lack of any serious and nuanced discussion on the subject. Even the official version reportedly shows about one lakh Chakma and Hajong are being granted citizenship, while the actual number of, as per the 2011 census, is just 47,471. Scattered across three districts in Changlang, Lohit and Papumpare, they constitute a little over 3% of the total population - an insignificant minority that would have hardly any demographic or political impact for people to worry. I am also aghast at the timing of the announcement, as there is already a lot of anti-migrant sentiment over to the recent Rohingya refugee crisis. It adds chaos and confusion to an already vitiated negative atmosphere. I don't know what motivated the events leading to the present but I must say, it is a masterstroke by the government. The Centre has effectively killed five birds with one stone. First, it has neutralised some of the damage done to India's image over its decision to deport Rohingya refugees even as they are fleeing persecution in Myanmar. Second, it has satisfied the innocent Chakma and Hajong people by claiming it is giving them citizenship. Third, it has assuaged those with anti-refugee sentiments by saying that the Chakmas would require Inner Line Permits (and would be as good as outsiders because land rights and Scheduled Tribe status has not been granted). Fourth, it has thwarted potential embarrassment before the Supreme Court as the next hearing on the citizen issue is scheduled for December 11 and finally, it has scored political mileage over Opposition parties by claiming to have solved a very complicated issue created by the previous Congress government. The truth is that Chakmas are already Indian citizens - 90% of them by birth and 10% by the very fact that they were put up in refugee camps initially but finally rehabilitated as Indian nationals (hence citizenship was implicitly granted). If they had to be repatriated, they would not have been sponsored by the government and taken 1,200 kilometers away from the Indo- Bangladesh border into the deep interiors of North-East Frontier Agency and resettled there, not in relief camps, but in 45 planned villages. Citizenship was also implied when Chakmas were given migration certificates by the government during the rehabilitation along with five acres of cultivable land. In the light of above, it will be redundant to confer Indian citizenship on those who are already Indian citizens. What is required is the restoration of all of their rights as citizens that they once enjoyed. A paradigm shift and a truth-based approach is required to resolve the issue. A compassionate approach that recognises our shared history, unique circumstances and pre-existing rights is needed. With most tribal families dependent on agriculture, it is only land rights that will secure their basic livelihood. Imposition of the Inner Line Permit will only increase their woes and complicate matters. As difficult as a resolution may seem, there is no problem in the world that defies a solution for long. In general, there has been peace, amity and harmony and I express my deep gratitude to local chiefs and Chakma and Hajong people for their mutual understanding, tolerance and peaceful co-existence. It is time to leave the past behind and look forward to a bright future focusing on real issues like development. I hope the decisions you take as home minister in the coming months will bridge this gap and you will uphold the primacy of rule of law and the Constitution. Personally, I am not too keen to have this so-called citizenship that takes away my land rights and deprives me of Scheduled Tribe status. It is too little, too late. But for all the suffering and discrimination I have faced over the issue of citizenship, I will always remain a loyal, proud but unrecognised Indian Chakma. Sincerely Mahendra Chakma OneIndia News Central team roped in as dengue cases in Bihar rise to over 5000 Bihar's Gopalganj by-poll to see a tough fight between BJP and RJD Bihar: Fire breaks out amid Chhath Puja celebrations in Aurangabad; many critical Bihar: Over 200 students sick, claim they saw 'dead lizard' in mid-day meal Retired soldier shot dead on train during loot bid India oi-PTI Munger, September: A retired Army jawan shot dead by unidentified assailants during a bid to loot passengers of a train between Kiul-Bhagalpur section in Bihar, Government Railway Police (GRP) said today. In course of search of the general bogey of Bhagalpur-Jamalpur passenger train in wee hours on Thursday , GRP personnel found a body, Jamalpur GRP police station Officer in-charge (OC) Kripa Sagar said. The dead person was identified as Umesh Sah, a resident of Tikarampur village of Munger district, he said. The deceased after retirement from army was engaged in some contractual work with army at Siliguri in West Bengal. The officer suspects that miscreants shot him dead in course of a loot bid in the train at the odd hour. PTI For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, September 21, 2017, 16:45 [IST] The funds received by CPI(M) and NPP in 2021 are here Rohingyas cannot be the victims of Islamophobia: CPI (M) India pti-PTI New Delhi, Sep 21: Questioning government's stand that the Rohingyas were a security threat, the CPI(M) on Thursday said there have been no complaints about them being involved in any terror or criminal activity in the country. Terming as "unconscionable" the government's decision to deport them, former CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat said that "the actual reality contradicts the government's exaggerated and motivated claim that they are a security risk." Writing in the party mouthpiece 'People's Democracy', he said that around 40,000 Rohingyas have been living in India over the years and they have lived in "squalid conditions" in makeshift colonies and camps in Delhi, Faridabad, Jaipur, Jammu and other places. "According to police records of these areas, there are no complaints of any terrorist activity or serious crimes involving the people living in these camps," Karat said in the editorial the 'People's Democracy'. "The official attitude to these hapless people is determined by their religion which is Muslim," Karat said, adding that the Rohingyas "cannot be the victims of Islamophobia." Alleging that the Modi government has made it clear that only "illegal migrants" who are Hindus, Sikhs or Buddhists will be allowed to live in India, he said, "In fact, the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill proposes to give them citizenship but not Muslim migrants". The CPI(M) leader said, "It is regrettable that Prime Minister Modi did not utilise his Myanmar visit recently to take up the Rohingya issue as a humanitarian crisis. Instead, he echoed the stand of the Burmese government that it is an internal security issue." He said the government, "having belatedly realised the enormity" of the refugee crisis, "must reshape its stand. The government has to use diplomatic channels to urge the Myanmar government to end the violence in Rakhine state and to initiate a political solution." The government has to use diplomatic channels to urge the Myanmar government to end the violence in Rakhine state and to initiate a political solution, Karat added. PTI I will break your legs: SFI issues threat to principal in presence of cops in Kerala SFI members attack police in Kerala India oi-Chennabasaveshwar By Chennabasaveshwar CPI-M affiliated student wing Student Federation of India (SFI) members attacked policemen outside Thodupuzha Police Station in Kerala after police intervened to help a man being attacked by them. The incident took place last night in front of Thodupuzha police station. The incident kicked off while police intervened to help a youngster who was being attacked by the SFI workers in front of the police station. Miscreants then turned towards the police officers. #WATCH SFI members attack Policemen outside Kerala's Thodupuzha Police Station after Police intervened to help a man being attacked by them. pic.twitter.com/2HwoLMPdyX ANI (@ANI) September 21, 2017 In the visuals provided by ANI, these people can be seen pushing and cornering a civil police officer. However, the police did not take anyone into custody. Investigation is on to arrest the culprits. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, September 21, 2017, 12:04 [IST] Sunanda Pushkar's death: Cops say she was in mental agony because of Tharoor-Mehr affair Sunanda Pushkar case: Delhi Police seek 8 weeks from court to close probe India oi-Deepika By Deepika The Delhi High Court on Thursday granted eight weeks more to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to file status report on the probe into the death of Sunanda Pushkar. The extension was granted by the High Court after the police told a bench of Justices G S Sistani and Chander Shekhar that this mode of investigation would take a maximum of eight weeks after which it will file its report. The police said it wanted to pursue a new mode of probe in the case, called the forensic psychology mode. The Delhi HC has asked the investigative officers to file an affidavit that there will be no further delay in the filing of the status report and that on October 26, when the Delhi police have been asked to file the status report, the court can take a decision, reports Times Now. On last hearing, the court has pulled up Delhi Police for causing delay in the investigation and granted them two weeks to complete their probe. On September 4, a team of Delhi Police visited suite number 345 of the Leela Palace Hotel in the Capital where former Congress minister Shashi Throor' wife Sunanda Pushkar was found dead in January 2014. Delhi police have to submit a report after the Leela Hotel informed the court that no evidence has been collected since long and the room is still sealed. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, September 21, 2017, 13:02 [IST] WB govt's attempts to divide society have been defeated: BJP India pti-PTI Kolkata, Sep 21: The BJP on Thursday hailed the Calcutta High Court order on immersion of Durga idols and said the state government's attempts "to divide the people on religious lines and reap electoral benefits out of it" had been defeated. "The same thing had happened last year also, but the government did not learn any lessons from it. This year also the state government and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee tried to divide the people on religious lines, but it has been foiled. It is really sad that the Hindus in Bengal have no religious rights. They have to depend on the judiciary to celebrate Durga Puja," West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh told reporters. The high court today allowed the immersion of Durga idols on all days from Vijaya Dashami (September 30), including on Muharram (October 1), and directed the West Bengal government to make necessary security arrangements for the same. "We have serious doubts whether this government is for entire Bengal or a specific community, which accounts for 27 percent of the state's population," Ghosh said. The West Bengal unit of the RSS too hailed the high court verdict. "It is really unfortunate that the Hindus of the state have to knock on the doors of the judiciary to celebrate Durga Puja. The Hindus no longer have any faith in the state administration and the ruling party (Trinamool Congress). The ruling party is depriving the Hindus of their basic rights, only for the sake of appeasement of a particular community," RSS general secretary of south Bengal Jishnu Basu said. PTI We are being made the scapegoat in Gauri Lankesh murder case: Sanatan Sanstha India oi-Anusha Refuting allegations of being questioned by the Special Investigation Team in the Gauri Lankesh murder case, Sanatan Sanstha claimed that it was being made a scapegoat. Members of Hindu Janajagruti Samithi and Sanatan Sanstha on Thursday spoke to the media in Bengaluru and denied any involvement in the sensational murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh. "Names of Hindu organisations are being thrown up in the case unnecessarily. We condemn the murder of Gauri Lankesh but ever since her murder, so-called intellectuals, leftists, media houses have been accusing right-wing organizations for it. Rallies are being taken out, pamphlets are being distributed accusing right wing organisations," said Chetan Rajhans, spokesperson, Sanatan Sanstha. He alleged that rumours were being deliberately floated about SIT officials visiting Sanstha's ashram. The members, however, acknowledged that individual volunteers of the Sanstha had been approached. "No summons has been issued and no questioning has taken place but local police have been talking to volunteers," Rajhans added. Highlighting the instances of the 'spiritual' organization's name being associated with the case, legal advisors to the Sanstha have threatened legal action. "Rumours and malicious reports are being spread about our organisation. We are here to clarify matters to the press. We have nothing to do with Gauri Lankesh's murder. If the SIT calls us, we will respond. We are keeping track of false news and are in d process of mulling legal action," said Amrutesh NP, Advocate, Bengaluru High Court. "If Gauri's is ideological murder, what about right-wing activists'?" Members of the pro-Hindu organizations urged the SIT to carry out a fair probe into the matter and not allow political pressures influence the course of the investigation. They also alleged that Hindu activists' murders saw no outrage "At rallies, pamphlets declaring Gauri's murder a handiwork of Hindutva elements are were being distributed Naxals from Chattisgarh have put up banners of Gauri. Why is it not being probed? What about the death of Thimmappa Naik or Prashanth Poojari? Where is the SIT? Why is there no outrage when a Hindutva worker is killed? If Gauri's is ideological murder then what are these?" asked Veerendra Ichalkaranjikar, President of Hindu Vidhidnya Parishad, Mumbai. He urged that no political pressure should be exerted. The Sanstha maintained that it had no political affiliations and the notion that it was backed by the BJP was wrong. When asked about the absconding accused in the Govind Pansare case, the Sanstha representatives said that the accused could not be members of the organisation since there was such concept. "Vinay Pawar, Rudra Patil are wrong in absconding. I believe that they should surrender to face trial but they have gone into hiding because of the harassment their family members are going through. Progressive Hindu leaders and workers have been jailed for years unnecessarily in previous cases. There are no members in the Sanstha. We only have volunteers who dedicate their free time to serve," said Sanjiv Punalekar, National Secretary of Hindu Vidhidnya Parishad. Ramesh Shinde, Spokesperson of Hindu Janajagruti Samiti accused the Kolhapur police of bias and corruption in the Pansare murder case and asked the Karnataka SIT not to follow in their footsteps. "If Karnataka SIT follows in the footsteps of Pune or Kolhapur police, they will hear strictures from the Court. Investigators are delaying the trial in Pansare and Dhabolkar cases," he alleged. Sanatan Sanstha members alleged that the organisation was being made a soft target to peddle the concept of Saffron Terror. They urged for a fair probe in the Gauri Lankesh murder case and assured to cooperte with the SIT if there was a need. Oneindia News We thrive on performance, not position says Lashkar-e-Tayiba India oi-Vicky By Vicky The Lashkar-e-Tayiba has reacted to reports which spoke about a vacancy in the outfit following the death of Abu Ismail. He was a commander not the chief of the outfit, the Lashkar-e-Tayiba said. The real chief is Mahmood Shah, the spokesperson of the outfit Dr Abdullah Ghaznavi said in a statement to news agency CNS. India has to sacrifice a lot for getting their hands on LeT Chief, he also said. "Our commanding hierarchy won't make sense to poor minded Indian forces. We don't thrive upon status but performances. 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," he further said. "We want to tell the DGP Shesh Paul Vaid that our command system is beyond his comprehension. We don't make show off but our performances speak it all." SP Vaid on Monday said no militant is ready to become chief of LeT in Kashmir after the killing of former head Abu Ismail in an encounter last week. DGP also urged people to make children understand what is good and bad for them and tread the "right path". OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, September 21, 2017, 6:30 [IST] The Western bias and why it cannot digest Indias success Explained: Why has US removed India from its currency monitoring list What is Indias Cold Start Doctrine India oi-Vicky By Vicky Recommended Video India Cold Start Doctrine: All you need to know | Oneindia News Pakistan said that it had developed short range nuclear missiles to counter India's Cold Start Doctrine. What is India's Cold Start Doctrine? Cold start is a military doctrine that was developed by the Indian Army for use in a possible war with Pakistan. This doctrine involves various branches of the Army conducting offensive operations as part of unified battle groups. The doctrine intends to allow India's conventional forces to perform holding attacks to prevent nuclear retaliation from Pakistan in case of a conflict. Former defence minister of India, George Fernandes had termed India's defence strategy since 1974, "a non-aggressive, non-provocative defense policy," centred around "holding corps" to halt hostile advances. In response to the terrorist attack on the Indian Parliament in 2001, India initiated a full mobilisation. Taking almost a month, the slow mobilisation demonstrated the weakness of India's then current policy. The long mobilisation time resulted in sufficient international pressure preventing India from conducting a retaliatory strike. Sundarji doctrine: The Sundarji Doctrine was made up of seven defensive "holding corps" of the Indian Army and deployed near the Pakistani border. Possessing limited offensive power, the holding corps' primary responsibility was to check a Pakistani advance. India's offensive potency was derived from the "strike corps," which were made up of a mechanised infantry and extensive artillery support. "Unlike the holding corps that was deployed close to the border," argues Walter Ladwig of the University of Oxford, "the strike corps was based in central India, a significant distance from the international border. In a war, after the holding corps halted a Pakistani attack, the strike corps would counterattack, penetrating deep into Pakistani territory to destroy the Pakistan Army's own strike corps through 'deep sledgehammer blows' in a high-intensity battle of attrition." However, the limitation of the Sundarji doctrine was exposed on 13 December 2001, when five masked men attacked the Indian Parliament. India suspected Kashmir based militant groups were behind this because just two months earlier, a similar assault was carried out by the Jaish-e-Mohammad on the Kashmir state assembly. India received credible evidence that Pakistani-sponsored militant groups Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad were behind the attack, prompting India to initiate Operation Parakram, the largest activation of its forces since the 1971 Bangladesh war. It took the Indian strike corps three weeks to get to the international border. During that time Pakistan was able to counter-mobilize and allow for intervening powers-the United States in particular-to become an intermediary to the conflict. Urging India to restrain, the American Ambassador to India, Robert Blackwill, demanded that India wait until President Pervez Musharraf delivered a speech that would address the crisis. Musharraf's speech was quick to denounce terrorism generally, and militant groups operating in Kashmir specifically, promising a crackdown. "As a result of Musharraf's declaration, by the time the strike corps reached the border region, India's political justification for military action had been significantly reduced," Walter C. Ladwig maintains. Indian military strategists came to the conclusion that the Sundarji doctrine was flawed. It was too inflexible to respond to terrorist attacks or other indirect challenges, for three reasons: The strike corps was too big and too far away from the international border, making it difficult to deploy in a timely fashion. The long duration needed to mobilize the strike corps prevented strategic surprise, allowing Pakistan plenty of time to counter-mobilize. The holding corps' lack of offensive power along the international border prevented it from engaging in significant offensives. Developing the doctrine: The development of this doctrine represented a significant change in Indian defence planning. Exercises aimed at reducing mobilisation time and improved network-centric warfare capabilities have contributed to the development of the Cold Start doctrine. Despite the advances, this doctrine remains in the experimental stage. The doctrine, known as Cold Start, deviated from the defence posture that India's military had employed since independence in 1947. "The goal of this limited war doctrine is to establish the capacity to launch a retaliatory conventional strike against Pakistan that would inflict significant harm on the Pakistan Army before the international community could intercede, and at the same time, pursue narrow enough aims to deny Islamabad a justification to escalate the clash to the nuclear level." Drawing on the experience of the 1967 Arab-Israeli War as well as the Indo-Pakistani war of 1971, Indian defence planners envisioned a new doctrine. It would involve limited, rapid armoured thrusts, with infantry and necessary air support. As per Cold Start promulgation, offensive operations could begin within 48 hours after orders have been issued. Such a limited response time would enable Indian forces to surprise their Pakistani counterparts. Operations would involve armoured spearheads launched from forward positions in Punjab and Rajasthan. The plan emphasises speed and overwhelming firepower: armored formations and accompanying infantry would advance into eastern Pakistan with limited goals in terms of distance and in terms of duration. The plan reportedly has a significant air support component. From the Indian perspective, the plan has the added virtue of accentuating Pakistani discomfiture and angst, which in theory may have some deterrent value. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, September 21, 2017, 10:38 [IST] 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 Why not deport Rohingyas, if Myanmar ready to accept them, asks Rajnath Singh India oi-PTI Recommended Video Rohingya Crisis: Rajnath asks why Rohingyas can't be deported when possible | Oneindia News Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said that Rohingya Muslims living in India have entered illegally. Addressing a seminar organised by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Singh asked why some people were objecting to the deportation of Rohingyas when Myanmar was ready to accept them. "The Rohingyas are not refugees. They have not come here after following proper procedures. No Rohingya has applied for asylum. They are illegal immigrants," he said. The home minister also said that India would not violate any international law by deporting Rohingyas as it was not a signatory to the UN Refugees Convention 1951. Singh further added that the process to adopt a refugee status had not been followed by the Rohingyas. "Principle of non-refoulement applies to those who have taken asylum in India and no Rohingya has applied for asylum in India till today," he said. Speaking on the deportation of Rohingyas he said, "India won't be violating any international law by deporting them as it is not signatory to 1951 UN Refugee Convention." The NHRC recently issued a notice to the Centre over its plan to deport Rohingyas, who are residing in various parts of India. PTI For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, September 21, 2017, 12:52 [IST] Wright brothers inventing plane not Right, this union minister has a another take India oi-Deepika By Deepika Why are IIT students being taught about the Wright brothers when an Indian invented the aircraft? This was pertinant question asked by union minister Satya Pal Singh. Singh was addressing a gathering of engineering graduates and diploma-holders in the national capital when he mentioned that the airplane is among ancient Indian "discoveries." Singh feels the best lessons for the country's future engineers lie in ancient Indian scientific "discoveries" and "inventions". "Why are students not taught that before the Wright brothers, an Indian called Shivkar Bapuji Talpade was the first to invent the airplane? This person invented the plane eight years before the Wright brothers. Are our students taught these things in IITs or not? They should be," Singh said. He also urged that students should learn about Hindu deity Vishwakarma, worshipped by craftsmen and the engineering community. Singh mentioned the "Pushpak Vimaan", the flying chariot mentioned in the Ramayana, which students ought to be taught about. He said that despite producing around 40,000 PhD scholars every year, India is lagging behind in the field of research and innovation. And according to him, teaching them about the country's "rich culture and civilisation" will change that. Singh is a former IPS officer who was posted as the Mumbai Police Commissioner from 2012 to January 2014. He is a BJP MP from Baghpat in Uttar Pradesh. Earlier this year, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani had equated the rockets developed by ISRO with the arrows of Lord Ram, and credited him for his "engineering skills" for building the mythical 'Ram Setu' between India and Sri Lanka. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, September 21, 2017, 11:01 [IST] You cant hinder citizens right to religion: Calcutta HC on Durga idol immersion India oi-Vicky By Vicky The state cannot hinder a citizen's right to practise religion, the Calcutta High Court observed. The observation was made by the HC while questioning the West Bengal government's curbs on Durga idol immersion. Astate cannot hinder a citizen's right to practise religion on the basis of a mere assumption of law and order disruption and must provide sound reasons for doing so, the Bench said. "Let them (Hindus and Muslims) live in harmony, do not create a line between them," Acting Chief Justice Rakesh Tiwary said, asking the government to provide a "concrete ground" for its decision to stop the immersion of Durga idols after 10 pm on September 30 (Vijaya Dashami day) and on October 1 on account of Muharram. Hearing three PILs challenging the restrictions on immersion of idols at the end of the five-day Durga Puja festival, a bench, also comprising Justice Harish Tandon, said a mere assumption that a law and order situation might arise, owing to Vijaya Dashami and Muharram falling one after the other, could not be the basis of imposing curbs on immersion timings. Observing that chief minister Mamata Banerjee had herself told a public meeting that Hindus and Muslims lived together in harmony in the state, the bench said, "Listen to what the head of the state says and not a police officer." "People have the right to practise their religious activities, whichever community they may be of, and the state cannot put restrictions, unless it has a concrete ground to believe that two communities cannot live together," the acting chief justice said. "You must clarify why are you apprehending a law and order situation," the bench told state Advocate General (AG) Kishore Dutta, who claimed that it was the administration's prerogative to decide on steps to prevent any untoward situation. "Public order and law and order are administrative issues," Dutta submitted, while claiming that the court's interference in it would amount to trudging into the administration's domain. The West Bengal government has imposed restrictions on Durga idol immersions on September 30, the Vijaya Dashami day, after 10 PM and no immersion would be allowed on October 1, the day Muharram is scheduled to be observed. The bench said the administration could regulate the routes for the immersion processions to follow and those through which the 'Tajia' processions of Muharram would pass. "In the interest of maintaining law and order and in order to prevent an untoward incident, the administration can regulate a religious congregation or procession," the AG submitted before the court. "It is a preventive action to rule out any possibility of a law and order situation," he said. The court observed that it was not disputing the state's right to regulate, but the administration could not restrict the observance of one's religious rights. "We are asking you to eliminate the element of arbitrariness and provide a concrete ground for your action," the bench said. "If you say there is complete harmony, are you (the state administration) not creating a line of division between the two communities by your action?" asked Justice Tandon. When the AG reiterated that the state had taken the decision to prevent any untoward incident, the acting chief justice observed, "Let them live in harmony, do not create a line between them." The court further said it was advocating peace, harmony and living together. The hearing in the three PILs was concluded and the order is scheduled to be passed on Thursday. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, September 21, 2017, 6:17 [IST] India's stand on Rohingyas gracious so far but housing them would be risky Amid Rohingya crisis, Sushma, Hasina friendship comes to the rescue of Indo-Bangla ties International oi-Oneindia By Oneindia Recommended Video Rohingya Crisis: India's stand miffs Bangladesh, Sushma pacifies Hasina | Oneindia News Of late, India's closest ally in the subcontinent, Bangladesh, is miffed over New Delhi's reaction towards the Rohingya crisis. Reports indicate that Bangladesh is unhappy over India reluctance to criticise Myanmar as lakhs of minority Rohingya Muslims have fled the country due to violence and persecution on them by the military. A few days ago, Bangladesh's high commissioner in India, Syed Muazzem Ali, met foreign secretary S Jaishankar and conveyed Dhaka's concerns regarding the Rohingya crisis, reported The Telegraph. Dhaka wanted New Delhi to put press on Myanmar to do more to stop the violence against the Rohingyas and reduce the refugee outflow that is affecting Bangladesh the most. India, in order to avoid alienating Myanmar, which is clearly inching closer to China, is staying away from interfering in the Rohingya crisis directly. In the last one month, more than 4 lakh Rohingyas have left Myanmar and have taken shelter in Bangladesh. Recently, the Indian government too has indicated its desire to deport around 40,000 Rohingya refugees settled in various parts of the country as they pose serious "security threat". Amid all these tricky diplomatic developments, New Delhi for sure wants to continue its bonhomie with Dhaka. In order to keep Bangladesh in good humour, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj to use her "long friendship" with Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Hasina and Swaraj have been good friends for long and base of their relationship lies in their mutual love for saris. Both Hasina and Swaraj always wear saris and they have an enviable collection of saris with them. As Swaraj and Hasina met in New York, US, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on Monday, officially they did not discuss the vexed issue of Rohingyas, but Swaraj has showed all support to Bangladesh in its time of crisis. The Indian foreign minister is likely to visit Dhaka next month for bilateral talks too. On September 15, Sushma had a telephonic conversation with the Bangladeshi PM after the MEA announced Operation Insaniyat--a relief programme meant to supply 7 million kilos of food and thousands of mosquito nets to Bangladesh for the refugees. Moreover, Sushma and Hasina took the same flight from Abu Dhabi to New York for the UN General Assembly, and the two leaders had a brief conversation on the plane, Indian officials told The Telegraph. After Swaraj and Hasina's meeting in New York, the Indian government maintained that it was a courtesy call and the Rohingya crisis was not at all discussed. "The meeting with the Prime Minister of Bangladesh was more in the nature of a courtesy meeting," foreign ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar had said after the Sushma-Hasina interaction in New York. "It was a very short meeting. The Rohingya issue did not come up during the meeting." But those who are close to the Prime Minister's Office are indicating that there have been a lot of informal meetings and telephonic calls between Swaraj and Hasina to keep the bond between India and Bangladesh intact as the Rohingya crisis continues to haunt the neighbouring nations. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, September 21, 2017, 7:20 [IST] China using two new surveillance campaigns to target Uyghurs: Report New COVID-19 rules for Indians going to China announced China bans use of 'Islamophobic' words on social media International oi-PTI Beijing, September 21: Chinese authorities have blocked "Islamophobic" terms used by Chinese internet users to stigmatise Muslims to prevent bias against Islam, official media reported today. China has over 21 million Muslims mostly the Uyghurs in Xinjiang and Hui community in Ningxia province, according to unofficial accounts. "The Islamophobic terms invented by Chinese Internet users to stigmatise Muslims have been blocked by authorities on Chinese social media despite criticism from the netizens that such a ban overtly favourable to Muslim minorities," state-run Global Times reported. China is currently carrying out massive crackdown against the East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM) in the volatile Xinjiang province where Uygurs who formed majority were restive over the increasing settlements of Han community, the majority ethnic group constituting over 90 per cent of the country's population. ETIM is blamed by China for a host of terrorist attacks in Xinjiang and other parts of China. Reports from the province said a large number of youth were fighting along with Islamic State in Syria. As a result of the ban, searches for "green religion" and "peaceful religion", often used by Internet users to refer to Islam and to circumvent censorship of inappropriate online speech, showed no results on China's Weibo microblog yesterday, the report said. Posts containing the phrases cannot be posted for "violations of Weibo's complaints related rules." Insults against Islam are also blocked in Weibo's search engine, it said. China which has a booming internet population surpassing over 700 million, uses massive firewalls to block any content the government and the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC), deems offending and not in the country's interest. International social media outlets like Twitter, Facebook as well as Google are blocked by the firewalls. "Discontent and fears of Muslims have been on the rise on China's Internet in recent years. Complainers target Chinese authorities' affirmative discrimination policies toward ethnic minorities, especially Muslim groups," the report said. The ban came after an alleged brawl involving Muslim people at a toll booth went viral, netizens inundated the official Weibo accounts of Tangshan city government departments with complaints about the country's allegedly partial treatment of Muslims for the sake of social stability, it said. "It's necessary to timely remove radical phrases that discriminate against Islam and are biased against Muslims to prevent worsening online hatred towards the group. Those phrases severely undermine religious harmony and ethnic unity," said Xiong Kunxin, a professor at Beijing's Minzu University of China in Beijing. "Blocking such phrases is not an infringement of people's freedom of speech as freedom should abide under China's related regulations and law," Xiong told the daily. Some Internet users misunderstand China's ethnic policies, calling them "unjust" to the majority Han people, he said. China also protects its residents' rights to practice their religion, although officially the country is atheist. The government assisted 12,800 Muslims in making the pilgrimage to Mecca this year and closed streets for Muslims to celebrate Eid ul-Fitr. PTI For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, September 21, 2017, 18:09 [IST] The Western bias and why it cannot digest Indias success Explained: Why has US removed India from its currency monitoring list India, Pak begin high-level talks on technical issues of Indus Waters Treaty International oi-PTI Washington, September 14: India and Pakistan on Thursday started high-level talks on technical issues of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in Washington, a senior World Bank official said. The IWT was signed in 1960 after nine years of negotiations between India and Pakistan with the help of the World Bank, which is also a signatory. "These meetings are a continuation of a discussion on how to safeguard the Treaty for the benefit of the people in both countries," a World Bank spokesperson told PTI. The meetings between India and Pakistan on the technical issues of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) are taking place in Washington on September 14-15, the spokesperson added. The World Bank in August had said that under the IWT, India is permitted to construct hydroelectric power facilities on tributaries of the Jhelum and Chenab rivers with certain restrictions. Pakistan opposes the construction of the Kishanganga (330 megawatts) and Ratle (850 megawatts) hydroelectric power plants being built by India, it had said in a fact sheet issued at the conclusion of secretary-level talks between the two countries over the IWT. The fact sheet says the role of World Bank in relation to "differences" and "disputes" is limited to the designation of people to fulfil certain roles when requested by either or both of the parties. PTI For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Friday, September 15, 2017, 8:40 [IST] With the number of anonymous rogues from Pak rising, here's how BSF is beating down the drones Pak concerned over Trump calling for greater role for India in Afghanistan International pti-PTI Islamabad, Sep 20: A top Pakistan diplomat on Wednesday said that Islamabad has raised an objection with the US over President Donald Trump advocating a greater role for India in the war-torn Afghanistan. Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi during a meeting with US Vice President Mike Pence on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly here yesterday expressed concern over the greater role that Trump advocated for India in his new Afghan policy, Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua said. Janjua's meeting with Pence was the highest contact between the two countries since Trump announced his new policy on Afghanistan and South Asia on August 21 in which he had warned Pakistan for its continued support to terrorist groups and warned Islamabad of consequences if it continues to do so. Trump had also asked India to play a greater role in war-torn Afghanistan, much to the dislike of Pakistan. In the meeting, the two sides resolved to remain engaged and carry forward the relationship that has been on a downward trajectory since the announcement of the US policy for Afghanistan and South Asia, the APP news agency reported. "The meeting on the sidelines of the 72nd UNGA session in New York was held in a cordial atmosphere," a handout issued by the Foreign Office said. "Prime Minister [Abbasi] shared Pakistans concerns and views with regard to the US strategy for South Asia," it said. Abbasi and Pence agreed to work together to carry forward the bilateral relationship and discussed matters relating to peace and stability in Afghanistan and the region. "It was agreed that the two countries would stay engaged with a constructive approach to achieve shared objectives of peace, stability and economic prosperity in the region," the FO statement said. PTI This cop from Pakistan became a millionaire overnight: Here is how With the number of anonymous rogues from Pak rising, here's how BSF is beating down the drones Pak has short range nukes to counter Indias cold start doctrine, says Abbasi International oi-Vicky By Vicky Raising the nuclear rhetoric, Pakistan has said that it has developed short-range nuclear weapons to counter the "cold start doctrine adopted by the Indian Army". Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi however asserted that the nuclear arsenal was safe. "We have a very robust and secure command-and-control system over our strategic nuclear assets. Time has proved that it's a process that is very secure. It's a process that has complete civilian oversight through the NCA," Abbasi said in response to a question at the Council on Foreign Relations, a top American think-tank. The Nuclear Command Authority (NCA) of Pakistan is the authority responsible for command, control and operational decisions regarding the country's nuclear arsenal. "As far as tactical nuclear weapons (are concerned), we do not have any fielded tactical nuclear weapons. We have developed short-range nuclear weapons as a counter to the cold start doctrine that India has developed. Again, those are in the same command-and-control authority that controls the other strategic weapons," he said. Moderator David Sanger said Pakistan has the fastest growing nuclear arsenal in the world. "There's no nuclear arsenal in the world that is growing faster. And there's no nuclear arsenal in the world, other than North Korea's, that tends to worry American more, because they worry about the safety of the arsenal. They worry about the command and control of the arsenal," Sanger said. Abbasi said that the command-and-control systems they have in place are as secure as anybody else's in the world. "The last 20 years are testament to that," Abbasi said in response to another question. "So let there be no doubt that any extremist element or somebody like that can gain control of fissile material or a nuclear weapon. There is just no possibility of that. And it's time-tested, and it's a very secure system that has been put in place," he said. "Pakistan is a responsible global citizen, and we've shown a responsibility on the ground with this huge war on terror that we've been fighting for the last 15 years," Abbasi said. The Pakistan premier sought to dispel the notion surrounding the country's alleged inability to handle its nuclear programme properly. "We do have nuclear capability. There's no doubt about that. And we know how to handle nuclear waste. We had a nuclear program in the early '60s, one of the first countries in Asia to have a nuclear program. So if we've managed it for over 50-odd years, I think we can continue to manage it," he said. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, September 21, 2017, 8:41 [IST] This cop from Pakistan became a millionaire overnight: Here is how With the number of anonymous rogues from Pak rising, here's how BSF is beating down the drones Pak slams greater role for India in Afghanistan International oi-Vicky By Vicky The advocating of a greater role for India in Afghanistan by the United States has been condemned by Pakistan. Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi during a meeting with US Vice-President Mike Pence on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly here on Tuesday expressed concern over the greater role that Trump advocated for India in his new Afghan policy, foreign secretary Tehmina Janjua said. Janjua's meeting with Pence was the highest contact between the two countries since Donald Trump announced his new policy on Afghanistan and South Asia on August 21 in which he had warned Pakistan for its continued support to terrorist groups and warned Islamabad of consequences if it continues to do so. Trump had also asked India to play a greater role in war-torn Afghanistan, much to the dislike of Pakistan. In the meeting, the two sides resolved to remain engaged and carry forward the relationship that has been on a downward trajectory since announcement of the US policy for Afghanistan and South Asia, the APP news agency reported. "The meeting on the sidelines of the 72nd UNGA session in New York was held in a cordial atmosphere," a handout issued by the Foreign Office said. "Prime Minister [Abbasi] shared Pakistan's concerns and views with regard to the US strategy for South Asia," it said. Abbasi and Pence agreed to work together to carry forward the bilateral relationship and discussed matters relating to peace and stability in Afghanistan and the region. "It was agreed that the two countries would stay engaged with a constructive approach to achieve shared objectives of peace, stability and economic prosperity in the region," the FO statement said. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, September 21, 2017, 6:22 [IST] South Korea approves $8 million aid to North Korea International oi-Chennabasaveshwar By Chennabasaveshwar Amid geopolitical tensions, South Korea sanctioned a plan of $8 million worth of aid to North Korea. The exact timing of when the aid will be sent, as well as its size, will be confirmed later, the ministry said in a statement. But the decision to send aid to North Korea was not popular in South Korea. The South's Unification Ministry said its aid policy remains unaffected by geopolitical tensions with the North, reports Reuters. As per the reports, the South aims to send $4.5 million worth of nutritional products for children and pregnant women through the World Food Programme and $3.5 million worth of vaccines and medicinal treatments through UNICEF. "We have consistently said we would pursue humanitarian aid for North Korea in consideration of the poor conditions children and pregnant women are in there, apart from political issues," said Unification Minister Cho Myong-gyon. Ahead of the decision, UNICEF's regional director for East Asia and the Pacific Karin Hulshof said in a statement the problems North Korean children face "are all too real". "Today, we estimate that around 200,000 children are affected by acute malnutrition, heightening their risk of death and increasing rates of stunting," Reuters quoted as saying. The last time the South had sent aid to the North was in December 2015 through the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) under ex-president Park Geun-hye. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, September 21, 2017, 11:45 [IST] Trump's threat is like 'sound of dog barking': N Korea minister International pti-PTI Seoul, Sep 21: North Korea's foreign minister has described US President Donald Trump's threat to destroy his country as "the sound of a dog barking". The comments are the North's first response to Trump's debut speech at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, during which he vowed to "totally destroy North Korea" if provoked. Trump also called North Korean leader Kim Jong Un "Rocketman." The North's Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho told reporters in New York late Wednesday that "It would be a dog's dream if he intended to scare us with the sound of a dog barking." South Korean TV footage also showed Ri saying he feels "sorry for his aides" when he was asked about Trump's "Rocket man" comments. Ri was to give a speech at the UN General Assembly on Friday, according to Yonhap news agency. Trump has unleashed many strong statements on North Korea including his August warning the North will be met with "fire and fury." The North has responded by a slew of weapons tests and warlike and often-mocking rhetoric against Trump. A top North Korean general called Trump's "fire and fury" threats "a load of nonsense" let out by "a guy bereft of reason." The rhetorical battle came as outside experts say North Korea is getting closer to achieve its long-stated goal of building nuclear-armed missiles capable hitting anywhere in the US mainland. Earlier this month, North Korea conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test to date and it was subsequently slapped with fresh, tough UN sanctions. North Korea later fired a ballistic missile over Japan and the US military flew powerful bombers and stealth fighter jets over the Korean Peninsula and near Japan in a show of force against the North. PTI From Palestine Chronicle There is a great irony in the fact that Israel is seeking a seat at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). Since its establishment atop the ruins of Palestinian cities and villages in 1948, Israel has had the most precarious relationship with the world's largest international body. It has desperately sought to be legitimized by the UN, while it has done its utmost to delegitimize the UN. Following a resolution at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) condemning Israel's human rights abuses in the Occupied Palestinian Territory in March 2014, Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, then accused the UN of being "absurd." He vowed to "continue to denounce and expose" the UN "procession of hypocrisy." For many years, Israeli leaders and government officials have made it a habit of undermining the UN and its various bodies and, with unconditional support from Washington, habitually ignored numerous UN resolutions regarding the illegal occupation of Palestine. To a certain extent, the Israeli strategy -- of using and abusing the UN -- has worked. With US vetoes, blocking every UN attempt at pressuring Israel to end its military occupation and human rights violations, Israel was in no rush to comply with international law. But two major events have forced an Israeli rethink. First, in December 2016, the US abstained from a UN resolution that condemned Israel's illegal settlement activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. By breaking with a decades-long tradition of shielding Israel from any international censure, it appeared that even Washington's seemingly undying allegiance to Tel Aviv was uncertain. Second, the rise of the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement began changing the dynamics of international politics regarding the Israeli occupation. The movement, which began as a call by Palestinian civil society to hold Israel accountable for its violations of Palestinian human rights, grew rapidly to become a global movement. Hundreds of local BDS groups multiplied around the world, joined by artists, academicians, union members and elected politicians. Within a few years, BDS has registered as a serious tool of pressure used to denounce the Israeli occupation and demand justice for the Palestinian people. UNHRC quickly joined in, declaring its intention to release a list, thus exposing the names of companies that must be boycotted for operating in illegal Israeli settlements. The human rights group's efforts were coupled by repeated condemnations of Israel's human rights violations as recorded by the UN cultural agency, UNESCO. 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). On Tuesday, (September 19th), Donald Trump delivered his first address to the United Nations. As we all know, the 42-minute speech included an unprecedented denunciation of North Korea. The president's words were clearly aimed at intimidating not only the leadership of that country, but its impoverished population as well. Besides blatant terrorism, there are two words for such intimidation. One of them is absolute lunacy. The other is shameless hypocrisy. But take terrorism first and foremost. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's definition terrorism is a federal crime embracing any act "calculated to influence or affect the conduct of government by intimidation or coercion, or to retaliate against government conduct." By his own admission, that was the very raison d'etre of Mr. Trump's threats: to get North Korea to stop its nuclear weapons program and to retaliate for its weapons' testing. In his terroristic diatribe, the president claimed the right to "completely destroy" North Korea, a tiny country of 25 million on the edge of starvation. Such genocide would accomplish in an instant a holocaust at least four times as great as that perpetrated by Adolf Hitler. Imagine being a citizen of North Korea and hearing the U.S. president's bombast. Would you be terrified? Imagine if you were living in South Korea, as 35,000 U.S. military personnel do. Imagine if you were living in nearby Japan, where more than 40,000 U.S troops and their families are stationed. You'd be terrified. And none of this is to mention Japanese and South Korean populations themselves, who happen to live in a region that is home to half the world's population as well as to its largest militaries and most prosperous economies. The entire world should be petrified. However, from the North Korean perspective, the speech represents only the latest in an endless line of such provocations long resisted by Pyongyang. The first, of course, was the Korean War itself which between 1950 and 1953 flattened the country and took nearly two million Korean lives. After that, North Korea has been the subject of endless sanctions and the target of annual war games that rehearse the country's invasion, the decapitation of its leadership, and that actually drop dummy nuclear bombs. Nevertheless, the Kim Jong Un regime has gone through the process of non-violent resistance. It has repeatedly presented its case to the U.N., but to no avail. Moreover, the country's leadership has expressed a willingness to consider freezing its nuclear weapons program in exchange for a freeze on such military maneuvers on its border. The response of the United States has been complete rebuff. No wonder Mr. Kim has defaulted to developing his nuclear weapons program. He needs no reminder of the fate of Saddam Hussein and Muammar Gaddafi who terminated their similar projects under U.S. threat. In other words, though claiming that "all options are on the table," dialog about Mr. Kim's non-violent alternatives to nuclear war apparently is not. Rather than talk, Mr. Trump evidently prefers bombing -- even nuclear bombing -- in an area of the world that hosts 83 U.S. bases, and where authorities estimate that even a conventional artillery barrage from the North would kill 64,000 in the first three hours. Besides terrorism, there are only those other two words for describing such violence --absolute lunacy and shameless hypocrisy. The lunacy is easy to see, and needs no elaboration. The evidence increasingly shows that we are currently governed by a madman. There is no other description for someone willing to kill 25 million people rather than dialog or compromise. As for the hypocrisy . . . how can the only country ever to use nuclear weapons, and which is in the process of completely modernizing its nuclear arsenal demand that another country discontinue its nuclear program? Even a child can understand the contradiction of demanding that others do what the demanders themselves refuse to accomplish. This piece was reprinted by OpEd News with permission or license. It may not be reproduced in any form without permission or license from the source. From Down With Tyranny The Medicare-for-All debate is heating up. Bernie Sanders has introduced a bill in the Senate that's gathering co-sponsorship -- though noticeably not leadership support -- and John Conyers has a similar, but not identical, bill in the House. Conyers bill has also drawn no leadership support; it has, in fact, drawn leadership opposition. "At Tuesday's closed-door caucus meeting, Merkley was upbraided by Reid for breaking unspoken Senate rules and naming specific senators in a conference call with Democratic activists last week, according to sources familiar with the exchange. 'He's pissed off so many in the caucus,' said one Democratic aide piqued at Merkley. 'He has been having conference calls with progressive donors and activists trying to get them energized. He's named specific Dem Senators. Many are furious. He was called out on Tuesday in caucus and very well could be again today.'" The names of those senators was eventually printed here, in a little-noticed piece by David Dayen at his seldom-used personal blog site. Those senators were "Carl Levin, Max Baucus, Dianne Feinstein, Patrick Leahy, Barbara Boxer, Mark Pryor, and perhaps Jack Reed and Joe Manchin." Merkley, by withdrawing his proposal before a vote, protected these powerful, conservative senators from public anger. His act of "collegiality," in other words, served the interests of his opposition. The filibuster debate and its resolution provides a perfect example of "closed rebellion" -- an act of progressive opposition to conservative Senate leadership that nevertheless does not publicly embarrass his opponents. A kinder, gentler form of rebellion, if you will. 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 Syria is bracing for a U.S. attack and the Russians are helping the Assad government. (Image by YouTube, Channel: CNN) Details DMCA Something rather unprecedented just happened in Syria: US backed "good terrorist" forces attempted a surprise attack against Syrian government forces stationed to the north and northeast of the city of Hama. What makes this attack unique is that it took place inside a so-called "de-escalation zone" and that it appears that one of the key goals of the attack was to encircle in a pincer-movement and subsequently capture a platoon of Russian military police officers deployed to monitor and enforce the special status of this zone. The Russian military police forces, composed mainly of soldiers from the Caucasus region, fought against a much larger enemy force and had to call for assistance. For the first time, at least officially, Russian special operations forces were deployed to rescue and extract their comrades. At the same time, the Russians sent in a number of close air support aircraft who reportedly killed several hundred "good" terrorists and beat back the attack (Russian sources speak of the destruction of 850 fighters, 11 tanks, three infantry fighting vehicles, 46 armed pickup trucks, five mortars, 20 freighter trucks and 38 ammo supply points; you can see photos of the destroyed personnel and equipment here). What also makes this event unique is the official reaction of the Russians to this event. Head of the Main Operations Department at Russia's General Staff Colonel General Sergei Rudskoi declared that: "Despite agreements signed in Astana on September 15, gunmen of Jabhat al-Nusra and joining them units that don't want to comply with the cessation of hostilities terms, launched a large-scale offensive against positions of government troops north and northeast of Hama in Idlib de-escalation zone from 8 am on September 19 (...) According to available data, the offensive was initiated by American intelligence services to stop a successful advance of government troops east of Deir ez-Zor." Today, other Russian officials have added a not-so-veiled threat to this accusation. The Russian Defense Ministry's spokesman, Major General Igor Konashenkov has declared that: "Russia unequivocally told the commanders of US forces in Al Udeid Airbase (Qatar) that it will not tolerate any shelling from the areas where the SDF are stationed (...) Fire from positions in regions [controlled by the SDF] will be suppressed by all means necessary." This is unprecedented on many levels. First, the Russians clearly believe that this attempt to kill or capture a platoon of the Russian military police was planned by the United States. The fact that they are making this accusation officially shows the degree of irritation felt by the Russians about the duplicity of the Americans. Second, this is the first time, at least to my knowledge, that Russian Spetsnaz forces had to be sent in to rescue a surrounded Russian subunit. All Spetsnaz operators survived, but three of them were wounded in the operation (the Russians are not saying how badly). The close air support by very low flying SU-25 aircraft was obviously coordinated by Spetsnaz forward air controllers and probably saved the day. In other words, this was a close call and things could have ended much more badly (just imagine what the Takfiri crazies would have done, on video, to any captured Russian serviceman!). Finally, a US-organized attack on what was supposed to be a "de-confliction" zone combined with an attempt to capture Russian soldiers raises the bar for American duplicity to a totally new level. The big question now is "do the Russians mean it?" or are they just whining with real determination to hit back if needed. There are a couple of problems here. First, objectively, the Russian contingent in Syria is a tiny one if compared to the immense power of CENTCOM, NATO and the ever-present Israelis. Not only that, but in any US-Russian confrontation, Russia as a country is objectively the weaker side by any measure except a full-out nuclear exchange. So the Russians are not in a position of force. Furthermore, for historical and cultural reasons, Russians are much more concerned by the initiation of any incident which could lead to all-out war than the Americans who always fight their wars in somebody else's country. This might seem paradoxical, but the Russians fear war but they are ready for it. In contrast to the Russians, the Americans don't fear war, but neither are they ready for it. In practical terms this means that an American miscalculation could very well lead to a Russian military response which would stun the Americans and force them to enter an escalatory spiral which nobody would control. Remember how Hillary promised that she would unilaterally impose a so-called "no-fly" zone over Syria? She promised not only to deploy US aircraft above Russian forces in Syria, but she also promised that she would force the Russian Aerospace forces out of the Syrian skies. Thank God, this crazy witch was not elected, but it appears that folks with the same arrogant and, frankly, completely irresponsible point of view are now back in power under Trump. My fear now is that the incompetent, arrogant, not too bright and generally ignorant commanders at the Pentagon and the CIA will simply ignore clear warning signs coming from the Russians, including the public announcement that the Kremlin has given the authority to use force to protect Russian personnel to the local Russian commanders in Syria. In plain English, this means that if they are attacked the Russians in Syria do not need to consult with Moscow before using force to protect themselves. By the way, such rules of engagement are pretty common, there is nothing earth shattering here, but the fact that they were made public is, again, a message to the AngloZionist and the "good" terrorist they use to try to conquer Syria. This time around we (the world) were lucky. The Syrians fought hard and the "good" terrorists were probably surprised by the ruthless determination of the Russian military police forces (in reality, mostly Chechen special forces) and of the Spetsnaz operators. It is one thing to fight Syrian conscripts, quite another to deal with these hardened warriors. But the next time around the outcome could be different. Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). REASON #1: Consider the category 4 and 5 hurricanes that have developed in one season -- the intensity attributed to climate change. The latest, hurricane Maria devastated Dominica lost some of its force but still hit Puerto Rico as a category four -- the worst in living memory. About two weeks earlier, hurricane Irma flattened St. Maarten with 225 mph winds. Including Matthew last October, there have been three of category 5 strength within the period of a year. REASON #2: Harvey had been downgraded below a tropical storm in the Atlantic. Unfortunately, the waters of the Gulf near the coast were 2.7 to 7.2 degrees F warmer than usual, and it regained strength returning to hurricane force. By the time it reached Houston, it had intensified to a category 4, the second most severe. Not only are waters warming but sea levels are rising exacerbating the effects of the storms -- the storm surge rears up over a higher sea level increasing the height of the flood waters. The heartrending television coverage of Houston shows the tragedy of residents who have lost everything. Schools and universities are closed. Rescuers have arrived from far-away states to help, as among other things there is a shortage of boats to ferry stranded homeowners. Many had never been flooded ever before and figured they were on high enough ground to be safe. The ravages of hurricane Harvey and the record 50 inches of rain in its wake is the result of what is described as a 500-year event. The only trouble with that is there have now been three in the last three years. The rainfall almost doubles each time, and this is by far the worst. What is happening there is frightening. The region has experienced record-setting surface temperatures for three years in a row accelerating the ice and snow melt. In the past quarter-century it has lost two-thirds of the volume of sea ice as well as snow cover. The result is increased exposure of water to sunlight and greater absorption of heat, which in turn melts more ice and snow in a vicious cycle (Martin Jeffries, James Overland and Don Perovich, Physics Today, October 2013). There is a really worrying photograph of the Arctic showing a large green patch in the middle. Green in the middle of the Arctic you ask yourself! The text explains what is happening. Ice cover is now so thin sunlight is able to penetrate through. That enables plankton to grow in the water below. REASON #5: Look at the Antarctic. It, too, is not immune. Antarctica is featured in the July 2017National Geographic . Dramatic satellite photos show how a 225 square mile chunk of ice breaks off from the Pine Island ice shelf, which supports a massive glacier. A second rift is forming already. REASON#6: Hear just about any scientist working in the field. Every major international scientific academy endorses it including the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. And the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report(2013) has enough detail to convince any rational skeptic -- no one can convince the nuts. REASON#7: Look at the scientists who have been protesting. Thousands of them have marched to protest your administration's belittling of science. The demonstrations were planned for Earth Day to signal a particular concern with the enormity of current climate policy -- across the US and in hundreds of cities across the globe, more than 600 actions on every continent including Antarctica. Your irrational skepticism has them baffled and clearly worried. Look at all the evidence and the logic for there is only a small window, which is closing rapidly. That is why the scientists were marching. Their discipline, resilient yet based on fact, theoretical yet based on empirical evidence, brings benefits to society as a whole. Their conscience forces them to march. The Napalm Girl In Vietnam (Image by flickr.com) Details DMCA One of the most hyped "events" of American television, The Vietnam War, has started on the PBS network. The directors are Ken Burns and Lynn Novick. Acclaimed for his documentaries on the Civil War, the Great Depression and the history of jazz, Burns says of his Vietnam films, "They will inspire our country to begin to talk and think about the Vietnam war in an entirely new way." In a society often bereft of historical memory and in thrall to the propaganda of its "exceptionalism," Burns' "entirely new" Vietnam war is presented as "epic, historic work." Its lavish advertising campaign promotes its biggest backer, Bank of America, which in 1971 was burned down by students in Santa Barbara, California, as a symbol of the hated war in Vietnam. Burns says he is grateful to "the entire Bank of America family" which "has long supported our country's veterans." Bank of America was a corporate prop to an invasion that killed perhaps as many as four million Vietnamese and ravaged and poisoned a once bountiful land. More than 58,000 American soldiers were killed, and around the same number are estimated to have taken their own lives. I watched the first episode in New York. It leaves you in no doubt of its intentions right from the start. The narrator says the war "was begun in good faith by decent people out of fateful misunderstandings, American overconfidence and Cold War misunderstandings." The dishonesty of this statement is not surprising. The cynical fabrication of "false flags" that led to the invasion of Vietnam is a matter of record -- the Gulf of Tonkin "incident" in 1964, which Burns promotes as true, was just one. The lies litter a multitude of official documents, notably the Pentagon Papers, which the great whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg released in 1971. There was no good faith. The faith was rotten and cancerous. For me -- as it must be for many Americans -- it is difficult to watch the film's jumble of "red peril" maps, unexplained interviewees, ineptly cut archive and maudlin American battlefield sequences. In the series' press release in Britain -- the BBC will show it -- there is no mention of Vietnamese dead, only Americans. "We are all searching for some meaning in this terrible tragedy," Novick is quoted as saying. How very post-modern. All this will be familiar to those who have observed how the American media and popular culture behemoth has revised and served up the great crime of the second half of the twentieth century: from The Green Berets and The Deer Hunter to Rambo and, in so doing, has legitimized subsequent wars of aggression. The revisionism never stops and the blood never dries. The invader is pitied and purged of guilt, while "searching for some meaning in this terrible tragedy." Cue Bob Dylan: "Oh, where have you been, my blue-eyed son?" I thought about the "decency" and "good faith" when recalling my own first experiences as a young reporter in Vietnam: watching hypnotically as the skin fell off Napalmed peasant children like old parchment, and the ladders of bombs that left trees petrified and festooned with human flesh. General William Westmoreland, the American commander, referred to people as "termites." In the early 1970s, I went to Quang Ngai province, where in the village of My Lai, between 347 and 500 men, women and infants were murdered by American troops (Burns prefers "killings"). At the time, this was presented as an aberration: an "American tragedy" (Newsweek ). In this one province, it was estimated that 50,000 people had been slaughtered during the era of American "free fire zones." Mass homicide. This was not news. To the north, in Quang Tri province, more bombs were dropped than in all of Germany during the Second World War. Since 1975, unexploded ordnance has caused more than 40,000 deaths in mostly "South Vietnam," the country America claimed to "save" and, with France, conceived as a singularly imperial ruse. The "meaning" of the Vietnam war is no different from the meaning of the genocidal campaign against the Native Americans, the colonial massacres in the Philippines, the atomic bombings of Japan, the levelling of every city in North Korea. The aim was described by Colonel Edward Lansdale, the famous CIA man on whom Graham Greene based his central character in The Quiet American. Quoting Robert Taber's The War of the Flea, Lansdale said, "There is only one means of defeating an insurgent people who will not surrender, and that is extermination. There is only one way to control a territory that harbors resistance, and that is to turn it into a desert." Nothing has changed. When Donald Trump addressed the United Nations on 19 September -- a body established to spare humanity the "scourge of war" -- he declared he was "ready, willing and able" to "totally destroy" North Korea and its 25 million people. His audience gasped, but Trump's language was not unusual. His rival for the presidency, Hillary Clinton, had boasted she was prepared to "totally obliterate" Iran, a nation of more than 80 million people. This is the American Way; only the euphemisms are missing now. Returning to the US, I am struck by the silence and the absence of an opposition -- on the streets, in journalism and the arts, as if dissent once tolerated in the "mainstream" has regressed to a dissidence: a metaphoric underground. Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Quicklink Not Found Sometimes, authors delete their quicklinks after publishing them. To see if the quicklink was renamed or re-published, please click here. Reprinted from www.truthdig.com with author permission Medicare for All Rally (Image by mollyktadams) Details DMCA It's time to start talking to our patients about climate change and the structural causes of disease. Hurricane Harvey has devastated Texas, leaving many dead, thousands with homes destroyed and billions in damage to infrastructure. Hurricane Irma pummeled the Caribbean and Florida at the same time that Hurricanes Katia and Jose were picking up strength in the Atlantic and threatening Mexico and the Eastern Caribbean. Forest fires are destroying regions of the Pacific Northwest. Meanwhile, in Nigeria, over 100,000 people have been forced to leave their homes because of widespread flooding, and in Southeast Asia over 1,200 have died due to historic flooding, which has left over one-third of Bangladesh under water. These disasters did not come out of the blue, though. They are just a few examples of what results from an economic system that knows no limits. If the medical community wants to start addressing the systemic causes of illness, instead of just addressing the results that manifest themselves in various degrees of illness for suffering patients, we will have to make addressing the structural aspects of disease central to everyday medical practice. The System's Toxic Effect In medicine, we are often told not to "politicize" health care issues, not to be "too controversial" because "X" residency may not want to accept you, or "Y" employment opportunity may not want to hire you. Frankly, there is no more time for that, especially as we will continue to see more and more patients coming to our offices, clinics and hospitals damaged by this system. To take Texas as an example, in addition to the immediate physical risks associated with widespread flooding and infrastructure destruction, communities will be at risk for a number of health issues, ranging from inadequate access to medical care and prescriptions to an increased risk of mosquito-borne diseases to an increased toll of mental illness from psychological stress. As usual, poor communities of color will face the largest burden during the most recent disaster, as they have over many years. In the immediate aftermath of Harvey's destruction, they now will have to sustain the threat of toxic pollution from damaged oil refineries, located near their communities, that were flaring off more than 5.5 million pounds of air pollutants into the atmosphere. (Flaring is done when rapid plant shutdown is required.) These same refineries have leaked chemicals into flood zones. In both methods of pollution, chemicals such as benzene and butadiene, known carcinogens, are released. Unfortunately, these communities, which have suffered from higher rates of respiratory illness and cancer mortality due to excessive environmental pollution from oil refineries, now will be exposed to even greater levels of toxic pollution. Communities hardest hit by the complications of flooding (such as Port Arthur, Texas) are the same communities that also have suffered from economic devastation over the years as industry has moved abroad to find manufacturing hubs with lax regulations in places like Southeast Asia. These actions have led to high unemployment and all the psychological and physical illness that comes with it. By no coincidence, the residents of Bangladesh--who have suffered from economic exploitation for years, creating vast levels of poverty--now are suffering from the complications of widespread flooding, which will only compound the burden of suffering and illness the population faces. Understanding what has led us to the situation in Texas and other states requires a more nuanced, systems perspective of evaluation. As Naomi Klein explained, it is important to understand the history that has led us to this point: "There is a moral imperative for informed, caring people to name the real root causes behind this crisis--connecting the dots between climate pollution, systemic racism, underfunding of social services, and overfunding of police." These connections now must be the focus for medical professionals in their daily practice. Climate Disaster and Structural Violence: Symptoms From a Capitalist Cancer What Klein references are what medicine often refers to as the "social determinants of health"--the subtle, upstream factors that continue to drive the devastation of health in communities around the globe. Falling under this umbrella term are forms of "structural violence" that negatively affect the health of communities. In "The New Human Rights Movement," author and activist Peter Joseph references the 1976 work of Gernot Kohler and Norman Alcock in their defining paper, "An Empirical Table of Structural Violence." In their work the authors define structural violence by saying, "Whenever persons are harmed, maimed, or killed by poverty and unjust social, political, and economic institutions, systems, or structures, we speak of structural violence, [which] like armed violence can have two effects--it either kills its victims or it harms them in various ways short of killing." Taking Texas as an example again, whether is it is illnesses communities suffered from before Harvey hit, or the number of illnesses they are at risk for now that it has hit, we see the destructive force of structural violence on the health of communities. Understanding this definition, we see that companies have committed structural violence on communities for years by actively resisting environmental regulation, disregarding pleas of communities most affected and even ignoring official civil rights complaints to stop polluting around oil refineries. This is no surprise to those who understand how industry operates, as doing so would require funds being diverted from a corporate bottom line, which comes above all else in our current system. As investigative reporting has shown us, companies like ExxonMobil knew about the threats of climate change for years, but purposely misled the public to allow for continued, relentless fossil fuel extraction. They also chose to actively suppress scientific study and social movements that would curtail their bottom lines. When you question what causes companies like ExxonMobil to act in this way and what leads to these conditions, you start to see that at the core is a neoliberal, capitalist economic market system that is designed for continual growth and profit maximization. As author George Monbiot has noted: "an economic system which depends on perpetual growth on a finite planet is destined to deliver disaster." However, the fossil fuel industry is not the only industry to blame for the environmental destruction we are now seeing. It and the military-industrial complex and the factory-farming industry are some of the biggest polluters on earth today. They are operating inside of a system that allows a board of directors and a few wealthy shareholders to make the ultimate decisions about how the companies will operate. These industries will continue to seek profit maximization at the expense of all else, because it is what the system requires. Continued military expansion, imperialist ventures, fossil fuel extraction and deforestation to make room for cattle grazing show how capitalism operates as a cancer, metastasizing to all aspects of society and every industry. The system commodifies everything it sees, as each industry attempts to continue producing the greatest possible return for shareholders while destroying the earth we inhabit. As we have seen time and time again, the end result of this market system of economics is the spread of illness and the suffering of communities around the world. As physicians, we see the suffering and death of our patients as the ultimate consequence. What Is Medicine to Do? Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). This piece was reprinted by OpEd News with permission or license. It may not be reproduced in any form without permission or license from the source. From Counterpunch President Donald Trump (Image by maxpixel.freegreatpict...) Details DMCA The time for equivocation and satire where Donald Trump is concerned has passed. Indeed if the current US President's address to the 72nd UN General Assembly in New York confirms anything, it is that satire must now give way to a sober and serious appreciation of the clear and present danger his administration poses to the world. When Trump arrived at the podium at the UN to deliver his address to the world leaders and diplomats in attendance, it was impossible to resist pondering how it is that a man with zero political experience, whose dysfunctional relationship with the English language you would imagine would disqualify him from political office of any kind, could possibly find himself thrust onto the world stage in command of the largest economy and military, including nuclear weapons, ever known. Some have attempted to posit Trump's election to the highest political office in the United States as confirmation of the unyielding magic of the American dream, the power it has to make the seemingly impossible eminently possible, carrying with it the source of America's promise. However those of us who refuse to succumb to such illusions understand Trump's election as evidence not of America's greatness but of its weakness and decline. To put it another way, if Obama was our Emperor Augustus, a president who managed to succeed in cloaking the snarling beast of US imperialism and hegemony with the patina of peace and stability -- a Pax Americana if you will -- Trump is our Nero, a leader whose departure from reality knows no bounds. America with its mask removed, is how I described the 45th President of the United States during the presidential election campaign last year, and never have I written a truer word. At least in this respect he has done the world a favor in disabusing it of the myth that Washington is or has ever been a force for good in the world. In truth what we are dealing with is a juggernaut of chaos and destruction which, during the Obama years, was led by a president who perfected the art of speaking the language of conciliation while following the agenda of state long imbued with the ethos of might is right. In Trump's case, we are dealing with a president who foregoes the language of conciliation, opting instead for the kind of violent rhetoric and bombast commonly associated with head of a New York crime family -- a gangster in all but name. During a speech that was more akin to an incoherent rant, Trump said, "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." What are we to make of a passage that could have been lifted verbatim from the Old Testament? "The righteous many" Trump refers to does not, by any objective measure, include a nation which counts the use of nuclear weapons, the mass destruction of entire countries -- North Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya -- as part of a legacy so foul with the stench of hypocrisy it requires that we pinch our collective nose before engaging with it. Not satisfied with destroying North Korea once -- in a war unleashed on its people by the US and its allies between 1950 and 1953 -- Trump levelled the threat that Washington may do so again, declaring that "we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea." Listening to this in Pyongyang, you can bet the decision was instantly taken to ramp up the country's on-going efforts to establish a nuclear capability for the purposes of defending itself. The anti-Iran section of Trump's speech could well have been written for him in Tel Aviv and Riyadh, such was its intemperance and brutal indifference to the facts. And the salient where Iran is concerned is that it has not attacked any of its neighbors in 200 years. Moreover, in our time Iran has played a major part in the struggle against the barbarism of Salafi-jihadism in Iraq and Syria, shedding the blood of its soldiers in the process. In return the world, including Washington, owes it a debt of gratitude. But the world painted in lurid colors by Trump from the podium of the UN General Assembly is a world in which injustice and untruth reigns. In this regard, does anyone believe it is any coincidence that the two states in the Middle East which rest on foundations of ethno-religious supremacy -- Israel and Saudi Arabia -- are mortal enemies of a government in Tehran whose only crime is that it is a pillar of resistance to the axis of regime change of which both are card carrying members? To ask is to answer. Moving on, listening to a billionaire poster child for capitalism providing the UN with a disquisition on the evils of socialism and communism, which he did when railing against Cuba and Venezuela, was nothing if not surreal. Here, Alan Badiou usefully reminds us of the fact that "the huge colonial genocides and massacres, the millions of deaths in the civil and world wars through which our [capitalist] West forged its might, should be enough to discredit, even in the eyes of 'philosophers' who extol their morality, the parliamentary regimes of Europe and America." Cuba's record and legacy of exporting solidarity instead of cruise missiles to countries around the world is not in dispute. Neither are its achievements in the fields of healthcare, education, and science -- all of which have been reached despite the depredations of the sustained economic embargo and sanctions enforced against the island by the US, an embargo and sanctions that have been in place since the 1960s. Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). International Ozone Day Celebrated at Banasthali International Ozone Day Celebrated at Banasthali http://www.banasthali.org/ http://www.banasthali.org www.facebook.com/Banasthali.org The ozone layer, a fragile shield of gas, protects the Earth from the harmful portion of the rays of the sun, thus helping preserve life on the planet. The Montreal Protocol which was originally signed on 16 Sep 1987 and substantially amended in 1990 and 1992 stipulates that the production and consumption of compounds that deplete ozone in the stratosphere are to be phased out in a specified time period. Scientific theory and evidence suggest that, once emitted to the atmosphere, these compounds could significantly deplete the stratospheric ozone layer that shields the planet from damaging UV-B radiation.On 19 December 1994, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly proclaimed 16 September every year to be observed as the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer to commemorate the same date in 1987, on which the Montreal Protocol on Ozone Depleting Substances - ODS was signed. For 2017 which is the thirtieth anniversary of the Montreal Protocol signing, the theme is Caring for all life under the Sun.ODS are widely used in refrigerators, air-conditioners, fire extinguishers, in dry cleaning, as solvents for cleaning electronic equipment and as agricultural fumigants. Some of the top ranking ODS in India today are ChloroFluoroCarbons (CFCs), Halon, Carbon Tetrachloride, Methyl Chloroform, Methyl Bromide, HydroBromoFluoroCarbons (HBFCs), HydroChloroFluoroCarbons (HCFCs), BromoChloroMethane (BCM). HCFCs are both ozone-depleting substances and powerful greenhouse gases: the most commonly used HCFC is nearly 2,000 times more potent than carbon dioxide in adding to global warming.On 16 Sep 2017, a team of second year students Simran Rathore, Sakshi Bajania, Bhawna Jposhi, Aditi Tibrewal, Varnika Singh, Anuska Singh, and Saumya Patel along with a team of third year students Aanchal Mehendiratta, Anita Singh, Sanskriti Garg and Shweta Mittal shared thoughts on the chemistry of Ozone, Ozone layer and its importance, Montreal Protocol, Ozone Depleting Substances etc. Faculty Mr Saurabh Joshi administered an oath to all for protecting the ozone layer.For more details about Banasthali seeAbout Banasthali: The Institution which is also the largest fully residential womens university in the world has played a big role in revolutionizing womens education in the country for the last eight decades with a belief that there is a tremendous role of higher education in empowering the women. Banasthali has scripted numerous success stories in a wide range of fields, and stands tall among the citadels of learning in India today. Team Banasthali with Vice Chancellor J C Bose Memorial Award for eminent scientist recipient Prof Aditya Shastri a highly acclaimed alumnus of BITS Pilani, SUNY State University of New York Stony Brook and MIT USA is indeed racing forward to be the very best among global women universities. Proud to be Banasthali alumni who call themselves as Banasthalites can be found in all latitudes, longitudes and altitudes in all walks of life across the globe.Banasthali UniversityP.O. Banasthali VidyapithRajasthan 304022Phone 91 1438 228456 / 228341Email: info@banasthali.ac.inWebsite:Facebook: Nose Job Facts You Should Know! https://www.harleybodyclinic.co.uk What Surgical Rhinoplasty Can Treat? Nasal asymmetry Size of nose in relation to facial balance Profile of the nose with correction of visible humps or bridge depressions on it Tip of the nose that is enlarged or drooping, upturned, or bulbous or hooked Can correct the nostrils that are wide, large or upturnedRhinoplasty Is Not Just CosmeticThis surgery is not only opt by people for cosmetic purpose but it also corrects the medical issues such as complications faced while breathing that is caused by either traumatic deformities from injury or from a deviated septum. Men and women of all age can chose to undergo this surgery as a correctional surgery rather than because of cosmetic reason.Surgery Is Relatively ShortThe nose surgery takes only few hours to complete the whole surgery where the patients are treated under anesthesia and after surgery; a splint is placed on nose that will be removed after six to seven days time after surgery.Winter Is The Most Popular SeasonIf you are considering nose job surgery, or popularly known as Rhinoplasty, the winter season is considered to be best for undergoing this surgery since most of the people are on vacation and this surgery allows be healing and performing without having to miss school or work.Stay Away From Aspirin AfterwardsMedication such as Advil, Aspirin, Motrin, Aleve and Vitamin E are to be avoided at any cost since if consumed they can lead to bleeding issues and patients are advised to avoid these medicines to ensure faster and quick recovery.Rhinoplasty Is Different For Men And WomenDifferent techniques are used for men and women while performing the surgery since mans face contour differs from that of a womens face contour. Prior to undergo this surgery, it is important for the surgeon to understand the face anatomy of each of his patients with slope and angle of mans nose are quite different from that of womens.The whole procedure of the surgery takes about 1 to 2 hours to complete while the recovery on the other hand is mild to moderate. The surgery is performed under general anesthesia where the patients are required to wear small garment or cast up to 5 days.How Well It WorksDepending upon the kind of nose correction one wants, the results can be significant or minor. It is important that you and your surgeon agree upon the same goals of the surgery. It is important to be completely honest with your needs and requirements from the surgery and talking it out with your surgeon. One must also have realistic expectation from the surgery as well.To satisfy successful and error free Rhinoplasty procedure, one must choose to undergo the procedure by Board certified surgeon who are associated with Harley Body Clinic. To know more, contact us or visit our website soon. For more details please visit atHarley Body Clinic(Subsidiary of Harley Cosmetic Group)61 Harley StreetLondon W1G 8QU Microphone Market Report 2017, Trends, Analysis, Share, Estimates and Forecasts to 2022. http://www.strategymrc.com/report/microphone-market http://www.strategymrc.com/report/microphone-market According to Stratistics MRC, the Global Microphone market accounted for $1.29 billion in 2015 and is expected to reach $2.07 billion by 2022 growing at a CAGR of 6.94% from 2015 to 2022. Microphones are widely used in many applications such as telephones, radio and television broadcasting, voice recognition and transmission, speech recognition, noise recognition and reduction, megaphones, and for non-acoustic purposes such as ultrasonic checking. The increasing demand from consumer electronic devices is the major driving factor for market growth. Adoption of microphones in the smart wearable devices and low cost are the favorable factors that will stimulate the market in the coming years. However, high costs of electronic stethoscopes, difficulty in packaging and integration processes are restraining the market growth.In order to offer improved signal to noise ratio, the number of microphones used per devices is increasing. In global microphone market, electret microphones are likely to replace with the MEMS based microphones. The automotive applications have the largest market in American region. Due to maximum adoption of microphones, Asia Pacific has the leading share among the global market. The European market is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period.Some of the key players in the global market include AAC Technologies Holdings, Inc., Robert Bosch GMBH, Shandong Gettop Acoustic Co., Ltd., Stmicroelectronics N.V., Invensense, Inc., Hosiden Corporation, Knowles Corporation, Cirrus Logic, Inc., Goertek, Hosiden Corporation and BSE.For More, Please Visit:Microphone Types Covered: Electret Microphones Mems Microphones OthersApplications Covered: Healthcare Automotive Electronics Industrial Security & Surveillance Sensing OthersRegions Covered: North Americao USo Canadao Mexico Europeo Germanyo Franceo Italyo UKo Spaino Rest of Europe Asia Pacifico Japano Chinao Indiao Australiao New Zealando Rest of Asia Pacific Rest of the Worldo Middle Easto Brazilo Argentinao South Africao EgyptWhat our report offers:- Market share assessments for the regional and country level segments- Market share analysis of the top industry players- Strategic recommendations for the new entrants- Market forecasts for a minimum of 7 years of all the mentioned segments, sub segments and the regional markets- Market Trends (Drivers, Constraints, Opportunities, Threats, Challenges, Investment Opportunities, and recommendations)- Strategic recommendations in key business segments based on the market estimations- Competitive landscaping mapping the key common trends- Company profiling with detailed strategies, financials, and recent developments- Supply chain trends mapping the latest technological advancementsFor More, Please Visit:We offer wide spectrum of research and consulting services with in-depth knowledge of different industries. We are known for customized research services, consulting services and Full Time Equivalent (FTE) services in the research world. We explore the market trends and draw our insights with valid assessments and analytical views. We use advanced techniques and tools among the quantitative and qualitative methodologies to identify the market trends. Our research reports and publications are routed to help our clients to design their business models and enhance their business growth in the competitive market scenario. We have a strong team with hand-picked consultants including project managers, implementers, industry experts, researchers, research evaluators and analysts with years of experience in delivering the complex projects.STRATISTICS MRC17049 King James Way, Gaithersburg,MD, 20877, USA New UV-curing Epoxy Resin Adhesive for Dome Coatings Dome coating used as decoration on perfume bottle Adhesive company Techsil introduce Vitralit UC 6686 a newly developed light curable epoxy adhesive from manufacturer Panacol. Upon exposure to ultraviolet light, it cures in seconds to form a crystal clear, extremely hard, scratch resistant surface perfect for dome coatings and for decorating glass and plastics.Vitralit UC 6686 is an epoxy resin based single-component adhesive, which cures rapidly under UV light. Developed especially for dome coatings, its high viscosity makes it ideal for automatic dispensing and application of doses in very close pitch precise patterns without spreading. The viscosity is such that it cures to a glossy curved dome which can optically magnify and enhance the appearance of a label or structure underneath it.Once cured, Vitralit UC 6686 is extremely hard and scratch-resistant and has a transparent, brilliant high-gloss surface that does not yellow. It adheres especially well to glass, plastics and metals and has already been successfully used in the decoration of glass perfume bottles and product labels. When used as a protective coating the doming lends the surface a more refined, higher-quality look and feel while making it resistant to environmental influences.Additional applications include:- Protective coating of logos on vehicle badges exposed to outdoor elements, logos on items that have to withstand the heat and water of a dishwasher or even more extreme environments such as subsea applications.- Coatings to enhance the appearance of decorative articles including lapel pins, pens, name plates and key rings.- Dome coatings are also applied to medals, fashion labels on glasses, adhesive labels and quality product labels, for example on glass whisky and perfume bottles.The adhesive can be cured with both UV gas discharge lamps and UV LED lamps. Very good adhesion of applications over a large surface can be achieved with Honles LED Spot 100 at a wavelength of 365 nm.About TechsilTrading since 1989, UK based Techsil has grown into a global supplier of industrial RTV silicones, adhesives, sealants, encapsulants, conformal coatings, tapes, casting and mould making materials to a wide range of manufacturing industries including Automotive, Medical, Electronics, Aerospace, LED Lighting and Rapid Prototyping. Techsil are Authorised Distributor for Panacol.About PanacolHonle Group member Panacol-Elosol GmbH is an internationally active provider in the growth market of industrial adhesives with an extensive product range that includes UV adhesives, structural adhesives and conductive adhesives. Together with Dr. Honle AG, the parent company of the Honle Group and a global leader in industrial UV technology, Panacol is a reliable systems provider for adhesives complete with suitable curing technology.Techsil Ltd34 Bidavon Industrial EstateWaterloo RoadBidford-on-AvonWarksB50 4JN World: Imitation Jewelry - Market Report. Analysis and Forecast to 2025 http://www.indexbox.co.uk/store/world-imitation-jewelry-market-report-analysis-and-forecast-to-2020?utm_source=opr http://www.indexbox.co.uk/store/world-imitation-jewelry-market-report-analysis-and-forecast-to-2020?utm_source=opr IndexBox has just published a new report "World: Imitation Jewelry - Market Report. Analysis and Forecast to 2025" ().This report has been designed to provide an in-depth of the global imitation jewellery market. It covers the most recent data sets of quantitative medium-term prospects, as well as developments in production, trade, consumption and prices. The report also reveals a comparative analysis of the major consuming countries, revealing opportunities opened for producers and exporters across the globe. The forecast outlines market perspectives to 2025.Countries coverage: Worldwide - the report contains statistical data for 200 countries and includes detailed profiles of the 50 largest consuming countries (United States, China, Japan, Germany, United Kingdom, France, Brazil, Italy, Russian Federation, India, Canada, Australia, Republic of Korea, Spain, Mexico, Indonesia, Netherlands, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, Sweden, Nigeria, Poland, Belgium, Argentina, Norway, Austria, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, Colombia, Denmark, South Africa, Malaysia, Israel, Singapore, Egypt, Philippines, Finland, Chile, Ireland, Pakistan, Greece, Portugal, Kazakhstan, Algeria, Czech Republic, Qatar, Peru, Romania, Vietnam) + the largest producing countries.Product coverage: Imitation jewelry, of base metal, whether or not plated with precious metal.Data coverage: Imitation jewellery market size and volume; Imitation jewellery market trends and prospects; Global imitation jewellery production and its dynamics; Per capita consumption; Breakdown of production by region and country; Medium term outlook; Imitation jewellery trade (exports/imports); Prices for imitation jewellery; Profiles of the main manufacturers.The report will help you: Get a bigger picture of the market; Rewire your business around market trends; Devise your marketing strategy; Operate with increased effectiveness.Source:IndexBox is a leading market research publisher in the world. 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The report on global polycarboxylate superplasticizer market evaluates the growth trends of the industry through historical study and estimates future prospects based on comprehensive research. The report extensively provides the market share, growth, trends and forecasts for the period 2016-2023. The market size in terms of revenue (USD MN) is calculated for the study period along with the details of the factors affecting the market growth (drivers and restraints).The major market drivers are Increasing demand from the developing countries and Cost effective in nature. The market growth might be restricted due Less adoption of polycarboxylate superplasticizer due to well established construction industryunder the study period.Get FREE Report Sample @Furthermore, the report quantifies the market share held by the major players of the industry and provides an in-depth view of the competitive landscape. 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Polycarboxylate Superplasticizer Market Analysis By Application6. Polycarboxylate Superplasticizer Market Analysis By Geography7. Competitive Landscape Of The Polycarboxylate Superplasticizer Companies8. Company Profiles Of The Polycarboxylate Superplasticizer IndustryPurchase Complete Global Polycarboxylate Superplasticizer Market Research Report At:About Us:DecisionDatabases.com is a global business research reports provider, enriching decision makers and strategists with qualitative statistics. DecisionDatabases.com is proficient in providing syndicated research report, customized research reports, company profiles and industry databases across multiple domains.Our expert research analysts have been trained to map clients research requirements to the correct research resource leading to a distinctive edge over its competitors. We provide intellectual, precise and meaningful data at a lightning speed.3rd Floor,Fountain chambers,Nanabhai Lane,Fort, Mumbai - 1E-Mail: sales@decisiondatabases.comPhone: +91 99 28 237112Web: "Five Signs for Innovation", the trade fair-motto of precision tool manufacturer heimatec for the EMO 2017 Five signs symbolize the product innovations at the EMO 2017 www.heimatec.de At the EMO 2017 Hanover, the world's leading trade fair for metalworking tools, heimatec, the manufacturer of precision tools, presents five new product range. From this trend-setting trade fair heimatec.CyberCon4, the digital tool management system stands out as the most spectacular. heimatec highlight and will be presented on the 65-square-meter stand C 84 in Hall 5.As is one of the most innovative companies in its field, would like to highlight the most important branch meeting with highlights. 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Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports understand how essential statistical surveying information is for your organization or association. Therefore, we have associated with the top publishers and research firms all specialized in specific domains, ensuring you will receive the most reliable and up to date research data available.Contact Us:Norah Trent+1 646 845 9349 / +44 208 133 9349Follow on LinkedIn: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. 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We understand the needs of our clients, and keep our reports updated as market requirement changes.Contact US:GlobeMetrixJames JohnsonS no. 51/14 First Floor, Office Number 4,Vishwa Arcade, Near Navale Lawns,Pune, Maharashtra, India 411041.Tel: +1(857)2390696Email: inquiry@market.bizWebsite:Blog: Niobium Capacitor Market Trends and Forecast: 2017-2022 Reportsweb http://www.reportsweb.com/global-niobium-capacitor-market-research-report-2017 http://www.reportsweb.com/inquiry&RW0001708747/sample http://www.reportsweb.com/buy&RW0001708747/buy/2900 http://www.reportsweb.com/inquiry&RW0001708747/discount Geographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD) , market share and growth rate of Niobium Capacitor in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast) , coveringUnited StatesEUChinaJapanSouth KoreaTaiwanGlobal Niobium Capacitor market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players includingTDKMurataPaytonVishayPanasonic ElectronicTaiyo yudenRubycon CorpTOKOTE Connectivity AMP ConnectorsUnited Chemi-ConKemetHitachi AICIllinois CapacitorCornell Dubilier ElectronicsElnaSunlordFengHuaLITEONBarker MicrofaradsSumidaOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoSolid Electrolytic CapacitorLiquid Electrolytic CapacitorOn 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 Niobium Capacitor for each application, includingElectronicsInstrumentAerospace & DefenseOthersFor more information about this report atTable of Content1 Niobium Capacitor Market Overview2 Global Niobium Capacitor Market Competition by Manufacturers3 Global Niobium Capacitor Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2012-2017)4 Global Niobium Capacitor Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Region (2012-2017)4.1 Global Niobium Capacitor Consumption by Region (2012-2017)4.2 United States Niobium Capacitor Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.3 EU Niobium Capacitor Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.4 China Niobium Capacitor Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.5 Japan Niobium Capacitor Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.6 South Korea Niobium Capacitor Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.7 India Niobium Capacitor Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)5 Global Niobium Capacitor Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type5.1 Global Niobium Capacitor Production and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)5.2 Global Niobium Capacitor Revenue and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)5.3 Global Niobium Capacitor Price by Type (2012-2017)5.4 Global Niobium Capacitor Production Growth by Type (2012-2017)6 Global Niobium Capacitor Market Analysis by Application6.1 Global Niobium Capacitor Consumption and Market Share by Application (2012-2017)6.2 Global Niobium Capacitor Consumption Growth Rate by Application (2012-2017)6.3 Market Drivers and Opportunities6.3.1 Potential Applications6.3.2 Emerging Markets/Countries7 Global Niobium Capacitor Manufacturers Profiles/AnalysisRequest a sample copy at8 Niobium Capacitor Manufacturing Cost Analysis9 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers10 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders11 Market Effect Factors Analysis12 Global Niobium Capacitor Market Forecast (2017-2022)13 Research Findings and ConclusionPurchase Complete Report at. 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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.Contact Us:533, 5th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028Call: +1-646-491-9876Email: sales@reportsweb.com Global Champagne Market 2017 Covering USA, Europe, China, Japan, India, South East Asia Global Champagne Market https://goo.gl/UvX7m9 https://goo.gl/4MbPcH https://market.biz/ http://emarkets.eu/ The report titled Global Champagne Market 2017 provides the intrinsic research study based on qualitative and the quantitative aspect of the Champagne industry along with a complete description of top market players which will provide the thorough understanding of the market on a global scale.The Global Champagne Market 2017 delivers the current industry scenario of Champagne market as well as the past and upcoming market trends which will fuel the development of the Champagne market. 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The report is segmented into different parts based on market segments and the geographical regions.The top players of the Global Champagne market according to their business profile, market revenue are as follows:*Moet & Chandon*Nicolas Feuillatte*Laurent Perrier*Dom Perignon*Mumm*Piper Heidsieck*Pommery*Taittinger*Louis Roederer*Veuve Clicquot*Perrier Jouet*Bollinger*Ruinart*Pol Roger*Lanson*KrugThe Global Champagne market 2017 is basically sliced into 3 fragments according to the Type, Region, and ApplicationGet Sample Copy Of Report From Here:The report explores the presence of Champagne market based on following geographical regions like1 USA2 Europe3 Japan4 China5 India6 South East AsiaProduct Based Analysis of Champagne Market:*Champagne*Champagne Grand Cru*Champagne Premier Cru*OthersApplication Based Analysis of Champagne Market:*Airport duty free market*Airline duty free market*OthersCore facts about the Global Champagne Market* Past data related to Champagne Market during 2012 to 2016.* The development exhibited by Champagne industry during the forecast period from 2016 to 2022.* Enterprises which top the Champagne industry.* Technical developments which are expected during the forecast period from 2016 to 2022.* Information on the growth driving factors, market trends, risk analysis, constraints to the market development and growing areas.* To conclude with the Champagne report encompasses the deep study of the global market, business strategies followed by top players, upcoming market segments, present, past and futuristic data related to the market based on market size.* Hence this report is crucial research document for all the existing market players who have a keen interest in gaining knowledge about the Champagne market.About Us:Market.Biz is designed to provide the best and most penetrating research required to all commercial, industrial and profit-making ventures in any sector of online business. 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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: Water Colloidal Coating Market Report Now Available at Top Global Research Firm of 2017 Water Colloidal Coating Market http://bit.ly/2xlLDxO http://bit.ly/2hgqnEa http://www.9dresearchgroup.com The global Water Colloidal Coating market research report is one of the widespread and deep market research reports that touch the most vital parts of the Water Colloidal Coating market that is necessary to be grasped by a professional or even a lay man. 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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, USAWeb: Automotive NFC Market Trends and Forecast: 2017-2022 Reportsweb http://www.reportsweb.com/global-automotive-nfc-market-research-report-2017 http://www.reportsweb.com/inquiry&RW0001703835/sample http://www.reportsweb.com/buy&RW0001703835/buy/2900 http://www.reportsweb.com/inquiry&RW0001703835/discount Geographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD) , market share and growth rate of Automotive NFC in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast) , coveringUnited StatesEUChinaJapanSouth KoreaTaiwanGlobal Automotive NFC market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players includingSonyFeliCaNXPBroadcomSTMicroelectronicsSamsungPolaric...On the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split into106 Kbit/s212 Kbit/s424 Kbit/sOn 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 Automotive NFC for each application, includingOn Board UnitsCar KeysOtherFor more information about this report atTable of Content1 Automotive NFC Market Overview2 Global Automotive NFC Market Competition by Manufacturers3 Global Automotive NFC Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2012-2017)4 Global Automotive NFC Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Region (2012-2017)4.1 Global Automotive NFC Consumption by Region (2012-2017)4.2 United States Automotive NFC Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.3 EU Automotive NFC Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.4 China Automotive NFC Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.5 Japan Automotive NFC Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.6 South Korea Automotive NFC Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.7 India Automotive NFC Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)5 Global Automotive NFC Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type5.1 Global Automotive NFC Production and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)5.2 Global Automotive NFC Revenue and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)5.3 Global Automotive NFC Price by Type (2012-2017)5.4 Global Automotive NFC Production Growth by Type (2012-2017)6 Global Automotive NFC Market Analysis by Application6.1 Global Automotive NFC Consumption and Market Share by Application (2012-2017)6.2 Global Automotive NFC Consumption Growth Rate by Application (2012-2017)6.3 Market Drivers and Opportunities6.3.1 Potential Applications6.3.2 Emerging Markets/Countries7 Global Automotive NFC Manufacturers Profiles/AnalysisRequest a sample copy at8 Automotive NFC Manufacturing Cost Analysis9 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers10 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders11 Market Effect Factors Analysis12 Global Automotive NFC Market Forecast (2017-2022)13 Research Findings and ConclusionPurchase Complete Report at. And get,Discount on report purchase atContact Us:Call: +1-646-491-9876Email: sales@reportsweb.comReportsWeb 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.Contact Us:533, 5th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028Call: +1-646-491-9876Email: sales@reportsweb.com Glaucoma Treatment Drugs Global Market Share 2017-2022 Akorn Inc., Alcon, Allergan plc Glaucoma Treatment Drugs Market http://bit.ly/2xjY2kx http://bit.ly/2yeHeud http://www.spiremarketresearch.com/ Glaucoma Treatment Drugs Market Research ReportA market study Global Glaucoma Treatment Drugs Market examines the performance of the Glaucoma Treatment Drugs market Size 2017. 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IncPfizer IncGlaucoma Treatment Drugs Market : Application AnalysisHospitalClinicHome CareGlaucoma Treatment Drugs Market : Type AnalysisOral TypeInjection TypeFirstly, the report covers the top Glaucoma Treatment Drugs 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 Electric Mini Washer Market @Further, the Glaucoma Treatment Drugs report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Glaucoma Treatment Drugs industry, Glaucoma Treatment Drugs industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. 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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: Angled Nozzle Air Guns Market Forecast 2017-2022 Coilhose, Aventics, Festo, Guardair, Ningbo Pneumission Angled Nozzle Air Guns http://bit.ly/2wHZw6b http://www.spiremarketresearch.com/global-angled-nozzle-air-guns-market-research-report-2017 http://www.spiremarketresearch.com Angled Nozzle Air Guns Market Research 2017A market study Global Angled Nozzle Air Guns Market examines the performance of the Angled Nozzle Air Guns market 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Angled Nozzle Air Guns market state and the competitive landscape globally. 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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, USAWeb: Hydropower turbine market to witness substantial growth from 2016 to 2023 Global Market Insights https://www.gminsights.com/request-toc/upcoming/257 https://www.gminsights.com/inquiry-before-buying/257 https://www.gminsights.com Hydropower Turbine Market is mainly propelled by the replacement of gas or thermal power stations accompanied by aging coal plants based on renewable energy sources. The industry is anticipated to experience substantial surge due to favorable governmental regulations. Stringent regulatory norms along with overall environmental safety are liable for the increased intense adoption rate of the turbines as an alternative source of energy over the traditional ones. 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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, USAWeb: Fiberglass Cloth Global Market Trends 2017-2022 MINGDA, DuoBao, Tianyu, Adfors Fiberglass Cloth Market http://bit.ly/2xx3Itd http://bit.ly/2xTGcI0 http://www.spiremarketresearch.com/ Fiberglass Cloth Market Research ReportA market study Global Fiberglass Cloth Market examines the performance of the Fiberglass Cloth market Size 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Fiberglass Cloth market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Fiberglass Cloth market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.Get Full Research Report of Electric Fireplaces Market @The Global Fiberglass Cloth Market 2017 report includes Fiberglass Cloth market Size, Revenue, market Share, Fiberglass Cloth industry volume, market Trends, Fiberglass Cloth Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Fiberglass Cloth Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2022.Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Fiberglass Cloth Market 2017:MINGDADuoBaoZhejiang Yuanda FiberglassTianyuChangshu Jiangnan Glass FiberXiangYang Huierjie GlassfibreChuangjia GroupAdforsValmiera GlassStekloplastFiberglass Cloth Market : Application AnalysisIndustrial UseDaily Consumer GoodsFiberglass Cloth Market : Type AnalysisHigh Alkali ClothAlkali ClothAlkali Free ClothFirstly, the report covers the top Fiberglass Cloth manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Request For Sample Report:Further, the Fiberglass Cloth report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Fiberglass Cloth industry, Fiberglass Cloth industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Fiberglass Cloth Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.The Fiberglass Cloth 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 Fiberglass Cloth market revenue worldwide.Finally, Fiberglass Cloth 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: Polymeric MDI Market Forecast 2017-2022 Tosoh, Bayer, Mitsui, Huntsman, WanHua, Dow Polymeric MDI http://bit.ly/2fbr8Ky http://www.spiremarketresearch.com/global-polymeric-mdi-sales-market-report-2017 http://www.spiremarketresearch.com Polymeric MDI Market Research 2017A market study Global Polymeric MDI Market examines the performance of the Polymeric MDI market 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Polymeric MDI market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Polymeric MDI market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.The Global Polymeric MDI Market 2017 report includes Polymeric MDI market Revenue, market Share, Polymeric MDI industry volume, market Trends, Polymeric MDI Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Polymeric MDI Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2022.To Get Sample Report Click Here:Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Polymeric MDI Market 2017 :BayerWanHuaBasfHuntsmanDowTosohKumho MitsuiMitsuiPolymeric MDI Market : By ApplicationBuilding MaterialsHousehold AppliancesAutomotiveCoating and AdhesivePolymeric MDI Market : By TypeBrown LiquidLight Brown LiquidFirstly, the report covers the top Polymeric MDI manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Further, the Polymeric MDI report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Polymeric MDI industry, Polymeric MDI industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Polymeric MDI Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.Browse Full Report Here:The Polymeric MDI 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 Polymeric MDI market revenue worldwide.Finally, Polymeric MDI 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, USAWeb: Smart Electric Meter Global Market Trends 2017-2022 Itron, Siemens AG, Aclara Technologies Smart Electric Meter Market http://bit.ly/2xRSQY3 http://bit.ly/2fckOCw http://www.spiremarketresearch.com/ Smart Electric Meter Market Research ReportA market study Global Smart Electric Meter Market examines the performance of the Smart Electric Meter market Size 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Smart Electric Meter market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Smart Electric Meter market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.Get Full Research Report of Electric Fireplaces Market @The Global Smart Electric Meter Market 2017 report includes Smart Electric Meter market Size, Revenue, market Share, Smart Electric Meter industry volume, market Trends, Smart Electric Meter Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Smart Electric Meter Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2022.Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Smart Electric Meter Market 2017:Toshiba CorporationItronSiemens AGAclara TechnologiesSchneider Electric SESmart Electric Meter Market : Application AnalysisApplication 1Application 2Smart Electric Meter Market : Type AnalysisType IType IIFirstly, the report covers the top Smart Electric Meter manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Request For Sample Report:Further, the Smart Electric Meter report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Smart Electric Meter industry, Smart Electric Meter industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Smart Electric Meter Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.The Smart Electric Meter 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 Smart Electric Meter market revenue worldwide.Finally, Smart Electric Meter 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: IC Packaging Global Market Trends 2017-2022 ASE, Amkor, SPIL, STATS ChipPac IC Packaging Market http://bit.ly/2wAzQ00 http://bit.ly/2fkmUny http://www.spiremarketresearch.com/ IC Packaging Market Research ReportA market study Global IC Packaging Market examines the performance of the IC Packaging market Size 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the IC Packaging market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of IC Packaging market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.Get Full Research Report of Electric Fireplaces Market @The Global IC Packaging Market 2017 report includes IC Packaging market Size, Revenue, market Share, IC Packaging industry volume, market Trends, IC Packaging Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, IC Packaging Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2022.Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global IC Packaging Market 2017:ASEAmkorSPILSTATS ChipPacPowertech TechnologyJ-devicesUTACJECTChipMOSChipbondKYECSTS SemiconductorHuatianCarsemNepesFATCWaltonUnisemNantongFujitsu MicroelectronicsHana MicronSigneticsLINGSENIC Packaging Market : Application AnalysisCISMEMSIC Packaging Market : Type AnalysisType IType IIFirstly, the report covers the top IC Packaging manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Request For Sample Report:Further, the IC Packaging report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of IC Packaging industry, IC Packaging industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. IC Packaging Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.The IC Packaging 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 IC Packaging market revenue worldwide.Finally, IC Packaging 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: Light Vehicle OE Glazing Market Forecast 2017-2022 Soliver, Vitro, Pilkington, Fuyao, Saint-Gobain Light Vehicle OE Glazing http://bit.ly/2hi2CLW http://www.spiremarketresearch.com/global-light-vehicle-oe-glazing-sales-market-report-2017 http://www.spiremarketresearch.com Light Vehicle OE Glazing Market Research 2017A market study Global Light Vehicle OE Glazing Market examines the performance of the Light Vehicle OE Glazing market 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Light Vehicle OE Glazing market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Light Vehicle OE Glazing market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.The Global Light Vehicle OE Glazing Market 2017 report includes Light Vehicle OE Glazing market Revenue, market Share, Light Vehicle OE Glazing industry volume, market Trends, Light Vehicle OE Glazing Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Light Vehicle OE Glazing Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2022.To Get Sample Report Click Here:Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Light Vehicle OE Glazing Market 2017 :AGCNSGSaint-GobainFuyaoCGCPGWVitroXYGSoliverPilkingtonLight Vehicle OE Glazing Market : By ApplicationSedanMPVSUVPickup TruckLight Vehicle OE Glazing Market : By TypeTempered GlassLaminated GlassFirstly, the report covers the top Light Vehicle OE Glazing manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Further, the Light Vehicle OE Glazing report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Light Vehicle OE Glazing industry, Light Vehicle OE Glazing industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Light Vehicle OE Glazing Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.Browse Full Report Here:The Light Vehicle OE Glazing 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 Light Vehicle OE Glazing market revenue worldwide.Finally, Light Vehicle OE Glazing 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, USAWeb: Agricultural Insurance Market Forecast 2017-2022 AnHua, Sunlight, Anxin, GUOYUAN, China United Insurance Agricultural Insurance http://bit.ly/2wI3NGu http://www.spiremarketresearch.com/global-agricultural-insurance-market-size-status-and-forecast-2022 http://www.spiremarketresearch.com Agricultural Insurance Market Research 2017A market study Global Agricultural Insurance Market examines the performance of the Agricultural Insurance market 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Agricultural Insurance market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Agricultural Insurance market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.The Global Agricultural Insurance Market 2017 report includes Agricultural Insurance market Revenue, market Share, Agricultural Insurance industry volume, market Trends, Agricultural Insurance Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Agricultural Insurance Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2022.To Get Sample Report Click Here:Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Agricultural Insurance Market 2017 :AnHua Agricultural InsuranceAnxin Agricultural InsuranceSunlight Agriculture Mutual InsuranceChina Huanong Property & Casualty InsuranceGUOYUAN Agricultural InsuranceChina United InsuranceAgricultural Insurance Market : By ApplicationPersonalEnterpriseAgricultural Insurance Market : By TypeCrop InsuranceAquaculture InsuranceFirstly, the report covers the top Agricultural Insurance manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Further, the Agricultural Insurance report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Agricultural Insurance industry, Agricultural Insurance industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Agricultural Insurance Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.Browse Full Report Here:The Agricultural Insurance 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 Agricultural Insurance market revenue worldwide.Finally, Agricultural Insurance 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, USAWeb: Classified Platform Market to Discern Magnified Growth During 2016 - 2024 https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/10496 https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/toc/10496 http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com In the past, classified ads were part of newspapers which offered advertisers cheap, small type notices arranged under specific categories. The media industry has witnessed switch from print media to digital media and has proven itself quite lucrative for classified platform players. Growing number of sites are providing specialized classified marketplaces online catering to niche categories including products and services such as boats, pianos, pets, and adult services. Classified platforms market includes both business to consumer (B2C) and consumer to consumer (C2C) categories. Despite of several advancements in the online classified platforms, the market is currently at a nascent stage due to large of consumers spending time on the print media; however, with increasing internet subscribers and growing number of subscribers on social media, the market for online classified platform is expected to hold promising revenue opportunity during the forecast period.Online advertising of a particular product or service through classified platforms enables consumer to explore and compare a particular product or service in a better way than print advertising. Few of the classified platforms also provides 360 degree view of products which enables consumers to better understand the dimension and esthetics of a product, thereby enhancing consumers experience. Moreover, with the proliferation of business applications on mobile platforms, classified ads platforms is providing greater opportunity to both buyers and sellers in terms of saving time and cost.A sample of this report is available upon request @As classified advertisement platforms do not charge for posting an advertisement, few of the classified platform websites displays clutter of information and lack of genuine content. This is acting as a challenge for classified platforms market. Leading players in this market need to focus on building intelligent processes in order to have genuine content without comprising scale of their business.Segmentation of Classified Platform market on the basis of ad models:Horizontal Model:This model offers a wide range of categories such as mobiles, electronics & accessories, cars, bikes, furniture, pets, books, fashion, jobs, real estate, and home services. Although, horizontal players are capable enough to drive large audience base on their platforms, they often lack specialized product offering.Vertical Model:Vertical model focuses on single categories such as cars and real estate. Usually these kind of business models charge consumers to for listing their products on the platforms. Vertical model comprises advertisements of all the entities in the ecosystem of a particular industry.Classified Platforms Market: Key DealsOn January 2016, Quikr acquired online real estate portal Commonfloor.com for US$ 200 millionOn December 2015, OLX, Inc. raised US$ 13.5 million in series B round of fundingCountries in Europe region such as France and Norway are witnessing increasing popularity for horizontal classified model. Most of the consumer in the Europe are using classified platforms for searching second hand merchandise across a range of categories. Countries such as U.K and Germany have witnessed increased popularity for online classified with vertical business models.In the North America and Latin America regions, the market of online classified is yet to go as a mainstream business. Few of the enterprises in the countries such as the U.S. and Brazil, prefer advertising their product or service on print media as against online digital media.To view TOC of this report is available upon request @Although overall e-commerce market in Asia-Pacific region is booming, online classified platform market is witnessing moderate growth. In countries such as China and India, the online classified ad penetration is low, primarily due to presence of this platforms in only tier 1 and tier 2 cities.Craigslist Inc., Finn.no, Gumtree (ebay), Quikr India Private Limited (Commonfloor.com), OLX, Inc., Rightmove plc, Backpage.com are some of the key player of global classified platform market.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: Prophylactic Hepatitis B Virus Vaccines Market Profits Estimated to be Generated by 2024 https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/10571 https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/toc/10571 http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is disease related to the liver. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection results in deaths due to liver cancer and liver failure. The hepatitis B vaccine is available for all age groups to prevent HBV infection. The disease is caused due to transmission of Hepatitis B virus (HBV) through contact with body fluids, blood and semen of an infected person. Hepatitis B disease can cause acute and later may turn to chronic disease if not treated at early stage. In 2015, WHO estimated that 240 Mn people are infected with chronic hepatitis B virus. Every year more than 780,000 deaths occur due to complexity of hepatitis B viral infection. This infection caused by chronic hepatitis B virus develops fulminant hepatitis B (autoimmune disorder), liver cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma (liver cancer), liver failure which can be treated by a liver transplant. The Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) provides direction and support to prevent transmission through vaccination. However, there is a significant decrease in incidence of hepatitis B virus infection after introduction of hepatitis B vaccine.A sample of this report is available upon request @The prophylactic hepatitis B virus vaccines market is expected to grow remarkably during the forecast period due to increasing prevalence and incidence of hepatitis B infection, increasing public awareness (Patient Education Programs), government initiatives for promotion and creating awareness about prophylactic hepatitis B vaccines. However, factors such as side effects of the vaccine, high costs incurred during research and development and macro-economic factors like stringent regulations can affect the market adversely.The global prophylactic hepatitis b virus vaccines market is classified on the basis of end use and geography.Based on end use, the global prophylactic hepatitis B virus vaccines market is divided into following:HospitalsClinicsEver since 1982, vaccines were available for prevention of hepatitis B viral infections and currently more than 1 Bn doses of HBV vaccines have been distributed worldwide. The WHO recommends that all infants should receive the hepatitis B vaccine within 24 hours of birth. Thus, increase in the population base in APAC is expected to contribute significantly to the growth of global prophylactic hepatitis B virus vaccines market.Geographically, the global prophylactic hepatitis b virus vaccines market is segmented into five key regions: North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Middle East & Africa. North America dominates the global prophylactic hepatitis B virus vaccines market followed by APAC and Europe. According to WHO, globally more than 240 Mn people suffer from chronic hepatitis B viral infection and about 780,000 people die every year due to consequences related with HBV infection. Of these majority of people belong to developing nations of APAC, Latin America and Africa. The prevalence is considerably low in countries with high level of living standards such as the U.S., Canada, U.K., France, Germany, Italy and Spain.To view TOC of this report is available upon request @Some of the major players operating in the market for prophylactic hepatitis B virus vaccines are Merck & Co, Inc., Sanofi Pasteur, Novartis AG, Pfizer Inc., GlaxoSmithKline to name a few. Vaccine market is an oligopolistic market in which the major players such as GlaxoSmithKline, Merck & Co, Inc. and Sanofi Pasteur are using cost leadership and differentiating strategy. The strategy of the major companies in the global prophylactic hepatitis B virus vaccines market is to cut down the prices owing to the increased demand.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: Casey Anthony New Update news Casey Anthony / New Update News By Kris Kourtis A crime that shook a nation. Casey Anthony was the most hated mother in America. She was accused of killing her little daughter. All phorensic evidence pointed to Casey Anthony. And after all the lies Casey said about her nanny abducting her daughter when she did not even have a nanny. She kept on lying to the police over and over again. And the jury dismissed that. They found blood and dogs smelled a rotting corpse in Casey's car. Even evidence on her laptop on how to make chloroform. After Casey was arested until they could find the body of this beautiful toddler, her mother talked to Casey on the phone and told her they found her daughter's remains and Casey's reply was " Surprise.. Surprise". The entire case is public. When the judge read what the jury had written the public was outraged. The verdict was.... Not Guilty. People want to know how this sociopath Casey Anthony got away with murder. In 2017 Casey did an interview, and interview not once did she talk about her dead infant. All she talked about her lavish life. She is also close friends with the private investigator that covered the OJ Simpson trial, when also OJ was found not guilty. Casey Anthony now still resides in Florida in a nice home with a good job. Her parents want nothing to do with her. She did not have money to pay her lawyer during the trial and many eye witnesses claimed she paid him with unlimited sex. Her lawyer made her look like an innocent Christian girl. People are not stupid not are the prosecutors or police. They all know she is guilty. But that jury was brainwashed by Casey's lawyer. Even Nancy Grace was extremely outraged. After they found Casey not Guilty, Nancy Grace said "The Devil is dancing tonight". If America would sign petitions to reopen the case then I am certain that Casey would be reinvestigated and she would be found guilty of first degree murder and she would get the death penalty. In the state of Florida if your are charged with first degree premeditated murder you get the death penalty. I think the jury knew she was guilty but they were too week to sentence her to death. Now Casey Anthony is still living in Florida partying all the time and has completely forgotten about her daughter. Her net worth now is $800 millions. Only time will tell if the case will be reopened. The OJ Simpson case now may be reopened because they figured up a cover up. New evidence tells us that it was OJ's son who killed OJ's wife Nicole and her lover. Science is always evolving. In the 80s we did not have DNA. Now we do. In 50 years or so it's going to change they might discover something better than DNA. Kris Kourtis KKN / The Kris Kourtis Network Beverly hills, California, USA St 23 90210 This release was published on openPR. Permanent link to this press release: Copy Please set a link in the press area of your homepage to this press release on openPR. openPR disclaims liability for any content contained in this release. Pressure Sensitive Adhesives Market : Key Growth Factors and Industry Analysis 2020 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/psa-market.html http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=1448 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/report-toc/1448 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/checkout.php?rep_id=1448 1500 cfm segment with an estimated 4.4% CAGR over 2016-2024.Request and Download Sample Report@Considering material type, cast iron segment will continue dominance with over 60% value share, reaching a value of US$ 1,718.2 Mn in 2024. This segment will also demonstrate the fastest CAGR of 5.3% over the forecast period. Stainless steel segment will also grow moderately at 5%, attaining a value worth US$ 876 Mn in 2024.Based on the end-use industry, oil and gas sector will retain dominance over others, with over US$ 931 Mn by the end of 2024 in terms of revenues. Chemical processing and general process industries will continue to maintain the second and third largest segments respectively. Among these, general process industries will display a higher CAGR of 5.8% over 2016-2024, bagging the revenues of over US$ 511 Mn. Paper and pulp, and power segments are expected to grow steadily throughout the assessment period.Dekker Vacuum Technologies Inc., Busch Vacuum Technics Inc., Flowserve Corporation, Tsurumi Manufacturing Co., Ltd., Atlas Copco Airpower N.V., Gardner Denver Nash LLC, Tuthill Vacuum & Blower Systems, and Graham Corp. are some of the key players that constitute the competitive landscape of the global liquid ring vacuum pumps marketplace. Persistence Market Researchs report includes in-depth profiling of key companies.Buy Full Liquid Ring Vacuum Pumps Market ReportAbout 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: Chemical Sensors Market: Oil & Gas Industry To Lead To Most Promising Growth Opportunities https://www.alltakemarketresearch.com/enquiry/request_sample/10596 https://www.alltakemarketresearch.com/report-detail/Chemical-Sensors-Market Chemical Sensors 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 Chemical Sensors 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 Chemical Sensors in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringUnited StatesEUChinaJapanSouth KoreaTaiwanRequest For Free Sample Of The Report @Global Chemical Sensors market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players includingABB3MEmerson ElectricDelphi AutomotiveDelphian?CorporationNGK SPARK PLUGHoneywellSiemens AGXylem IncThermo Fisher ScientificTeledyne Technologies IncorporatedIndustrial ScientificNemotoDENSO Auto PartsIntelligent Optical SystemsInternational SensorMine Safety Appliances CompanyBoschOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoElectrochemical SensorsOptical SensorsSemiconductor SensorsPellistor/Catalytic Bead SensorsOn 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 Chemical Sensors for each application, includingMiningMedicalAgricultureEnvironmental MonitoringOthersObtain 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 Argan Oil Market Expert Reviews & Analysis 2017 Along With Study Reports to 2022 Argan Oil Market https://www.qyresearchgroups.com/request-sample/522433 https://www.qyresearchgroups.com/report/global-argan-oil-market-research-report-2017-d-72 https://www.qyresearchgroups.com/check-discount/522433 https://www.qyresearchgroups.com/send-an-enquiry/522433 The Global Argan Oil Market Research Report 2017 renders deep perception of the key regional market status of the Argan Oil Industry on a Global level that primarily aims the core regions which comprises of continents like Europe, North America, and Asia and the key countries such as United States, Germany, China and Japan.For Request a Sample Click @The report on Global Argan Oil Market is a professional report which provides thorough knowledge along with complete information pertaining to the Argan Oil industry propos classifications, definitions, applications, industry chain summary, industry policies in addition to plans, product specifications, manufacturing processes, cost structures, etc.Scope of Report:The report cloaks the market analysis and projection of Argan Oil Market on a regional as well as Global level. The report constitutes qualitative and quantitative valuation by industry analysts, first-hand data, assistance from industry experts along with their most recent verbatim and each industry manufacturers via the market value chain.The research experts have additionally assessed the in general sales and revenue generation of this particular market. In addition, this report also delivers widespread analysis of root market trends, several governing elements and macro-economic indicators, coupled with market improvements as per every segment. Furthermore, the report contains diverse profiles of primary market players of Argan Oil Market.Read a Full Report of Argan Oil Market Research -@Global Argan Oil market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players including OLVEA Morocco Zineglobe Biopur Nadifi Argan Argania ARGANisme Cosmetics Brenntag Specialities Aura Cacia Sidi Yassine OLVEA Group Argan Oils Simply Agadir Argan Export Company Purus Melvita Babybliss Pro John MastersOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split into Cosmetic Argan Oil Culinary Argan Oil OtherOn the basis on the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, consumption (sales), market share and growth rate of Argan Oil for each application, including Cosmetics Food Medical OtherThe report is generically segmented into six parts and every part aims on the overview of the Argan Oil industry, present condition of the market, feasibleness of the investment along with several strategies and policies.Apart from the definition and classification, the report also discusses the analysis of import and export and describes a comparison of the market that is focused on the trends and development. Along with entire framework in addition to in-depth details, one can prepare and stay ahead of the competitors across the targeted locations.Ask for Discount @The fact that this market report renders details about the major market players along with their product development and current trends proves to be very beneficial for fresh entrants to comprehend and recognize the industry in an improved manner.The report also enlightens the productions, sales, supply, market condition, demand, growth, and forecast of the Argan Oil industry in the Global markets.Some points from TOC:-Global Argan Oil Market Research Report 20171 Argan Oil Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Argan Oil1.2 Argan Oil Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global Argan Oil Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category)(2012-2022)1.2.2 Global Argan Oil Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20161.2.3 Cosmetic Argan Oil1.2.4 Culinary Argan Oil1.2.5 Other1.3 Global Argan Oil Segment by Application1.3.1 Argan Oil Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2012-2022)1.3.2 Cosmetics1.3.3 Food1.3.4 Medical1.3.5 Other1.4 Global Argan Oil Market by Region (2012-2022)1.4.1 Global Argan Oil 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 Argan Oil (2012-2022)1.5.1 Global Argan Oil Revenue Status and Outlook (2012-2022)1.5.2 Global Argan Oil Capacity, Production Status and Outlook (2012-2022)2 Global Argan Oil Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1 Global Argan Oil Capacity, Production and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.1 Global Argan Oil Capacity and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.2 Global Argan Oil Production and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.2 Global Argan Oil Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.3 Global Argan Oil Average Price by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.4 Manufacturers Argan Oil Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area and Product Type2.5 Argan Oil Market Competitive Situation and Trends2.5.1 Argan Oil Market Concentration Rate2.5.2 Argan Oil Market Share of Top 3 and Top 5 Manufacturers2.5.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, ExpansionEnquiry before Buying @About Us:QY Research Groups is a company that simplifies how analysts and decision makers get industry data for their business. Our unique colossal technology has been developed to offer refined search capabilities designed to exploit the long tail of free market research whilst eliminating irrelevant results. QY Research Groups is the collection of market intelligence products and services on the Web. We offer reports and update our collection daily to provide you with instant online access to the worlds most complete and current database of expert insights on Global industries, companies, products, and trends.Contact us:Jia Wang, Room B1510, ShijiKemao Building, No.66,Zhongguancun East Road,Haidian District, Beijing, 100190,China1-888-236-2744 Market Research on Anthopogon Oil Market 2016 and Analysis to 2024 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=T&rep_id=19103 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=19103 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com Anthopogon is an aromatic medicinal herb whose stems and leaves are broadly use in Tibetian herbalism. Its botanical name is Rhododendron anthopogon whereas commonly known as sonpati. Anthopogon is sweet, bitter and strigent to taste and release heat. Though it is found in North American and European region but is native to the Himalaya ranging from East Asia to Western China. It blossoms at the hillsides of Bhutan to mid Nepal, harvested in wild and is known for its medicinal and cosmetic beneficiaries. All parts of this shrub is vital to use; flowers and leaves are used as a tea to cure digestive system. Its Oil is extracted by steam distillation of aerial part of anthopogon shrub which is further used in perfumery, cosmetics, soaps, bath oils, shampoos, creams and many others usage. More than 80% of anthopogon oil is exported to Europe and North America. The global anthopogon oil market is anticipated to expand with an impressive CAGR over the forecast period.View TOC for this Market Report @Global Anthopogon Oil Market: Drivers & RestraintsThe rising demand of aromatherapy coupled with growing applications for fragrance and flavors in food and beverages, medicinal usage and personal care is encountered as the major factors that drive the market of anthopogon oil. Unlike most conventional drugs and medicines, naturally extracted oil, anthopogon carry no detrimental side effects therefore consumers reliability increases towards natural product, increasing demand for natural care product line and pleasant scented fragrances in cosmetic, spa, perfumes and relaxation application rises demand and expectations worldwide. Rapid industrial growth and increasing disposable income of consumers are also fueling the market of anthopogon oil worldwide.Although demand and necessity of anthopogon oil in the essential oil market can be seen broadly, but the major factor which hamper the market particularly for anthopogon oil is the rising concern of shortage in resource cultivation, as an excessive amount of plant material is required to prepare single ounce of oil. Similarly, many other challenges such as expensive production process, high capital investment and government certification for trading the herbs are some factors that hinder the market growth.Global Anthopogon Oil Market: Regional OutlookBased on the geographies, anthopogon oil market is segmented into seven regions - North America anthopogon oil market, Latin America anthopogon oil market, Eastern Europe anthopogeon oil market, Western Europe anthopogeon oil market, Asia Pacific excluding Japan anthopogon oil market, Japan anthopogon oil market and the Middle East & Africa anthopogon oil market. Owing to rising awareness and growing demand for medicines, natural cosmetics and beauty products among youth and vast geriatric population of countries such as France, Germany, UK, Spain and Italy made Eastern and Western Europe dominating region in the market of anthopogon oil.High disposable income, governmental subsidies and tax benefits encourage production and application of anthopogon oil accelerates its market in North America region. Asia Pacific excluding Japan is an emerging region because of the rapid industrial and disposable income growth in the developing countries such as India, Chian, Vietnam and Thailand, this growth is fueling the market of anthopogon oil including other essential oil.For more information on this report, fill the form @Global Anthopogon Oil Market: Key PlayersSome of the market players accounting on anthopogon oil market includes Sydney Essential Oils, Farotti Essenze, Biolandes, The Lebermuth Company, HRF, doTerra, Essential Oils, Young Living Essential Oils, , Sydella Laboratoire, Moksha Lifestyle Products, Falcon and Ungerer Limited among others.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Contact UsTransparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite: Global High Grade Aluminum Chloride Market Trends, Regulations And Competitive Landscape Outlook to 2024 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=T&rep_id=19127 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=19127 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com High grade Aluminum chloride is a compound which is white in color and often gets contaminated with iron trichloride which gives aluminum chloride a yellow tinge. High grade aluminum chloride has a low melting point and boiling point and it is mainly produced and consumed in the production of aluminum metal. The compound is significantly used in other areas of the chemical industry. Solvay process is the key manufacturing process of ammonium chloride. High grade aluminum chlorides are mainly employed in the purification process of water and other applications such as paper size, drilling exploration, drugs, sugar refining, cosmetics additives, daily chemicals industry. Apart from this, high grade ammonium chloride is also used in etching in the manufacture of printed circuits, as a fire extinguisher, an explosive, and as a curing agent in formaldehyde based adhesives.View TOC for this Market Report @The global high grade ammonium chloride market is growing owing to the rapidly growing pharmaceutical and consumer good sectors. Increasing demand for solar cells and electromagnetic components is directly proportional to the requirement for aluminum chloride as the latter is used as a raw material in their production. Rising health concerns are also boosting the growth of high grade ammonium chloride due to its use in water purification and treatment. In the pharmaceutical industry, high grade aluminum chloride finds application in the treatment of hyperhidrosis. However, stringent regulatory requirements in healthcare industry and the low nitrogen content in ammonium chloride in comparison to ammonia nitrate or urea is expected to hinder the growth of the global market to some extent.In terms of application, the global high grade aluminum chloride market can be segmented into biology & agriculture, textile and leather, metal work and other categories. In biological applications, ammonium chloride acts as a nitrogen source and is used in fertilisers, as a feed supplement for cattle and as an ingredient in nutritive media for yeast micro biological organisms. Ammonium chloride is used in the textile and leather industry in dyeing, tanning textile printing and to luster cotton. Ammonium chloride is used as a flux in preparing metals to be tin coated, galvanized or soldered. It is used as a electrolyte in Zinc carbon batteries. Other applications include in hair shampoo, in the glue that bonds plywood in cleaning products.Globally, high grade aluminum chloride has exhibited a decent growth in 2015 and is anticipated to follow the same trend in the next few years. Asia Pacific is a major market for high grade aluminum chloride which has been rapidly progressing due to increasing manufacturing activities in the consumer goods sector, the burgeoning pharmaceutical industry in China and India, and their subsequent exports of the product. The advancing food processing industry in South Asian countries such as Indonesia, Myanmar, and Taiwan are important drivers as well.For more information on this report, fill the form @North America, especially the U.S., holds the second leading position for high grade aluminum chloride owing to the presence of a well-organized pharmaceutical market and international drug manufacturers in the region. In Europe, demand for high grade aluminum chloride is increasing, while Middle East & Africa and Latin America are likely to experience a positive growth in the near future.The key manufactures of high grade aluminum chloride include BASF SE, Tan International Ltd, Dallas Group of America Inc., Jiangsu Debang Chemical Industry Co.Ltd, Central Glass Co., Ltd CNSG Anhui Hong Sifang Co., Ltd and others.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Contact UsTransparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite: Urinary Catheters Market to Exceed A Value of US$ 1,755.0 by the end of 2021 https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/urinary-catheters-market/toc https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/3268 https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/checkout/3268 http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com The global catheter market was valued at around US$ 25,895.6Mn 2014. The urinary catheter market accounted for 5.1% of global catheter market in 2014 and was valued at US$ 1,326.0 million. Revenue contribution by urinary catheter market to the global catheter market is expected to increase to US$ 1,755.0 by the end of 2021, expanding at a CAGR of 4.1% between 2015 and 2021. The increasing prevalence of chronic diseases and growing ageing population are factors expected to positively affect the growth of the urinary catheter market across the globe.Request to view table of content @Presently, the urinary catheter market is mainly driven by factors such as growing ageing population, favorable reimbursement policies and increasing demand for advanced urinary catheters. However, factors such as growing incidence of urinary tract infections and the threat from substitutes are expected to hamper market growth. The urinary catheter market is segmented on the basis of product type and application.A sample of this report is available upon request @By region, North America dominated the market with over 30% market share and is expected to remain dominant throughout the forecast period. The urinary catheter market in Asia and Latin America are expected to expand at a CAGRs of 4.7% and 4.6% respectively during the forecast period.Key players covered in this report include B. Braun Melsungen AG, Coloplast A/S., CR Bard Inc., Teleflex Incorporation, Boston Scientific Corporation, Covidien Plc, Hollister Incorporated, and Cook Medical.Buy Urinary Catheters Market Report@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: Military Avionic Systems Market Shares, Strategies and Forecast Worldwide, 2016 to 2024 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=T&rep_id=19145 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=19145 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com The avionic systems used on an aircraft consists of electronic systems that includes navigation systems, communication systems, display systems and management systems among others. Avionic systems are mounted on commercial as well as military aircrafts with almost same systems but the military avionic systems consists of vast array of sensors. These sensors are used to eye on the enemies weapons and deliver weapons during an operation. The military avionic systems plays a crucial role in performing combat operations as these avionic systems offers accurate communication facilities, navigation facilities and surveillance facilities.The growing need for avionic systems in defense and military systems is due to the high demand for synthetic vision system. The synthetic vision system offers exceptional situational awareness to the pilot by using various databases such as geo political, obstacle hydrological and terrain. The synthetic vision system also employs an image generator mechanism, and a display. The avionic systems incorporated with synthetic vision systems uses GPS and inertial reference system to provide navigation solutions.View TOC for this Market Report @The synthetic vision systems in avionic systems is poised to fuel the market for military aviation systems. In addition, the security threats have grown across the globe, and due to this the demand for combat aircrafts with enhanced technologies including robust avionic systems is growing at an exceptional rate. Moreover, the military avionic systems caters the purpose of surveillance, mapping as well as reconnaissance. These factors are boosting the military avionic systems market over the years.Increase in cost of raw materials needed to manufacturer the sensors or the avionic system is increasing the cost of the final product and this is hindering the market for military avionic systems. Moreover, complexities such as malfunction of certain sensors or display or GPS system hampers the avionic systems of the aircraft, which in turn limits the military avionic systems market. In addition, the complex technologies integrated into the avionic systems makes it difficult for the maintenance repair and overhaul personnel to maintain it over the time. The manufacturers needs to design and develop the avionic systems that can be substituted over the years if required. The maintenance, repair and overhaul factor is restraining the market for military avionic systems. In addition, due to budgetary constraints, few countries favour in upgrading their existing aircraft fleets rather than purchasing of expensive systems in order to completely acquire new platforms. The up gradation of existing aircrafts is acting as an inhibiting factor to the market for military avionic systems.Rise in use of avionic systems in the military unmanned aerial vehicles, increases the use of military avionic systems. The technological advancement in the avionics systems will result in rapid increase in use of military unmanned aerial vehicles which will help the market for military avionic systems to escalate at a faster rate. Another opportunity for the manufacturers of military avionic systems is to replace the old analog systems with latest technology avionic systems.The military avionic systems market can be segmented by aircrafttypes, by application and geography. By aircraft types, the military avionic systems market is bifurcated as combat aircraft, transport aircraft, rotorcraft, and others. Based on application, the military aviation systems market is further sub segmented by flight control systems, by communication and navigation systems and by monitoring systems. Geographically, the market for military avionic system is categorized as North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa and Latin America.For more information on this report, fill the form @The key manufacturers of the military avionic systems includes Honeywell Aerospace Inc. (U.S.), Thales Group (France),BAE Systems (U.K), Lockheed Martin Corporation (U.S.), Rockwell Collins (U.S.), Raytheon Company (U.S.), Northrop Grumman Corporation (U.S.), Harris Corporation (U.S.), Saab AB (Sweden), Embraer SA (Brazil)The report has been compiled through extensive primary research (through interviews, surveys, and observations of seasoned analysts) and secondary research (which entails reputable paid sources, trade journals, and industry body databases). The report also features a complete qualitative and quantitative assessment by analyzing data gathered from industry analysts and market participants across key points in the industrys value chain.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Contact UsTransparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite: Auto Tyre Market-Future Demand, Market Analysis & Outlook 2017-2022 Auto Tyre Market https://www.qyresearchgroups.com/request-sample/522434 https://www.qyresearchgroups.com/report/global-auto-tyre-market-research-report-2017-d-73 https://www.qyresearchgroups.com/check-discount/522434 https://www.qyresearchgroups.com/send-an-enquiry/522434 The Global Auto Tyre Market Research Report 2017 renders deep perception of the key regional market status of the Auto Tyre Industry on a Global level that primarily aims the core regions which comprises of continents like Europe, North America, and Asia and the key countries such as United States, Germany, China and Japan.For Request a Sample Click @The report on Global Auto Tyre Market is a professional report which provides thorough knowledge along with complete information pertaining to the Auto Tyre industry propos classifications, definitions, applications, industry chain summary, industry policies in addition to plans, product specifications, manufacturing processes, cost structures, etc.Scope of Report:The report cloaks the market analysis and projection of Auto Tyre Market on a regional as well as Global level. The report constitutes qualitative and quantitative valuation by industry analysts, first-hand data, assistance from industry experts along with their most recent verbatim and each industry manufacturers via the market value chain.The research experts have additionally assessed the in general sales and revenue generation of this particular market. In addition, this report also delivers widespread analysis of root market trends, several governing elements and macro-economic indicators, coupled with market improvements as per every segment. Furthermore, the report contains diverse profiles of primary market players of Auto Tyre Market.Read a Full Report of Auto Tyre Market Research -@Global Auto Tyre market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players including Bridgestone Michelin Dunlop Goodyear Continental Pirelli Hankook Sumitomo Yokohama Maxxis Zhongce GITI Tire Cooper Tire Kumho Tire Toyo Tire MRF Apollo Tyres Triangle Group Nexen Tire Titan Balkrishna Mitas Eurotire Hengfeng Rubber Nokian Tyres Shandong Linglong Double Coin Jinyu Tyre JK TyreOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split into Radial Tyre Biased TyreOn 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 Auto Tyre for each application, including Commercial Auto Passenger AutoThe report is generically segmented into six parts and every part aims on the overview of the Auto Tyre industry, present condition of the market, feasibleness of the investment along with several strategies and policies.Apart from the definition and classification, the report also discusses the analysis of import and export and describes a comparison of the market that is focused on the trends and development. Along with entire framework in addition to in-depth details, one can prepare and stay ahead of the competitors across the targeted locations.Ask for Discount @The fact that this market report renders details about the major market players along with their product development and current trends proves to be very beneficial for fresh entrants to comprehend and recognize the industry in an improved manner.The report also enlightens the productions, sales, supply, market condition, demand, growth, and forecast of the Auto Tyre industry in the Global markets.Some points from TOC:-Global Auto Tyre Market Research Report 20171 Auto Tyre Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Auto Tyre1.2 Auto Tyre Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global Auto Tyre Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category)(2012-2022)1.2.2 Global Auto Tyre Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20161.2.3 Radial Tyre1.2.4 Biased Tyre1.3 Global Auto Tyre Segment by Application1.3.1 Auto Tyre Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2012-2022)1.3.2 Commercial Auto1.3.3 Passenger Auto1.4 Global Auto Tyre Market by Region (2012-2022)1.4.1 Global Auto Tyre Market Size (Value) and CAGR (%) Comparison by Region (2012-2022)1.4.2 United States Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.3 EU 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 South Korea Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.7 India Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5 Global Market Size (Value) of Auto Tyre (2012-2022)1.5.1 Global Auto Tyre Revenue Status and Outlook (2012-2022)1.5.2 Global Auto Tyre Capacity, Production Status and Outlook (2012-2022)2 Global Auto Tyre Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1 Global Auto Tyre Capacity, Production and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.1 Global Auto Tyre Capacity and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.2 Global Auto Tyre Production and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.2 Global Auto Tyre Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.3 Global Auto Tyre Average Price by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.4 Manufacturers Auto Tyre Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area and Product Type2.5 Auto Tyre Market Competitive Situation and Trends2.5.1 Auto Tyre Market Concentration Rate2.5.2 Auto Tyre Market Share of Top 3 and Top 5 Manufacturers2.5.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, ExpansionEnquiry before Buying @About Us:QY Research Groups is a company that simplifies how analysts and decision makers get industry data for their business. Our unique colossal technology has been developed to offer refined search capabilities designed to exploit the long tail of free market research whilst eliminating irrelevant results. QY Research Groups is the collection of market intelligence products and services on the Web. We offer reports and update our collection daily to provide you with instant online access to the worlds most complete and current database of expert insights on Global industries, companies, products, and trends.Contact us:Jia Wang, Room B1510, ShijiKemao Building, No.66,Zhongguancun East Road,Haidian District, Beijing, 100190,China1-888-236-2744 Automotive NFC Market Overview Key Futuristic Trends and Opportunities 2022 Automotive NFC Market https://www.qyresearchgroups.com/request-sample/522438 https://www.qyresearchgroups.com/report/global-automotive-nfc-market-research-report-2017-d-77 https://www.qyresearchgroups.com/check-discount/522438 https://www.qyresearchgroups.com/send-an-enquiry/522438 The Global Automotive NFC Market Research Report 2017 renders deep perception of the key regional market status of the Automotive NFC Industry on a Global level that primarily aims the core regions which comprises of continents like Europe, North America, and Asia and the key countries such as United States, Germany, China and Japan.For Request a Sample Click @The report on Global Automotive NFC Market is a professional report which provides thorough knowledge along with complete information pertaining to the Automotive NFC industry propos classifications, definitions, applications, industry chain summary, industry policies in addition to plans, product specifications, manufacturing processes, cost structures, etc.Scope of Report:The report cloaks the market analysis and projection of Automotive NFC Market on a regional as well as Global level. The report constitutes qualitative and quantitative valuation by industry analysts, first-hand data, assistance from industry experts along with their most recent verbatim and each industry manufacturers via the market value chain.The research experts have additionally assessed the in general sales and revenue generation of this particular market. In addition, this report also delivers widespread analysis of root market trends, several governing elements and macro-economic indicators, coupled with market improvements as per every segment. Furthermore, the report contains diverse profiles of primary market players of Automotive NFC Market.Read a Full Report of Automotive NFC Market Research -@Global Automotive NFC market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players including Sony FeliCa NXP Broadcom STMicroelectronics Samsung PolaricOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split into 106 Kbit/s 212 Kbit/s 424 Kbit/sOn 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 Automotive NFC for each application, including On Board Units Car Keys OtherThe report is generically segmented into six parts and every part aims on the overview of the Automotive NFC industry, present condition of the market, feasibleness of the investment along with several strategies and policies.Apart from the definition and classification, the report also discusses the analysis of import and export and describes a comparison of the market that is focused on the trends and development. Along with entire framework in addition to in-depth details, one can prepare and stay ahead of the competitors across the targeted locations.Ask for Discount @The fact that this market report renders details about the major market players along with their product development and current trends proves to be very beneficial for fresh entrants to comprehend and recognize the industry in an improved manner. The report also enlightens the productions, sales, supply, market condition, demand, growth, and forecast of the Automotive NFC industry in the Global markets.Some points from TOC:-Global Automotive NFC Market Research Report 20171 Automotive NFC Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Automotive NFC1.2 Automotive NFC Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global Automotive NFC Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category)(2012-2022)1.2.2 Global Automotive NFC Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20161.2.3 106 Kbit/s1.2.4 212 Kbit/s1.2.5 424 Kbit/s1.3 Global Automotive NFC Segment by Application1.3.1 Automotive NFC Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2012-2022)1.3.2 On Board Units1.3.3 Car Keys1.3.4 Other1.4 Global Automotive NFC Market by Region (2012-2022)1.4.1 Global Automotive NFC Market Size (Value) and CAGR (%) Comparison by Region (2012-2022)1.4.2 United States Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.3 EU 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 South Korea Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.7 Taiwan Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5 Global Market Size (Value) of Automotive NFC (2012-2022)1.5.1 Global Automotive NFC Revenue Status and Outlook (2012-2022)1.5.2 Global Automotive NFC Capacity, Production Status and Outlook (2012-2022)2 Global Automotive NFC Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1 Global Automotive NFC Capacity, Production and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.1 Global Automotive NFC Capacity and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.2 Global Automotive NFC Production and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.2 Global Automotive NFC Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.3 Global Automotive NFC Average Price by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.4 Manufacturers Automotive NFC Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area and Product Type2.5 Automotive NFC Market Competitive Situation and Trends2.5.1 Automotive NFC Market Concentration Rate2.5.2 Automotive NFC Market Share of Top 3 and Top 5 Manufacturers2.5.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, ExpansionEnquiry before Buying @About Us:QY Research Groups is a company that simplifies how analysts and decision makers get industry data for their business. Our unique colossal technology has been developed to offer refined search capabilities designed to exploit the long tail of free market research whilst eliminating irrelevant results. QY Research Groups is the collection of market intelligence products and services on the Web. We offer reports and update our collection daily to provide you with instant online access to the worlds most complete and current database of expert insights on Global industries, companies, products, and trends.Contact us:Jia Wang, Room B1510, ShijiKemao Building, No.66,Zhongguancun East Road,Haidian District, Beijing, 100190,China1-888-236-2744 Market Survey Details Developments in the Warehouse Management System Market Forecast To 2025 with Top Key Players, Supply, Import, Export, Manufacturing Process ReportsWeb http://www.reportsweb.com/inquiry&RW00011062366/sample http://www.reportsweb.com/warehouse-management-system-market Warehouse management system (WMS) is a software application that helps to support day to day operations within a warehouse. It is used to control and track down the movement of materials in a warehouse. WMS is designed in such a way that it helps to automate the supply chain and increases the productivity of entire warehouses.Increasing awareness of WMS among SME's and growing demand for on-cloud WMS are some of the major drivers for the growth in the market. But there are some restraining factors such as it requires an expert to configure the system for maximum benefits. . Future technologies like Pick-by-Vision and Electronic Data Exchange will soon be implemented to ensure smooth operations in the warehousing and logistics sector in the coming years.Request Sample Copy is Available atThe "Global Warehouse Management System Market Analysis to 2025" is a specialized and in-depth study of the warehouse management system industry with a focus on the global market trend. The report aims to provide an overview of global warehouse management system market with detailed market segmentation by component, implementation, tier type, industry and geography. The global warehouse management system market is expected to witness high growth during the forecast period. The report provides key statistics on the market status of the leading market players and offers key trends and opportunities in the market.The report provides a detailed overview of the industry including both qualitative and quantitative information. It provides overview and forecast of the global warehouse management system market based on component, implementation, tier type and industry. It also provides market size and forecast till 2025 for overall warehouse management system market with respect to five major regions, namely; North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific (APAC), Middle East and Africa (MEA) and South America (SAM). The market by each region is later sub-segmented by respective countries and segments. The report covers analysis and forecast of 15 counties globally along with current trend and opportunities prevailing in the region.Besides this, the report analyzes factors affecting market from both demand and supply side and further evaluates market dynamics effecting the market during the forecast period i.e., drivers, restraints, opportunities, and future trend. The report also provides exhaustive PEST analysis for all five regions namely; North America, Europe, APAC, MEA and South America after evaluating political, economic, social and technological factors effecting the market in these regions.Also, key warehouse management system market players influencing the market are profiled in the study along with their SWOT analysis and market strategies. The report also focuses on leading industry players with information such as company profiles, products and services offered, financial information of last 3 years, key development in past five years. Some of the key players influencing the market are Epicor Software Corp., JDA Software Group, Inc., Manhattan Associates, Inc., Oracle Corp., SAP SE, IBM Corp., Infor, Inc., PSI AG, PTC Inc. and Tecsys IncComplete Report is Available atGlobal Warehouse Management System Market Players:Epicor Software Corp.JDA Software Group, Inc.Manhattan Associates, Inc.Oracle Corp.SAP SEIBM Corp.Infor, Inc.PSI AGPTC Inc.Tecsys Inc.Contact Us:Phone: +1-646-491-9876Email Id: sales@reportsweb.comReportsWeb 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.505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028 Paediatric Vaccine Market to Grow at a 14.4% CAGR in Terms of Revenue by 2026 https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/pediatric-vaccines-market/toc https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-1317 https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/checkout/1317 www.futuremarketinsights.com According to a new report published by Future Market Insights titled Paediatric Vaccine Market: Global Industry Analysis & Opportunity Assessment, 2016 2026, in terms of revenue, the global paediatric vaccine market is expected to increase at 14.4% CAGR during the forecast period 2016-2026. The global paediatric vaccine market is expected to reach US$ 27.97 Bn in 2016.Paediatric vaccine market is a billion dollar market accounting for a substantial proportion of healthcare expenditure in the recent times. The paediatric vaccine market is segmented according to indication, technology and vaccine type. According to the indication, the paediatric vaccine market is sub segmented into pneumococcal, DTP, rotavirus, influenza, meningococcal, hepatitis B, Hib, MMR and polio. According to technology the market is further segmented into live or attenuated, inactivated or killed, toxoid, conjugate, subunit and recombinant vaccines. By vaccine type, the global paediatric vaccine market is segmented into monovalent and multivalent vaccines.View and Download TOC of Paediatric Vaccine Market Research Report@A slew of routine immunisation initiatives rolled out by the government and private agencies has broadened the market for the paediatric vaccines. A new wave of funds pumped into the market by different government and private players to cork the rise of the child deaths across the globe has also opened a new window of opportunity for the paediatric vaccine market. As per the report of WHO (World Health Organization), the global spending on immunisation soared from US$21.4 to US$26.9 per infant in 2014. The massive economic boom in some regions of the world is expediting the growth of the paediatric vaccine market.Segmentation analysisBy indication, pneumococcal segment accounted for higher revenue share in global paediatric vaccines as compared to other product segments. The pneumococcal segment is expected to reach a value of US$ 31.58 Bn by 2026, reflecting a CAGR of 14.4% over the forecast period. The growth of pneumococcal segment is attributed to the increasing incidence of infectious diseases.In terms of revenue, Hib vaccine segment is the second most growing segment and is expected to reach a value of US$ 13.49 Bn by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 13.4%. Hepatitis B and meningococcal segment are expected to show double-digit CAGR growth in the forecast period contributing to the growth of global paediatric vaccine market.Request and Download Sample Report@By technology, conjugate segment accounted for highest revenue share in global paediatric vaccine market as compared to live or attenuated segment. The conjugate segment is expected to reach a value of US$ 32.09 Bn by 2026, reflecting a CAGR of 14.8% over the forecast period. This is expected to be closely followed by the growth of pneumococcal and meningococcal vaccines in this segmentBy end user, institutional health centres account for higher demand for paediatric vaccine as compared to other end user segments such as hospital pharmacies and retail pharmacies. The strong growth in institutional health centres can be attributed to increasing government interventions in immunisation programs in order to improve vaccine coverage. Institutional health centres are expected to register highest CAGR of 13.8% over the forecast period.Regional analysisBy region, North America is dominating the global paediatric vaccine market due to improved healthcare infrastructure in this region. The North America paediatric vaccine market is expected to be valued at US$ 20.15 Bn by 2026 growing at a CAGR for 11.0%. In addition to North America, demand for paediatric vaccines has been significantly growing in Western Europe and APEJ. APEJ is expected to grow at a CAGR for 14.9% over the forecast period and is expected to dominate the market by 2026 by generating revenue of US$ 22.69 Bn and revenues in Western Europe are anticipated to grow by 11.2%. Middle East and Africa is expected to grow at a CAGR of 12.6% and this growth is anticipated by growth government intervention for immunisation by carrying out national level immunisation campaigns and also disease specific immunisation campaigns.Buy Full Paediatric Vaccine Market Report@Vendor insightsKey players in the global paediatric vaccine market include Indian Immunologicals, GlaaxoSmithKline Plc., Pfizer Inc., Sanofi, Merck & Co. Inc., Panacea Biotec, Zydus Cadila, Emergent BioSolutions Inc., Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd., and Bharat Biotech. The growth of paediatric vaccine market is attributed to the development in the research by key players in the field, for instance, in February 2016, GSK submitted US regulatory submission for expanding the indication of FLuLaval Quadrivalent, influenza vaccine, for infants more than 6 months. These developments will boost the growth of the global paediatric vaccine market.About Us Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centers in the U.S. and India.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite: Audio Interfaces Market Size, Trends, Growth, Analysis and Forecast Report 2017-2025 The Insight Partners http://www.theinsightpartners.com/sample/TIPTE100000495 http://www.theinsightpartners.com/reports/audio-interfaces-market An audio interface is a hardware component used for improving and expanding sound capabilities of a computer. Audio interfaces are used for recording music and podcasts, as well as in video post-production for sound design and recording voice-overs.Request a Sample Report atThe report aims to provide an overview of Global Audio Interfaces Market along with detailed segmentation of market by services, verticals, and five major geographical regions. Global Audio Interfaces Market is expected to witness growth during the forecast period attributed to its high quality recording and ease to use.Audio Interfaces Market Players:1. Focusrite Audio Engineering Ltd2. Universal Audio3. Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH4. LOUD Technologies Inc.5. PreSonus Audio Electronics, Inc.6. Zoom Corporation7. Roland Corporation8. M-Audio9. Behringer10. IK MultimediaView Complete Report atSome of the important players in Audio Interfaces Market are Focusrite Audio Engineering Ltd, Universal Audio, Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH, LOUD Technologies Inc., PreSonus Audio Electronics, Inc., Zoom Corporation, Roland Corporation, M-Audio, Behringer and IK Multimedia among others.Contact Us:Call: +1-646-491-9876Email: sales@theinsightpartners.comAbout The Insight Partners:The Insight Partners is a one stop industry research provider of actionable intelligence. We help our clients in getting solutions to their research requirements through our syndicated and consulting research services. We are a specialist in Technology, Media, and Telecommunication industries.505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028 Linerless Labels Market - Global Industry Insights, Trends, Outlook, and Opportunity Analysis, 2017-2025Linerless Labels Market - Global Industry Insights, Trends, Outlook, and Opportunity Analysis, 2017-2025 Linerless Labels Market https://goo.gl/93zwKG http://bit.ly/2w8fmHy http://bit.ly/2hlhlSz Linerless labels are labels, which do not have backing paper and sticks on the application of pressure. Its function is to protect the packaged material from air, moisture, and contamination from external sources. Linerless labels possess several advantages over standard labels, which include zero liner wastage that leads to more labels per roll, lesser waste disposal resulting in reduced carbon emission, less storage space & transportation cost, and less downtime in label production.Food & beverages industry is a major driver for the linerless labels market. Linerless labels are widely used on packaged food products and medicines. Growing demand for pharmaceutical supplies and environment-friendly labels are the main drivers for the linerless label market. The emerging economies and new food products create opportunities for this industry to grow more. Despite its advantages, the increasing price of raw materials restrains the growth of linerless labels market.Request a sample copy of this report:Linerless Labels Market Taxonomy:On the basis of composition, the linerless labels market is classified into:Face StockAdhesiveTopcoatOn the basis of printing Ink, the linerless labels market is classified into:Water-based InksUV-curable InksSolvent-based InksHot Melt-based InksOn the basis of printing technology, the linerless labels market is classified into:Digital PrintingFlexographic PrintingGravure PrintingScreen PrintingLithography PrintingOffset PrintingLetterpress PrintingOn the basis of end-use industry, the linerless labels market is classified into:Food & BeverageConsumers DurablesHome & Personal CarePharmaceuticalRetail LabelsOthersFace Stock is a self-adhesive composite material, which is used to print and boost the image of a brand. Topcoat is a thin layer of paint like ink that helps inks bond to a films surface. Adhesive is the bottom sticky part of linerless labels, which is responsible for the stickiness of labels to surface.Solvent contains volatile organic compounds, which are harmful when inhaled or ingested, hence the market has witnessed a rise in eco-solvent - based inks that are derived from mineral oils. Water-based inks do not contain volatile organic compound but are of lower quality compared to other inks. UV inks are dry and do not contain any solvent or water.Access Table of Content (TOC) of the report:Linerless Labels Market Outlook:Asia Pacific is the largest and fastest growing market in the linerless labels market. This is attributed to the rapid growth of end-use industries such as food & beverages in the region. Growing concerns regarding food safety in China has boosted the packaged food market. In India, the government has allowed 100% FDI in food processing industries, which is expected to boost the market growth. According to the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), the food processing sector will attract investments worth US$ 33 billion during 2017-27North America and Europe are dominant markets in the packaged food market which has resulted in digital printing packaging market growth. A growing need for visually appealing packaging to attract youth customers has boosted market. The goals of aesthetically appealing packaging is to reflect the quality of the product. High quality and simplistic packaging designs are preferred by consumers.Latin America has 28% of the worlds arable land and 33% of the worlds freshwater supply. The food industry in this region is expected to supplement its growing populations and other regions such Europe and North America.Middle East has witnessed burgeoning growth in packaged food and pharmaceutical industry. The demand has been fuelled by a shift towards western trends such as ready-to-eat foods, pre packed meals and nutritional supplements. Increased automation by the major players such as Al Thika is expected to meet the rising demand of the region.Africa has witnessed rising growth in manufacturing sectors in countries of Nigeria, Ethiopia, Morocco, Senegal and South Africa. This has translated into growth of all end user industries thus augmenting digital printing packaging market growth.Major players in the linerless labels market are The 3M company (U.S.), Coveris Holdings S.A. (U.S.), CCL Industries Inc. (Canada), Constantia Flexible Group GMBH (Austria), RR Donnelley & Sons Company (U.S.), Gipako (Europe), Hub Labels (U.S.), Cenveo Corporation (U.S.), Reflex Labels (U.K.), and Raveenwood Packaging (U.K.).View this full report: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 Stand-Up Pouches Market Is Expected To Grow At A CAGR Of 7% By 2022 Stand Up Pouches Market https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/2290 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/stand-up-pouches-market-2290 Market HighlightsThe global stand-up pouches market is majorly driven by reduced storage space of products, pleasant appearance of the stand-up pouches, which result into better brand image. The wide acceptance among consumers owing to its features such as lightweight and portability is further expected to boost the growth of this market. Stand-up pouches are more cost efficient, offer flexibility to print as per custom design, and ensure better shelf visibility. The wide spread use of stand-up pouches by various end-use industries such as food & beverage, packaging and others is also contributing to the growth of this market.Request a Sample Copy @Key Players of Stand Up Pouches Market: Amcor Ltd. (Australia) Berry Plastics corporation (U.S.) Ampac Holdings, LLC (U.S.) Clondalkin Group (Netherlands) Sealed Air Corporation (U.S.) Astrapak Limited (South Korea) Bemis Company Inc. (U.S) Coveris Holdings S.A. (U.S.) Mondi Plc. (Austria) Sonoco Products (U.S.)Market Research Analysis:The standup pouches are important for packaging in food, beverages, pharmaceutical and others. Among all applications, the food and beverage application is expected to grow rapidly. The stand-up pouches are very light weight and provide advantage of compact packaging for the purpose of logistics. The pouches are extensively used for storing frozen food and even for packaging of beverages. Therefore, growth in the concept of flexible packaging will directly influence the standup pouches market.Asia-Pacific region is expected to dominate the stand-up pouches market with highest CAGR owing to the increase in the number of middle class customers in the region, who are more attracted towards the packaging of stand-up pouches. The region is expected to grow due to the rapidly changing lifestyle, increase in the disposable income, extensive growth in population, and the constantly growing packaged food industry.Scope of the Report:This study provides an overview of the global stand-up pouches market, tracking three market segments across four geographic regions. The report studies key players, providing a five-year annual trend analysis that highlights market size, volume and share for North America, Europe, Asia Pacific (APAC) and Rest of the World (ROW). The report also provides a forecast, focusing on the market opportunities for the next five years for each region. The scope of the study segments the Global Stand up Pouches Market by its material, type, application and region.By Material Plastic Metal Paper OthersBy Type Aseptic Standard RetortBy Application Food & Beverage Health care Personal Care OthersBy Region North America Asia Pacific Europe Rest of the WorldBrief TOC:1 Executive Summary2 Research Methodology2.1 Scope of the Study2.1.1 Definition2.1.2 Research Objective2.1.3 Assumptions2.1.4 Limitations2.2 Research Process2.2.1 Primary Research2.2.2 Secondary Research2.3 Market size Estimation2.4 Forecast Model3 Market Dynamics3.1 Market Drivers3.2 Market Inhibitors3.3 Supply/Value Chain Analysis3.4 Porters Five Forces Analysis4 Global Stand-up Pouches Market, By Type4.1 Aseptic4.2 Standard4.3 RetortContinueAccess Report Details @About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members.ContactMarket Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com Processed Food Market - Global Industry Insights, Trends, Outlook, and Opportunity Analysis, 2017-25 Processed Food Market https://goo.gl/eEbqbt https://goo.gl/WBQdKt https://goo.gl/keUhRD Food which is altered using freezing, baking, and drying is called processed food. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines processed food as any raw agricultural products that has been subjected to cleaning, washing, milling, chopping, cutting, heating, blanching, pasteurizing, cooking, freezing, canning, drying, mixing, packaging, dehydrating or other procedures that modify the food from its natural state. Such process may include the additional ingredients such as flavors, nutrients, preservatives. These products are having a demand in the global market due to its advantages such as easy cooking or immediate consumption, easy handling, preservation, and storage. Changing lifestyle, safety, and convenience are the major driving factors for the global processed food market. Excellent marketing strategies for such products also play an important role. Innovative packaging is used by processed food industry which in turn increases the demand for the global packaging industry.The major challenge for the global processed food industry is the health awareness, food contamination, and government regulations. The health problems associated with preservatives and other additives is a major concern. However, the major players are coming up with innovative ideas such as fortification of various nutrients in the processed food to overcome this problem.Request a sample copy of this report:Global Processed Food -Market Taxonomy:The global processed food market is segmented on the basis of process, products, and application.Based on process, global processed food market is segmented into:MinimallyHighlyBased on product type, global processed food market is segmented into:Plant basedFruitsVegetablesLegumesExtracted foodsOthersAnimal basedMilkPoultryFleshyOthersBased on application, global processed food market is segmented into:Baked foodsBaby foodBreakfast CerealBiscuitsCheeseChocolate confectionaryIce creamsInstant NoodlesNon-alcoholic drinksNutsPastaReady mealsSauces, Dressings and condimentsSoupsYogurtOthersAccess Table of Content (TOC) of the report:Baked goods, baby foods, breakfast cereals, chips, nuts, sweet snacks, candy, pet food, ready to eat meals, cheese yoghurt, salad dressing, instant products are few examples of processed food which are gaining popularity in the market.Global Processed Food Market OutlookNorth America is the largest market for processed food due to increased snacking trend. Furthermore, busy lifestyle, packaging innovation and expanded lifestyle plays a major role in increasing demand of processed food.Europe has high demand for high quality and nutritious food. The strict government regulations is the major challenge in this market. The basic food hygiene and food law requirements are in Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 and in Regulation (EC) No 825/2004 which plays a dominant role in European processed food industry.Processed food market is fast growing in Asia pacific region due to increase in population and increase in consumer buying power. The consumer spending in ndia on processed food is expected to grow to US$ 3.6 trillion by 2020. Cost competitiveness along with availability of raw materials are the growth drivers for the processed food industry in India and China.In Latin America, urbanization and modernization is creating a demand for processed food. However, regulations such as, special 8% tax on high calorie food in Mexico from January 2014 will have a considerable effect on the processed food market. Also, it will increase the demand for nutritious processed food in these regions.In Middle East, the limited agricultural production because of the nature of climate, terrain and water scarcity has led to a significant increase in the processed food market.United Nations estimated that the population of Africa will be doubled by 2020 which will be a market driver in this region. Low market penetration is the major restraint in Africa.Key players in the global processed food marketThe companies are adopting various organic and inorganic growth strategies to sustain their market positions such as partnership and mergers. For instance, in 2015, Krafts food and Hienz merged to expand their business. Also, Tyson food collaborated with Godrej India in 2008. Some of the important players in the global food industry market are Nestle, General Mills, Kraft Food, Inc., ConAgra foods, Inc., Tyson Foods, Kelloggs, Frito-Lay, JBS Food, Smithfield Food, Inc. and Mars, Inc.View this full report: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 Inventory Tags Market - Worldwide Industry Analysis and Trends 2022 Inventory Tags Market https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/2625 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/inventory-tags-market-2625 Market Highlights:Tags attached to inventory items to provide the required information about the finished products, raw materials, and other stored elements are called inventory tags. Rising trend of online shopping and growing e-commerce companies, are boosting the demand of inventory tags. Additionally, continuously growing demand from end-use industries is also the key driving factor of this market. Inventory tags offer several benefits such as cost efficient and precise tracking of inventory goods, control over inventory flow, which also boosts the demand of these tags. However, lack of awareness of inventory tags technologies may hamper the growth of global inventory tags market.Request a Sample Copy @Key Players of Inventory Tags Market: Avery Dennison Corporation (U.S) Tyco International Plc. (Ireland) 3M Company (U.S) Brady Corporation (U.S) Zebra Technologies Corporation (U.S) Alien Technology Inc. (U.S) Hewlett-Packard Company (U.S) Checkpoint Systems Inc (U.S) Smartrac N.V. (The Netherlands) Cenveo Inc. (U.S)Market Research Analysis:On the basis of material, global inventory tags market is segmented into metal, plastic, and paper. Out of them, metal tags account for the largest share of material segment in global inventory tags market. Metal tags are more durable inventory tags and can withstand extreme conditions. These tags have a wide range of applications in industrial and commercial sector. The most common metals used to manufacture metal tags are aluminum, stainless steel and brass.Europe is the largest market for the inventory tags mainly due to advancements in technologies and strong government support. The inventory tags market in Asia-Pacific region is expected to grow at the fastest pace during the forecast period.Scope of the Report:This study provides an overview of the global inventory tags market, tracking three market segments across four geographic regions. The report studies key players, providing a five-year annual trend analysis that highlights market size, volume and share for North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Rest of the World. The report also provides a forecast, focusing on the market opportunities for the next five years for each region. The scope of the study segments the Global Inventory tags market as technology, materials, and end-user.By Technology Barcodes RFID QR CodesBy Materials Metal Plastic PaperBy End-User Industrial Retail Logistics OthersBrief TOC:1 Executive Summary2 Research Methodology2.1 Scope of the Study2.1.1 Definition2.1.2 Research Objective2.1.3 Assumptions2.1.4 Limitations2.2 Research Process2.2.1 Primary Research2.2.2 Secondary Research2.3 Market size Estimation2.4 Forecast Model3 Market Dynamics3.1 Market Drivers3.2 Market Inhibitors3.3 Supply/Value Chain Analysis3.4 Porters Five Forces Analysis4 Global Inventory Tags Market, By Technology4.1 Barcode4.2 RFID4.3 QR CodesContinueAccess Report Details @About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members.Contact:Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com Pipeline Security Market status 2017 - Siemens AG, GE, ABB, Silixa, POLUS-ST LLC, Senstar, MODCON, OptaSense, EFOY, FFT, Westminster International, FTP Secure Solutions, Future Fibre Technologies, Key Security, Optellios https://goo.gl/VhsPtm https://www.1marketresearch.com/market-reports/pipeline-security-market-95233/ www.1MarketResearch.com Global Pipeline Security Market Size, Status and Forecast 2022 provides Market information about Manufacturers, Countries, Type and Application.This Industry report also states Company Profile, sales, Pipeline Security Market revenue and price, market share, market growth and gross margin by regions.Top Manufacturers/Key Players:Siemens AGGEABBSilixaPOLUS-ST LLCSenstarMODCONOptaSenseEFOYFFTWestminster InternationalFTP Secure SolutionsFuture Fibre TechnologiesKey SecurityOptelliosEnquiry for buying report @This report provides detailed analysis of worldwide markets for Pipeline Security and provides extensive market forecasts 2017-2022 by region/country and subsectors. It covers the key technological and market trends in the Pipeline Security market and further lays out an analysis of the factors influencing the supply/demand for Pipeline Security , and the opportunities/challenges faced by industry participants. It also acts as an essential tool to companies active across the value chain and to the new entrants by enabling them to capitalize the opportunities and develop business strategies.Browse Report @Global Pipeline Security Market Outlook 2016-2022, has been prepared based on the synthesis, analysis, and interpretation of information about the global Pipeline Security market collected from specialized sources. The report covers key technological developments in the recent times and profiles leading players in the Pipeline Security market and analyzes their key strategies. The competitive landscape section of the report provides a clear insight into the Pipeline Security market share analysis of key industry players.The Pipeline Security report provides separate comprehensive analytics for the North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa and Rest of World. In this sector, global competitive landscape and supply/demand pattern of Pipeline Security industry has been provided.About Us:1MarketResearch is a global business market research providing syndicated research Report, customized research reports, company profiles and industry databases across multiple domains.We provide intellectual, precise and meaningful data at a lightning speed.We host more than 500,000 Industry research products.Contact US:1MarketResearch304, S. Jones Blvd, #3299,Las Vegas, NV - 89107USA : +1 702-425-8599Email : Sales@1MarketResearch.comWeb : Remote Patient Monitoring Devices Market: Key Growth Factors and Global Trends 2020 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/remote-patient-monitoring-devices-market.html http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=401 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/report-toc/401 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/checkout.php?rep_id=401 A Clear understanding of the Abdominal Retractors market based on growth, constraints, opportunities, feasibility study.> Concise Abdominal Retractors Market study based on major geographical regions.> Analysis of improving business sections as well as a comprehensive study of existing Abdominal Retractors market segments.For Any Kind of Query Visit Here:Market.Biz is designed to provide the best and most penetrating research required to all commercial, industrial and profit-making ventures in any sector of online business. We take pride in our ability to satisfy the market research needs of both domestic and international businesses.James JohnsonS no. 51/14 First Floor, Office Number 4, Vishwa Arcade, Near Navale Lawns, Pune, Maharashtra, India 411041Maharashtra, IndiaTel: +1(857)2390696Web:Email: inquiry@market.bizBrowse Market Research Reports-Latest Reports- Global Air Cushion Packaging Market 2017 Geami, Macfarlane Group, Automated Packaging Systems https://goo.gl/qndzUE https://market.biz/report/global-air-cushion-packaging-market-2017/154367/ https://goo.gl/RDaE2K https://market.biz http://ereports.market/ https://market.biz/reports/ Global Air Cushion Packaging Market 2017 Research Report presents a professional and deep analysis on the present state of Air Cushion Packaging Market 2017 in Chemicals and Materials Industry. High Use of Air Cushion Packaging in Chemicals and Materials Industry Driving the Market Growth of Air Cushion Packaging. Air Cushion Packaging Market 2017 by Type (Air Pillow Cushion, Bubble Wrap Machine), Power Rating, Application (Electronics, Consumer Goods, Cosmetic & Personal Care, Foods and Beverages, Pharmaceuticals, Others), and Region Global Forecast to 2022.In the first part, Air Cushion Packaging Market study deals with the comprehensive overview of the Air Cushion Packaging market, which consists of definitions, a wide range of applications (Electronics, Consumer Goods, Cosmetic & Personal Care, Foods and Beverages, Pharmaceuticals, Others), classifications and a complete Air Cushion Packaging industry chain structure. The global Air Cushion Packaging market analysis further consists of a competitive landscape of Air Cushion Packaging market, Air Cushion Packaging market development history and major development trends presented by Air Cushion Packaging market.Request for Sample Report Click Here:* Leading Manufacturers Analysis in Global Air Cushion Packaging Market 2017: Polyair, Storopack, Geami, Macfarlane Group, Automated Packaging Systems, Shorr Packaging, DynaCorp, iVEX Protective Packaging, Sealed Air, Pregis, Smurfit Kappa, Veritiv Corporation and FP International* Air Cushion Packaging Market: Type Segment Analysis: Air Pillow Cushion, Bubble Wrap Machine* Air Cushion Packaging Market: Applications Segment Analysis: Electronics, Consumer Goods, Cosmetic & Personal Care, Foods and Beverages, Pharmaceuticals, OthersThe global Air Cushion Packaging market is expected to reach $ XX million by 2022.As the report progresses further, it explains development plans and policies, manufacturing processes, cost structures of Air Cushion Packaging market as well as the leading players. It also focuses on the details like company profile, product images, supply chain relationship, import/export details of Air Cushion Packaging Market, market statistics of Air Cushion Packaging Market, upcoming development plans, Air Cushion Packaging Market gains, Contact details, Consumption ratio.In addition to this, the Air Cushion Packaging Market report also covers gross margin by regions i. e. (US, EU, China and Japan)- Air Cushion Packaging market. Other regions can be added efficiently.Lastly, Air Cushion Packaging Market report includes an in-depth analysis of sub-segments, market dynamics, feasibility study, key strategies used by leading players, market share study and growth prospects of the industry. The Air Cushion Packaging Report also evaluates the growth established by the market during the forecast period and research conclusions are offered.Explore More About Report Here:Thus, Air Cushion Packaging Market Report 2017 serves as a valuable material for all industry competitors and individuals having a keen interest in Air Cushion Packaging Market study.Key Highlights of the Air Cushion Packaging Market:> A Clear understanding of the Air Cushion Packaging market based on growth, constraints, opportunities, feasibility study.> Concise Air Cushion Packaging Market study based on major geographical regions.> Analysis of improving business sections as well as a comprehensive study of existing Air Cushion Packaging market segments.For Any Kind of Query Visit Here:Market.Biz is designed to provide the best and most penetrating research required to all commercial, industrial and profit-making ventures in any sector of online business. We take pride in our ability to satisfy the market research needs of both domestic and international businesses.James JohnsonS no. 51/14 First Floor, Office Number 4, Vishwa Arcade, Near Navale Lawns, Pune, Maharashtra, India 411041Maharashtra, IndiaTel: +1(857)2390696Web:Email: inquiry@market.bizBrowse Market Research Reports-Latest Reports- Bulk Acoustic Wave Devices Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast, 2017 - 2025 Market Research Report http://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=1147305 http://www.researchmoz.us/bulk-acoustic-wave-devices-market-global-industry-analysis-size-share-growth-trends-and-forecast-2017-2025-report.html http://www.researchmoz.us/ http://bit.ly/1TBmnVG Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Bulk Acoustic Wave Devices Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast, 2017 - 2025" to its huge collection of research reports.Bulk acoustic wave devices could be made functional below 500 MHZ but the band at which the bulk acoustic wave devices finds application for the commercial purpose is mostly at 1.8 GHz to 1.9 GHz. The bulk acoustic wave ladder filters which are in the band of 1.8 GHz to 1.9 GHz are increasingly preferred over more commonly used surface acoustic wave devices, providing enhanced performance and efficiency. Moreover, the bulk acoustic wave devices are much more compact in size and thus they help in providing size reduction in mobile handsets and other portable consumer electronics devices.The highest rate of penetration for bulk acoustic wave devices has been in the personal communication services (PCS) which are wireless phone services, very similar to cellular telephone services with more emphasis on extended mobility and personalization in the service. The personal communication services (PCS) is also referred to as digital cellular (digital cellular). There is a lot of investment being focused at development and commercializing of the bulk acoustic wave devices over the past few decades. The bulk acoustic wave devices market has penetration in markets like consumer electronics and telecommunication industry from high end industrial uses like military and defense. Bulk acoustic wave devices were mostly used in the field of defense and aerospace due to their high price. But with a lot of investment in research and development it has been made possible to develop bulk acoustic devices which could be commercialized across a wide range of sectors.Further the bulk acoustic wave devices have high penetration in universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS) sector. The reduction in the cost of the bulk acoustic devices has enabled the devices to replace duplexers technology and other traditionally used filter technologies, thus driving the demand for bulk acoustic wave devices over the forecast period. Migration of bulk acoustic wave devices to higher frequency is expected to be a key opportunity for the market growth in the near future. Further potential integration of bulk acoustic wave devices into active integrated circuit is another key opportunity for the market growth in the near future.Global Bulk Acoustic Wave Devices Market: SegmentationThe bulk acoustic wave device by device analysis could be segmented into filters resonators, transducers and others. The bulk acoustic wave devices by end use industry could be segmented into aerospace & defense, telecommunication, environmental and industry, automotive, consumer electronics, healthcare & medical and others. The global bulk acoustic wave device by geography has been broadly segmented into North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East and Africa and Latin America.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Global Bulk Acoustic Wave Devices Market: Scope of the ReportThe market report deals in the forecast of the bulk acoustic wave devices market in terms of revenue (USD million) as well as the CAGR for the forecast period 2016 to 2027. The competitive profiling of the key players in the global Bulk acoustic wave devices market has been comprehensively covered under the scope of the report. The key players in the BAW Devices Market have been competitively profiled across the five broad geographic regions. This competitive landscape is inclusive of the various business strategies adopted by these major players and their recent developments in the field of SAW devices. In order to provide a detailed insight into the market dynamics of global Bulk Acoustic Devices Market, the drivers and restraints affecting the industry are included in the study. Market dynamics include market opportunity, drivers and restraints and an extensive analysis of these factors are included in the report. Furthermore, market attractiveness breakdown has also been provided in the report. Therefore, the report provides a comprehensive study of the global Bulk acoustic wave devices market and also offers the forecast of the market for the period from 2017-2025.Companies Mentioned in ReportSome of the key players operating in the bulk acoustic wave devices market include Tai Saw Technology Co. Ltd. (Taiwan, China), Taiyo Yuden (Tokyo, Japan), Skyworks Solutions (Massachusetts, U.S.), TDK Corporation (Tokyo, Japan), Murata Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (Kyoto, Japan), Honeywell International, Inc. (New Jersey, U.S.), Teledyne Microwave Solutions (California, U.S), Kyocera Corporation (Kyoto, Japan), Infineon Technologies AG (Neubiberg, Germany), API Technologies (Massachusetts, U.S.).The market has been segmented as follows:Bulk acoustic wave devices Market, by Devices AnalysisFiltersResonatorsTransducersOthersBulk acoustic wave devices Market, by End Use IndustryAerospace & DefenseTelecommunicationEnvironment and IndustrialAutomotiveConsumer ElectronicsHealthcare & MedicalOthersBulk acoustic wave devices Market, by Geography:The market is broadly segmented on the basis of geography into:North AmericaThe U.S.CanadaMexicoEuropeThe U.K.GermanyThe NetherlandsRest of EuropeAsia PacificChina (Including Taiwan)IndiaJapanBrowse More Details @About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @ Deep Dive into Marble Floor Tile Market to observe latest trends, market dynamics and future growth- 2017 to 2022 Marble Floor Tile Market https://www.reportsmonitor.com/request-sample/?post=339091 https://www.reportsmonitor.com/global-marble-floor-tile-market-research-report-2017/ www.reportsmonitor.com ReportsMonitor.com has added a new report to its database Global Marble Floor Tile Market Report 2017.This report identifies the Marble Floor Tile market size for the years 2012-2017, and forecast of the same till the year 2022. It also highlights the market drivers, restraints, growth indicators, challenges, and other key aspects with respect to the Marble Floor Tile market.Marble Floor Tile Market tracks the major market events including product launches, technological developments, mergers and acquisitions, and the innovative business strategies opted by key market players. Along with strategically analyzing the key micro markets, the report also focuses on industry-specific drivers, restraints, opportunities and challenges in the Copper Strips market. This research report offers in-depth analysis of the market size (revenue), market share, major market segments, and different geographic regions, forecast for the next five years, key market players, and premium industry trends. It also focuses on the key drivers, restraints, opportunities and challenges.For Requesting a Sample Copy of This Report, Please Visit @This report focuses on top manufacturers in global market, with production, price, revenue and market share for each manufacturer, coveringDONGPENGFoshan GANI Ceramics Co LtdGuangdong Haosen Ceramics Co.ANNWAMarcopoloOCEANOHongyu MarbleHUIYAFlorida Tile, Inc.Marazzi Group S.r.lJohnson TilesDomus TileOregon Tile and MarbleThe competitive landscape of the global market for Marble Floor Tile is determined by evaluating the various market participants, production capacity, Marble Floor Tile markets production chain, and the revenue generated by each manufacturer in the Marble Floor Tile market worldwide.This report segments the Marble Floor Tile marketCompact SizeMedium SizeLarge SizeExpansive SizeOn the basis of application:ResidentialCommercialOtherFor comprehensive understanding of market dynamics, the Marble Floor Tile market is analyzed across key geographies namely:North AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaEach of these regions is analyzed on basis of market findings across major countries in these regions for a macro-level understanding of the market.Browse Full Table of Contents and Report Description @Some points from TOC:Global Marble Floor Tile Market Research Report 20171 Marble Floor Tile Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Marble Floor Tile1.2 Marble Floor Tile Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global Marble Floor Tile Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category)(2012-2022)8 Marble Floor Tile Manufacturing Cost Analysis8.1 Marble Floor Tile Key Raw Materials Analysis8.1.1 Key Raw Materials8.1.2 Price Trend of Key Raw Materials8.1.3 Key Suppliers of Raw Materials8.1.4 Market Concentration Rate of Raw Materials8.2 Proportion of Manufacturing Cost Structure8.2.1 Raw Materials8.2.2 Labor Cost8.2.3 Manufacturing Expenses8.3 Manufacturing Process Analysis of Marble Floor TileReports Monitor (ReportsMonitor.com) is a platform to meet the market research and business intelligence requirements. Our aim is to change the dynamics of the Market Research industry by providing quality intelligence backed by data. Your requirement for market forecasting is fulfilled by our exclusive quantitative and analytics driven intelligence. We have a vast collection of reports, covering maximum industries worldwide. Our process is meticulously planned and executed in order to use maximum resources and explore the market for getting genuine insights. Decision makers can now rely on our distinct data gathering methods to get factual market forecasting and detailed analysis.Office C & D - 4th Floor,Siddhi Towers,Above Rupee Bank,Kondhwa Road,Pune 411048,Maharashtra,IndiaIndia: +91 2069535353Jay MatthewsDirect: +1 513 549-5911Email: sales@reportsmonitor.comWebsite: At A CAGR Of 7.93%, Global Automotive Usage-Based Insurance Market Will Expand For The Period From 2017 - 2021 Market Research Report http://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=915096 http://www.researchmoz.us/global-automotive-usage-based-insurance-market-2017-2021-report.html http://www.researchmoz.us/ http://bit.ly/1TBmnVG Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "At A CAGR Of 7.93%, Global Automotive Usage-Based Insurance Market Will Expand For The Period From 2017 - 2021" to its huge collection of research reports.The global automotive UBI market is at a nascent stage and has low penetration in the overall automotive insurance market. The market is seeing an influx of new players owing to its growth potential and the emergence of smartphone app technology in automotive UBI. The competition is expected to intensify during the forecast period because of product extensions and technological innovations. Many international players are expected to grow organically during the forecast period by expanding their customer base and creating differentiated products through partnerships with insurance companies.Technavios analysts forecast the global automotive usage-based insurance market to grow at a CAGR of 7.93% during the period 2017-2021.Covered in this reportThe report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global automotive usage-based insurance market for 2017-2021. To calculate the market size, the report presents the vendor landscape and a corresponding detailed analysis of the top four vendors in the market.The market is divided into the following segments based on geography:APACEuropeNorth AmericaTechnavio's report, Global Automotive Usage-Based Insurance Market 2017-2021, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.Key vendorsIntelligent Mechatronic SystemOcto TelematicsHubioSierra WirelessTo Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Other prominent vendorsBaseline TelematicsMasternautTomTom TelematicsMarket driverGovernment initiatives encouraging use of telematics.For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket challengeMaintenance of data accuracy for optimum UBI scores.For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket trendShared data plans to reduce number of data subscriptions per user.For a full, detailed list, view our reportKey questions answered in this reportWhat will the market size be in 2021 and what will the growth rate be?What are the key market trends?What is driving this market?What are the challenges to market growth?Who are the key vendors in this market space?What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the key vendors?What are the strengths and weaknesses of the key vendors?Browse More Details @About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @ Meet Team Torry Harris at GITEX Technology Week in Dubai http://www.thbs.com/events/gitex-technology-week-2017 www.thbs.com www.thbs.com/events https://twitter.com/torryharris September 21, 2017 - Dubai, UAE: Torry Harris Business Solutions (THBS), a global leader in digital transformation, SOA/API enablement and mobility, will be exhibiting at GITEX Technology Week in Dubai from October 8 to 12. GITEX is Middle-Easts largest gathering of global IT enthusiasts and business leaders. It showcases inspiring innovations and cutting-edge technology solutions from around the world. This year at GITEX, THBS will demonstrate its market-leading products, IoT Glue a mobile enabled IoT integration platform and API Connect a secure API Gateway to Applications and Things. Both products can be used alongside other components within its Full Lifecycle API Management platform, the API-o-Blocks product suite.The API-o-Blocks product suite assists in realizing transformational effects enabled through a Platform model of doing business, as against an evolutionary approach conveyed by a Pipeline model. The Platform model looks at connecting participants in two-sided markets generating value for both groups. It brings together producers and consumers in high-value exchanges. Consequently, as the number of participants on each side grows, the value generated increases exponentially.Do visit us @ Hall 8 Stand No. E8 38 to experience the simplicity of our products and solution accelerators. We can together define a customized approach for success in your digital platform initiative.To fix a meeting with Torry Harris Business Solutions ahead of the event, visitAbout THBS: Torry Harris Business Solutions (THBS) is a multinational provider of business, technology and IT consulting services. It specializes in the areas of Full life-cycle API Management, IoT, Integration Solutions and SOA/API-based Digital Transformation Services. THBS is a CMMI level 3 certified company and its security management system is ISO 27001 certified. The company has its offshore development centres in Bangalore & Gurgaon (India). It has offices in Bristol (UK), New Jersey (USA), Dubai (UAE), Dublin (Ireland), Munich (Germany), Paris (France) and Vienna (Austria). Visitto know more about the company, its services & products andto know more about Torry Harris global events. Follow THBS on Twitter @torryharris (About GITEX: GITEX (Gulf Information Technology Exhibition) is an annual technology event that takes place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates at the Dubai World Trade Centre. Merging reality with virtual, this event opens the mind to experience some of the latest global trends, cutting-edge products, savvy gadgets and unique services in the tech industry through a variety of conferences, training and innovation led workshops. In addition to the latest tech on exhibit, this years event also includes new sectors to be discovered: smart manufacturing, global smart cities, robotics and vehicle tech.Torry Harris Business Solutions Inc.Premises: 603, Floor: 06, Building: Makateb 2International Media Production ZoneDubai, United Arab EmiratesPhone: + 971 - 4 - 3900240/1Fax: + 971 - 4 - 3908516Diganta Barooah Internet of Things Market : Big Data and Fog Computing New Technologies in IOT Market https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/iot-market.asp https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/iot-market/toc https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/17734 https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com Big Data and Fog Computing New Technologies in IOT MarketThe proliferation of interconnected networks and the explosion of data volumes across smart homes and smart grids in different industries has been in large part due to the mushrooming of devices, particularly mobile devices. Data integration from various cyber, social, and physical resources within the IOT market enables the development of apps and services that can incorporate situational decision making mechanisms and create enhanced services along with smarter applications. Fog computing is another new technology similar to edge computing in the IOT market. Fog computing is quite likely to support the IOT market and can exist in data centers, the cloud, or even edge devices such as routers, gateways, sensors, etc.Browse The Report:Cloud Analytics Slowly Shifting Towards Edge Computing in IOT MarketEdge computing is a relatively new concept in the IOT market compared to cloud analytics. In the case of edge computing, data is processed near the source instead of in the cloud. Edge analytics is currently at a developmental stage but can still be successfully implemented in large IOT deployments because of the handling of large data volumes. The factors benefiting widespread edge computing adoption are better data security, latency reduction, and lesser connectivity issues. Many vendors in the IOT market are launching edge analytics solutions to attract more clients and expand their product portfolio. In April 2017, Microsoft Corp. launched the IoT Central service to manage the enterprise IoT ecosystem. IoT Central allows enterprises to launch new products and is a part of SaaS.IoT Platform and IoT Analytics Imperative in the Global IOT MarketCompanies would be advised to focus on the IoT Platform and IoT Analytics segments in the global IOT market. The IoT Analytics component is predicted to grow to nearly 5x its size in 2017 and be a market opportunity exceeding US$ 50 Bn in 2025. The CAGR for the IoT Platform is considerably higher at 25.6% during 2017-2025, making it critical in the long term.Request to download and view full ToC @Smart City Projects to Propel the IOT Market Across the GlobeSmart cities are the buzzword of the 21st century and are popular due to digital technologies becoming essential in both developed and emerging economies. Smart cities comprise electronics equipment effectively deployed in areas such as smart traffic, smart homes, smart utilities and security. A recent trend has been the need for IoT devices in home gateways, smart meters, smart sensors, smart appliances, and smart plugs, primarily because of governmental encouragement. In addition, people are expected to demand smart technology in all of their gadgets such as connected cars, wearables, smartphones, and smart TVs. The U.S, Canadian, and Indian governments have taken the lead in the concept of smart cities and are launching projects for indigenous communities, regional governments, and municipalities. The national governments in these nations are inviting participation from local authorities, businesses, and civil society to implement clean, digitally connected technology consisting of advanced energy systems, smarter roads, and greener buildings.Make an Enquiry @U.S. Anticipated to Dominate the North America IoT Market in the FutureIt isnt surprising that North America is the largest region in the global IOT market as the continent is often at the forefront of technological innovation and acceptance. The U.S. market is already twice the size of its northern neighbor and is likely to remain so for the foreseeable future. Within North America, IoT Analytics and IoT Security are poised to push past US$ 17 Bn and US$ 23 Bn respectively. However, key stakeholders in the North America IOT market may want to consider the fact that both IoT Platform and IoT Data Transport record a higher CAGR for the period.Persistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.305 Broadway,7th FloorNew York City, NY 10007United StatesTel:+1-646-568-7751Email:sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWebsite: Global Beryllium Matrix Composite Market 2017: Adma Product, Ametek, Alstrong Enterprises, Daido Metal Global Beryllium Matrix Composite Market http://bit.ly/2fcqb4u https://market.biz/report/global-beryllium-matrix-composite-market-2017/41384/ http://bit.ly/2yfZ7sI https://market.biz/ http://firstnewshawk.com/ Global Beryllium Matrix Composite Market 2017 Research Report presents a professional and deep analysis on the present state of Beryllium Matrix Composite Market 2017 in Automotive Industry. High Use of Beryllium Matrix Composite in Automotive Industry Driving the Market Growth of Beryllium Matrix Composite. Beryllium Matrix Composite Market 2017 by Type (Beryllium Copper Alloy, Beryllium Aluminum Alloy, Others), Power Rating, Application (Automobile, Construction, Other), and Region - Global Forecast to 2022.In the first part, Beryllium Matrix Composite Market study deals with the comprehensive overview of the Beryllium Matrix Composite market, which consists of definitions, a wide range of applications (Automobile, Construction, Other), classifications and a complete Beryllium Matrix Composite industry chain structure. The global Beryllium Matrix Composite market analysis further consists of a competitive landscape of Beryllium Matrix Composite market, Beryllium Matrix Composite market development history and major development trends presented by Beryllium Matrix Composite market.Request for Sample Report Click Here:* Leading Manufacturers Analysis in Global Beryllium Matrix Composite Market 2017: Adma Product, Ametek, Alstrong Enterprises, Daido Metal, Daewha Alloytech and 3M* Beryllium Matrix Composite Market: Type Segment Analysis: Beryllium Copper Alloy, Beryllium Aluminum Alloy, Others* Beryllium Matrix Composite Market: Applications Segment Analysis: Automobile, Construction, OtherThe global Beryllium Matrix Composite market is expected to reach $ XX million by 2022.As the report progresses further, it explains development plans and policies, manufacturing processes, cost structures of Beryllium Matrix Composite market as well as the leading players. It also focuses on the details like company profile, product images, supply chain relationship, import/export details of Beryllium Matrix Composite Market, market statistics of Beryllium Matrix Composite Market, upcoming development plans, Beryllium Matrix Composite Market gains, Contact details, Consumption ratio.In addition to this, the Beryllium Matrix Composite Market report also covers gross margin by regions i. e. (US, EU, China and Japan)- Beryllium Matrix Composite market. Other regions can be added efficiently.Lastly, Beryllium Matrix Composite Market report includes an in-depth analysis of sub-segments, market dynamics, feasibility study, key strategies used by leading players, market share study and growth prospects of the industry. The Beryllium Matrix Composite Report also evaluates the growth established by the market during the forecast period and research conclusions are offered.Explore More About Report Here:Thus, Beryllium Matrix Composite Market Report 2017 serves as a valuable material for all industry competitors and individuals having a keen interest in Beryllium Matrix Composite Market study.Key Highlights of the Beryllium Matrix Composite Market:> A Clear understanding of the Beryllium Matrix Composite market based on growth, constraints, opportunities, feasibility study.> Concise Beryllium Matrix Composite Market study based on major geographical regions.> Analysis of improving business sections as well as a comprehensive study of existing Beryllium Matrix Composite market segments.For Any Kind of Query Visit Here:About Us:Market.Biz is designed to provide the best and most penetrating research required to all commercial, industrial and profit-making ventures in any sector of online business. We take pride in our ability to satisfy the market research needs of both domestic and internationalContact Us:James JohnsonS no. 51/14 First Floor,Office Number 4, Vishwa Arcade,Near Navale Lawns, PuneMaharashtra, India 411041Tel: +1(857)2390696Web:Email: inquiry@market.bizBrowse Latest News- Heat Resistant Conveyor Belt Market 2017 - Goodyear, ContiTech AG, YOKOHAMA, Fenner Heat Resistant Conveyor Belt Market https://goo.gl/i9UW5z https://goo.gl/4F2DKK www.apexresearch.biz Apex Research, recently published a detailed market research study focused on the "Heat Resistant Conveyor Belt Market" across the global, regional and country level. The report provides 360 analysis of "Heat Resistant Conveyor Belt Market" from view of manufacturers, regions, product types and end industries. The research report analyses and provides the historical data along with current performance of the global Heat Resistant Conveyor Belt industry, and estimates the future trend of Heat Resistant Conveyor Belt market on the basis of this detailed study. The study shares "Heat Resistant Conveyor Belt Market" performance both in terms of volume and revenue.Get Free Sample Copy of Report Here:Top Manufacturers Analysis of This ReportGoodyearContiTech AGYOKOHAMAFennerBridgestoneBando Chemical IndustriesTrelleborgWuxi BotonZhejiang Double Arrow and Shandong Aneng.The market research report explores the Heat Resistant Conveyor Belt market across the globe along with major regions and countries. The research report provides a detailed study on each and every aspect of "Heat Resistant Conveyor Belt Market". The research report studies the entire value chain from raw material to end user industries. The report also shares import/export statistics along with production and consumption for all major regions and countries. Moreover, the research study classifies the Heat Resistant Conveyor Belt market based on major product types, application and end users industries of Heat Resistant Conveyor Belt. Besides, the report also covers geographical segmentation for Heat Resistant Conveyor Belt market. The report further provides production, capacity, price per region, gross margin, production cost, for all major regions and countries listed in report.The competitive landscape of the global market for Heat Resistant Conveyor Belt is determined by assessing the major industry participants, production capacity, production capacity utilization rate, Heat Resistant Conveyor Belt market's production chain, pricing by each manufacturer and the revenue generated by each manufacturer in the Heat Resistant Conveyor Belt market globally.Enquire Before Buying @The worldwide Heat Resistant Conveyor Belt market 2017 is further analyzed on the basis of product pricing, Heat Resistant Conveyor Belt production volume, data pertaining to demand and Heat Resistant Conveyor Belt supply, and the revenue garnered by the product. The report provides upstream and downstream analysis covering major raw material used in manufacturing of Heat Resistant Conveyor Belt along with detailed manufacturing sources. The report also shares list of major raw material manufacturers along with their manufacturing locations. Detailed raw material price trend analysis along with manufacturing cost analysis is also incorporated into the report. Various methodical tools such as investment returns, feasibility, SWOT analysis and market attractiveness analysis has been implemented in the research study to present a comprehensive, detailed study of the industry for Heat Resistant Conveyor Belt across the world.About UsApex Research offer latest market research reports and update to serve you with immediate on-line access to professional insights on global industries, companies, products, and trends. Customers can buys different reports across various categories such as Chemica1l and Material, Biotechnology, Healthcare, Food and beverages, Automobile and various sectors. Our Website offers safe and secure online ordering experience, convenient payment options.Contact UsFrank ValadezBusiness Development Executive| sales@apexresearch.bizPhone: +177390426831155 North Wacker Drive, Suite 4250Chicago, IL 60606 Handset Proximity Sensor Industry: Global Market Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast, 2017 Market Research Report http://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=1213507 http://www.researchmoz.us/global-handset-proximity-sensor-industry-2017-trends-and-forecast-report-report.html http://www.researchmoz.us/ http://bit.ly/1TBmnVG Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Handset Proximity Sensor Industry: Global Market Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast, 2017" to its huge collection of research reports.Handset Proximity Sensor 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 Handset Proximity Sensor 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.The report includes six parts, dealing with:1.) basic information;2.) the Asia Handset Proximity Sensor Market;3.) the North American Handset Proximity Sensor Market;4.) the European Handset Proximity Sensor Market;5.) market entry and investment feasibility;6.) the report conclusion.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Table of ContentsPart I Handset Proximity Sensor Industry OverviewChapter One Handset Proximity Sensor Industry Overview1.1 Handset Proximity Sensor Definition1.2 Handset Proximity Sensor Classification Analysis1.2.1 Handset Proximity Sensor Main Classification Analysis1.2.2 Handset Proximity Sensor Main Classification Share Analysis1.3 Handset Proximity Sensor Application Analysis1.3.1 Handset Proximity Sensor Main Application Analysis1.3.2 Handset Proximity Sensor Main Application Share Analysis1.4 Handset Proximity Sensor Industry Chain Structure Analysis1.5 Handset Proximity Sensor Industry Development Overview1.5.1 Handset Proximity Sensor Product History Development Overview1.5.1 Handset Proximity Sensor Product Market Development Overview1.6 Handset Proximity Sensor Global Market Comparison Analysis1.6.1 Handset Proximity Sensor Global Import Market Analysis1.6.2 Handset Proximity Sensor Global Export Market Analysis1.6.3 Handset Proximity Sensor Global Main Region Market Analysis1.6.4 Handset Proximity Sensor Global Market Comparison Analysis1.6.5 Handset Proximity Sensor Global Market Development Trend AnalysisChapter Two Handset Proximity Sensor 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 AnalysisBrowse More Details @About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @ Global Beta Tetralone Market 2017: Shanghai FWD Chemicals Limited, BTC Pharmaceuticals Technology, UIV Global Beta Tetralone Market http://bit.ly/2fDft7X https://market.biz/report/global-beta-tetralone-cas-530-93-8-market-2017/41387/ http://bit.ly/2xhVci4 https://market.biz/ http://firstnewshawk.com/ Global Beta Tetralone Market 2017 Research Report presents a professional and deep analysis on the present state of Beta Tetralone Market 2017 in Chemicals and Materials Industry. High Use of Beta Tetralone in Chemicals and Materials Industry Driving the Market Growth of Beta Tetralone. Beta Tetralone Market 2017 by Type (), Power Rating, Application (Medical, Chemical), and Region - Global Forecast to 2022.In the first part, Beta Tetralone Market study deals with the comprehensive overview of the Beta Tetralone market, which consists of definitions, a wide range of applications (Medical, Chemical), classifications and a complete Beta Tetralone industry chain structure. The global Beta Tetralone market analysis further consists of a competitive landscape of Beta Tetralone market, Beta Tetralone market development history and major development trends presented by Beta Tetralone market.Request for Sample Report Click Here:* Leading Manufacturers Analysis in Global Beta Tetralone Market 2017: Shanghai FWD Chemicals Limited, BTC Pharmaceuticals Technology, UIV Chem and Ningxia Beatrice medicine Technology* Beta Tetralone Market: Type Segment Analysis:* Beta Tetralone Market: Applications Segment Analysis: Medical, ChemicalThe global Beta Tetralone market is expected to reach $ XX million by 2022.As the report progresses further, it explains development plans and policies, manufacturing processes, cost structures of Beta Tetralone market as well as the leading players. It also focuses on the details like company profile, product images, supply chain relationship, import/export details of Beta Tetralone Market, market statistics of Beta Tetralone Market, upcoming development plans, Beta Tetralone Market gains, Contact details, Consumption ratio.In addition to this, the Beta Tetralone Market report also covers gross margin by regions i. e. (US, EU, China and Japan)- Beta Tetralone market. Other regions can be added efficiently.Lastly, Beta Tetralone Market report includes an in-depth analysis of sub-segments, market dynamics, feasibility study, key strategies used by leading players, market share study and growth prospects of the industry. The Beta Tetralone Report also evaluates the growth established by the market during the forecast period and research conclusions are offered.Explore More About Report Here:Thus, Beta Tetralone Market Report 2017 serves as a valuable material for all industry competitors and individuals having a keen interest in Beta Tetralone Market study.Key Highlights of the Beta Tetralone Market:> A Clear understanding of the Beta Tetralone market based on growth, constraints, opportunities, feasibility study.> Concise Beta Tetralone Market study based on major geographical regions.> Analysis of improving business sections as well as a comprehensive study of existing Beta Tetralone market segments.For Any Kind of Query Visit Here:About Us:Market.Biz is designed to provide the best and most penetrating research required to all commercial, industrial and profit-making ventures in any sector of online business. We take pride in our ability to satisfy the market research needs of both domestic and international businesses.Contact Us:James JohnsonS no. 51/14 First Floor,Office Number 4, Vishwa Arcade,Near Navale Lawns, PuneMaharashtra, India 411041Tel: +1(857)2390696Web:Email: inquiry@market.bizBrowse Latest News- Global Iron Alloy Market Research Report 2017 - Sincerity, Sanhuan, Glencore, SAIL, Nikopol http://www.qyresearchreports.com/sample/sample.php?rep_id=1302935&type=E http://www.qyresearchreports.com In this report, the global Iron Alloy 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 Iron Alloy in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaGlobal Iron Alloy market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players includingCITIC Jinzhou MetalYiwang FerroalloyErdosTianjin JinshengSinceritySanhuanSheng Yan GroupGet Free Sample of this report @Table of ContentsGlobal Iron Alloy Market Research Report 20171 Iron Alloy Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Iron Alloy1.2 Iron Alloy Segment By Carbon Content1.2.1 Global Iron Alloy Production and CAGR (%) Comparison By Carbon Content (Product Category)(2012-2022)1.2.2 Global Iron Alloy Production Market Share By Carbon Content (Product Category) in 20162 Global Iron Alloy Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1 Global Iron Alloy Capacity, Production and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.1 Global Iron Alloy Capacity and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.2 Global Iron Alloy Production and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)3 Global Iron Alloy Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2012-2017)3.1 Global Iron Alloy Capacity and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.2 Global Iron Alloy Production and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.3 Global Iron Alloy Revenue (Value) and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.4 Global Iron Alloy Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.5 North America Iron Alloy Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)About UsQYReseachReports.com delivers the latest strategic market intelligence to build a successful business footprint in China. Our syndicated and customized research reports provide companies with vital background information of the market and in-depth analysis on the Chinese trade and investment framework, which directly affects their business operations. Reports from QYReseachReports.com feature valuable recommendations on how to navigate in the extremely unpredictable yet highly attractive Chinese market.Contact usBrooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Web:Email: sales@qyresearchreports.com Global Alpha-Amylase Industry 2017, Trends, Cost Structure, Consumption Value, Sale Price and Forecast Report till 2022 Market Research HUB http://www.marketresearchhub.com/enquiry.php?type=enquiry&repid=1326817 http://www.marketresearchhub.com/report/global-alpha-amylase-industry-2017-trends-and-forecast-report-report.html http://www.marketresearchhub.com/enquiry.php?type=enquiry&repid=1326817 http://www.marketresearchhub.com/ https://www.industrynewsanalysis.com/ The report on Alpha-Amylase market is the latest addition to the huge database of Market Research Hub. This research study is segmented on the basis of applications, technology, geography, and types. The report provides a detailed Alpha-Amylase Industry Overview along with the analysis of industrys gross margin, cost structure, consumption value, and sale price. The leading companies of the Alpha-Amylase Market, manufacturers, and distributors are profiled in the report along with the latest Industry development current and future trends.Request Free Sample Report@Alpha-Amylase Report by Material, Application, and Geography Global Forecast to 2021 is a professional and comprehensive 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).In this report, the global Alpha-Amylase market is valued at USD XX million in 2017 and is projected to reach USD XX million by the end of 2021, growing at a CAGR of XX% during the period 2017 to 2021.The report firstly introduced the Alpha-Amylase 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.The major players profiled in this report include:"ArcoyBiorefineryPvt. Ltd"Hongye Holding GroupSalimetricsCompany D"SilvateamS.p.A"Company FThe end users/applications and product categories analysis:On the basis of product, this report displays the sales volume, revenue (Million USD), product price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split into-Type AType BType COn the basis on the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, sales volume, market share and growth rate of Alpha-Amylase for each application, including-Industrial useMedical useOthersBrowse Full Report with TOC@Table of ContentsPart I Alpha-Amylase Industry OverviewChapter One Alpha-Amylase Industry Overview1.1 Alpha-Amylase Definition1.2 Alpha-Amylase Classification AnalysisType AType BType C1.2.1 Alpha-Amylase Main Classification Analysis1.2.2 Alpha-Amylase Main Classification Share Analysis1.3 Alpha-Amylase Application AnalysisIndustrial useMedical useOthers1.3.1 Alpha-Amylase Main Application Analysis1.3.2 Alpha-Amylase Main Application Share Analysis1.4 Alpha-Amylase Industry Chain Structure Analysis1.5 Alpha-Amylase Industry Development Overview1.5.1 Alpha-Amylase Product History Development Overview1.5.1 Alpha-Amylase Product Market Development Overview1.6 Alpha-Amylase Global Market Comparison Analysis1.6.1 Alpha-Amylase Global Import Market Analysis1.6.2 Alpha-Amylase Global Export Market Analysis1.6.3 Alpha-Amylase Global Main Region Market Analysis1.6.4 Alpha-Amylase Global Market Comparison Analysis1.6.5 Alpha-Amylase Global Market Development Trend AnalysisChapter Two Alpha-Amylase 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 Alpha-Amylase Industry (The Report Company Including the Below Listed But Not All)Chapter Three Asia Alpha-Amylase Market Analysis3.1 Asia Alpha-Amylase Product Development History3.2 Asia Alpha-Amylase Competitive Landscape Analysis3.3 Asia Alpha-Amylase Market Development TrendContinuedEnquire About this Report@About Market Research Hub:Market Research Hub (MRH) is a next-generation reseller of research reports and analysis. MRHs expansive collection of market research reports has been carefully curated to help key personnel and decision makers across industry verticals to clearly visualize their operating environment and take strategic steps.MRH functions as an integrated platform for the following products and services: Objective and sound market forecasts, qualitative and quantitative analysis, incisive insight into defining industry trends, and market share estimates. Our reputation lies in delivering value and world-class capabilities to our clients.Contact Us90 State Street,Albany, NY 12207,United StatesToll Free:- 800-998-4852 (US-Canada)Email:- press@marketresearchhub.comWebsite:-Read Industry News at :- Global Bench-top Dental Autoclaves Market share to surpass $78mn by 2023 Global Market Insights, Inc. https://www.gminsights.com/request-sample/detail/513 https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/bench-top-dental-autoclaves-market https://www.gminsights.com/inquiry-before-buying/513 https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/steam-autoclaves-market https://www.gminsights.com https://gminsights.wordpress.com The industry report Bench-top Dental Autoclaves Market Size By Product (Pre & Post Vacuum, Semi-Automatic, Automatic), Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook, Application Potential, Price Trends, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2016 2023, by Global Market Insights, Inc., Bench-top Dental Autoclaves Market size was USD 49.4 million in 2015, with global growth projected at 6%.Rising geriatric population should significantly impact bench-top dental autoclaves market growth, as the elderly population has higher risk of acquiring dental diseases, thus requiring increased dental care. As per United Nations estimates, geriatric population globally was nearly 809.4 million in 2012, and is projected to rise and more than double to exceed 2 billion by 2050.Request for a sample of this research report -APAC with significant untapped potential in terms of both needs as well as population, could see autoclave revenue exceed USD 16 million by 2023. Growth is predominantly driven by the countries of Japan, and China, with the former having the largest regional aging population base.Vacuum autoclaves contributed the largest revenue to the global bench-top dental autoclaves market share in 2015 owing to its popular usage in dental practice. Moreover, these autoclaves are cost-effective and relatively convenient to use.Automatic bench-top dental autoclaves market should witness attractive growth at 7.1% in the coming seven years, attributed to the growing demand for automation in the field of dentistry yielding faster results without any manual interference. Manufacturers are eyeing China, India, Brazil, South Korea, and Indonesia as potential regions due to presence of large unmet dental needs, and relaxed regulatory compliance compared to U.S. and Europe.Growing concern regarding burden costs of dental diseases has led the government to take measures towards increasing awareness regarding oral health prevalence. WHO recognizes oral health to be of primary importance, various government bodies are coming forth with awareness programs. For instance, the BDA partnered with Colgate during Oral Health Month 2014 to raise awareness regarding the importance of oral health in children.Browse key industry insights spread across 50 pages with 15 market data tables & 17 figures & charts from the report, Bench-top Dental Autoclaves Market in detail along with the table of contents:Key insights from the report include:Global bench-top dental autoclaves market generated revenue of USD 49.4 million in 2015, with 6% compound growth anticipated from 2016 to 2023.Mandatory compliance to the guidelines issued by the regulatory bodies has boosted North America regional demand. U.S. bench-top dental autoclave market size accounted for over 80% revenue in this region.Pre & post vacuum dental autoclaves market dominated the global sales revenue in 2015, pegged at USD 21.1 million. The segment was majorly driven by its popular use in dental clinics and increase in demand for dental procedures.Make an inquiry for purchasing this report -Europe bench-top dental autoclaves market share is slated to reach USD 24.8 million by 2023, contributing second largest share to the market.A number of small & medium-sized players can enter the industry for manufacturing small, low capacity autoclaves; however, on the global scale the industry is steadily consolidation with periodic mergers & acquisitions.Browse Related Reports:Steam Autoclaves Market Size By Configuration (Table Top, Vertical, Horizontal, Floor Standing, High Pressure), By Application [Medical (Hospitals, Clinics, Medical Waste Management), Dental, Laboratory (Pharmaceutical, Bio-hazardous Waste Management)] Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook (U.S., Canada, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Japan, China, South Africa, Brazil, Mexico), Application Potential, Price Trends, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2016 2023About Global Market Insights:Global Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnology.Contact Us:Arun HegdeCorporate Sales, USAGlobal Market Insights, Inc.Phone: 1-302-846-7766Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688Email: sales@gminsights.comWeb:Blog: Global Acousto-optic Q-switch Market 2017: AMS Technologies AG, Gooch & Housego, Brimrose, Panasonic Acousto-optic Q-switch Market 2017 https://goo.gl/7twcAq https://goo.gl/YRE36F Global Acousto-optic Q-switch Market 2017-2022QY Market Research include new Acousto-optic Q-switch market research report "2016-2022 Report on Global Acousto-optic Q-switch Market Competition, Status and Forecast, Market Size by Players, Regions, Type, Application" to its huge collection of research reports.This report on the global Acousto-optic Q-switch market is highly useful as it covers all the aspects which are important in determining the future of this industry. The Acousto-optic Q-switch report is collated by experienced analysts who have made use of their market intelligence to cover all basic and important data about the global Acousto-optic Q-switch industry.Get Free Sample Copy of Report Here:The Acousto-optic Q-switch market report makes use of tables, charts, graphs, maps, and statistics to present the data in the easiest to understand way. The Acousto-optic Q-switch market report is a comprehensive analysis of the key factors impacting the global Acousto-optic Q-switch industry. This Acousto-optic Q-switch 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. Gooch & Housego2. Sintec Optronics Pte Ltd3. Brimrose4. AMS Technologies AG5. PanasonicThe current trends shaping the global Acousto-optic Q-switch market and how it will influence the Acousto-optic Q-switch market in the future are also studied. In addition to this, the future opportunities within the Acousto-optic Q-switch market that have the potential to help the market to expand are also given in the Acousto-optic Q-switch report.Enquire Here:The segments within the global Acousto-optic Q-switch industry and their sub-segments are also studied in detail. This ensures that the entire Acousto-optic Q-switch market is covered. The leading segment along with the declining segment and the most promising segment has been given in this Acousto-optic Q-switch 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 Acousto-optic Q-switch 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 Acousto-optic Q-switch market. The threat of new entrants or the barriers faced by new players in entering the global Acousto-optic Q-switch market has been discussed. This gives new players an idea as to whether they can survive in the competitive Acousto-optic Q-switch 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 Rotogravure Printing Machine Market Projected to Grow Steadily During 2017 - 2027 https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-3582 https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-3582 www.futuremarketinsights.com Product information in terms of specifications, usage, cautionary notes, track and trace information, etc. is of prime significance to manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, retailers and end consumers. Printing equipment and machineries have brought essential value to the overall packaging market by enabling packaging manufacturers to supply packaging systems with print capabilities. Rotogravure printing machine is extensively used in the packaging industry for printing on packaging items like polythene packets, food pouches, confectionary wrappers, soap wrappers and many flexible packaging materials. Rotogravure printing machine is a high-speed printing machine which is used for printing consistently on films of different densities while maintaining consistency and accuracy. Rotogravure printing machine is highly efficient, and reduces the waste by unprecedented amount in order to minimize the cost of packaging. Rotogravure printing machine improve the overall margin for packaging manufacturers by providing efficiency in operations.Rotogravure Printing Machine Market: Market DynamicsThe growing consumption of food and beverage products particularly for consumer packed goods, has led to rise in demand for rotogravure printing machines, which in turn is boosting the rotogravure printing machine market. The growth in packaging equipment market affects the rotogravure printing machine market. The consumable packaging market is estimated to be US$ 700.0 billion, and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 3% over the forecast period. Crucial factor supporting the rotogravure printing machine market is the efficiency in speed and cost of the rotogravure printing machine that provide high image quality on the packaging material. The rotogravure printing machine is easy to operate and has a low labor cost which is an important factor for the growth of the rotogravure printing machine market. However, the initial investment required for the installation of rotogravure printing machine may limit the scope of the rotogravure printing machine market. The presence of substitutes for rotogravure printing machine such as flexographic printing machinery is a key restraint for the growth of rotogravure printing machine market. Moreover, advancement in printing technology may make the rotogravure printing machine obsolete which may hamper the growth of the rotogravure printing machine market over the forecast period. However, the use of flexible packaging for food and consumer goods is extensive, so rotogravure printing machine market holds a good potential over the forecast period.Request For Report Sample@Rotogravure Printing Machine Market: Market SegmentationRotogravure printing machine market is segmented by the type of material used for printing, by application and end-use industry.Based on the types of material used for printing, rotogravure printing machine market is segmented into:Polyester filmsOPP filmsNylon filmPE filmPaperCarton boardAluminum foilBased on the application, rotogravure printing machine market is segmented into:PublishingPackaging labelsSecurity PrintsDecorative printingBased on the end-use industry, rotogravure printing machine market is segmented into:Food and beverage industryPharmaceutical industryConsumer goods industryOther industriesRotogravure Printing Machine Market - Regional Outlook:North AmericaLatin AmericaEastern EuropeWestern EuropeAsia-Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ)Middle East & Africa (MEA)JapanIn the backdrop of the rapid growth of manufacturing industries in APEJ region rotogravure printing machine market is expected to move vertically upward over the forecast period. North America is expected to follow the APEJ region in rotogravure printing machine market. The Eastern and Western Europe is expected to witness a steady growth for the rotogravure printing machine market, attributed to increasing consumer preference for printed packs of products. The increased consumer preference for procurement of products in smaller quantity may support the growth of rotogravure printing machine market in Japan over the forecasted period. Comparatively rotogravure printing machine market is growing at a lower rate in MEA region.Visit For TOC@Rotogravure Printing Machine Market - Key Players:Some key players for the rotogravure printing machine market are BOBST, Shaanxi Beiren Printing Machinery Co., Ltd, Wei Machine Industry Co., Ltd, J M Heaford Ltd, Toshiba Machine Co., Ltd, Windmoeller & Hoelscher Corporation, Queen's Machinery Co., Ltd, Comexi Group, DCM-ATN, Rotatek, KKA GmbH, and Gruppo Cerutti.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.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: Solar Photovoltaic (PV) in Chile Market 2017- Revenue, Price and Gross Margin Research Report 2030 https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/2321045-solar-photovoltaic-pv-in-chile-market-outlook-to-2030-update-2017 https://www.wiseguyreports.com/conferences https://www.wiseguyreports.com/seminars SUMMARYWiseGuyReports published new report, title Solar Photovoltaic (PV) in Chile, Market Outlook"Solar Photovoltaic (PV) in Chile, Market Outlook to 2030, Update 2017 - Capacity, Generation, Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE), Investment Trends, Regulations and Company Profiles", is the latest report from the industry analysis specialists that offer comprehensive information and understanding of the Solar Photovoltaic (PV) market in Chile.The report provides in depth analysis on global renewable power market and global Solar Photovoltaic (PV) market with forecasts up to 2030. The report analyzes the power market scenario in Chile (includes conventional thermal, nuclear, large hydro and renewable energy sources) and provides future outlook with forecasts up to 2030. The research details renewable power market outlook in the country (includes hydro, small hydro, biopower and Solar Photovoltaic (PV)) and provides forecasts up to 2030. The report highlights installed capacity and power generation trends from 2006 to 2030 in Chile Solar Photovoltaic (PV) market. A detailed coverage of renewable energy policy framework governing the market with specific policies pertaining to Solar Photovoltaic (PV) is provided in the report. The research also provides company snapshots of some of the major market participants.The report is built using data and information sourced from proprietary databases, secondary research and in-house analysis by team of industry experts.GET SAMPLE REPORT @ScopeThe report analyses global renewable power market, global Solar Photovoltaic (PV) market, Chile power market, Chile renewable power market and Chile Solar Photovoltaic (PV) market. The scope of the research includes -- A brief introduction on global carbon emissions and global primary energy consumption.- An overview on global renewable power market, highlighting installed capacity trends, generation trends and installed capacity split by various renewable power sources. The information is covered for the historical period 2006-2016 (unless specified) and forecast period 2017-2030.- Renewable power sources include wind (both onshore and offshore), Solar Photovoltaic (PV), concentrated solar power (CSP), small hydro power (SHP), biomass, biogas and geothermal.- Detailed overview of the global Solar Photovoltaic (PV) market with installed capacity and generation trends, installed capacity split by major Solar Photovoltaic (PV)power countries in 2016 and key owners information of various regions.- Power market scenario in Chile and provides detailed market overview, installed capacity and power generation trends by various fuel types (includes thermal conventional, nuclear, large hydro and renewable energy sources) with forecasts up to 2030.- An overview on Chile renewable power market, highlighting installed capacity trends (2006-2030), generation trends(2006-2030) and installed capacity split by various renewable power sources in 2016.- Detailed overview of Chile Solar Photovoltaic (PV) market with installed capacity and generation trends and major active and upcoming Solar Photovoltaic (PV) projects.- Deal analysis of Chile Solar Photovoltaic (PV) market. Deals are analyzed on the basis of mergers, acquisitions, partnership, asset finance, debt offering, equity offering, private equity (PE) and venture capitalists (VC).- Key policies and regulatory framework supporting the development of renewable power sources in general and Solar Photovoltaic (PV) in particular.- Company snapshots of some of the major market participants in the country.Key points to buy- The report will enhance your decision making capability in a more rapid and time sensitive manner.- Identify key growth and investment opportunities in Chile Solar Photovoltaic (PV) market.- Facilitate decision-making based on strong historic and forecast data for Solar Photovoltaic (PV) market.- Position yourself to gain the maximum advantage of the industrys growth potential.- Develop strategies based on the latest regulatory events.- Identify key partners and business development avenues.- Understand and respond to your competitors business structure, strategy and prospects.Table of Contents1 Table of Contents2 Executive Summary3 Introduction4 Renewable Power Market, Global5 Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Market, Global6 Power Market, Chile7 Renewable Power Market, Chile8 Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Market, Chile9 Power Market, Regulatory Scenario, Chile10 Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Market, Chile, Company Profiles11 Appendix..CONTINUEDContact UsEmail Us at : sales@wiseguyreports.comReach Us at : +1 339 368 6938 (US) +44 208 133 9349 (US)For accessing accurate and deep understanding and to gain latest insights and key developments in the area of your interest, we also have a list of conferences in which you will be interested in, for more information, cordially checkFor updating knowledge or for thoroughly understanding various terminologies, we also have vast list of seminars for your reference, for more information cordially checkWise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Research Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe.WISEGUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersPune - 411028Maharashtra, India Forecast on Commercial Helicopter Market for the Period 2017 - 2027 https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-3655 https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-3655 www.futuremarketinsights.com Rising use of helicopters in transportation, touring, and VIP movement has fuelled the demand for helicopters over the past few years. Helicopters can be employed in emergency situations as well, since they offer enormous manoeuvrability especially in small space and can reach to any affected area avoiding all the traffic on road as well as any natural calamity such as earthquake and flood. Moreover, these helicopters are equipped with passenger seats, better sound proofing capabilities, and air conditioning. Manufacturers are trying to make more visually appealing, carpeted interior and glossy finished commercial helicopters.The commercial helicopters can be used in the tourism industry, oil & gas transport, and VIP or corporate shuttle. In tourism industry, tour companies hire or purchase the fleet of helicopters for the transportation of the tourists offering aerial viewpoints of the tourist places. Secondly, corporate shuttle and VIP are preferred by leasing companies, VIP service or corporates. These helicopters are featured with advanced cabin comfort features. Thirdly, oil & gas support duties include pipeline patrols and light lift cargo flights.Request For Report Sample@Commercial Helicopter Market: DynamicsThe increasing per capita income coupled with aging fleet is expected to fuel the demand for global commercial helicopter market. Moreover, growing tourism industry is further expected to upsurge the demand for commercial helicopter market during the forecast period. However, stringent emission norms and high cost associated with helicopters can act as challenges for the growth of commercial helicopter market. Most of the countries impose tax on commercial helicopters, thereby hampering the growth to an extent.Helicopters produce sound level up to 110 decibels that is slightly less than the noise produced by a large chainsaw. The pressure on helicopter manufacturers to make more eco-friendly helicopters is likely to rise in the near future owing to the increasing number of rotorcrafts entering service. The developing countries such as Brazil, India and China are experiencing increase in demand for commercial helicopters owing to the growing tourism industry. Moreover, manufacturers expect that attractive financing schemes will encourage market sales, as consumers are getting favourable terms on purchase of new helicopters.Commercial Helicopter Market: OutlookCommercial helicopters cause pollution in two ways: gas emission from engine and noise pollution through its blades. Airframe and engine manufacturers are under immense pressure from environmental activists and governments to reduce the impact of rotorcrafts. Asia Pacific and Europe are estimated to be the promising markets for the delivery of helicopters in the upcoming decade. In Europe, the Clean Sky initiative by private/public partnership involving EU is developing technologies, which can be implemented in the production of new aircrafts. Similarly, Green Rotorcraft project is also taking initiatives to reduce emissions from commercial helicopters. Moreover, FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) imposed new rules on helicopter air ambulance services.Commercial helicopters are often the transportation option available to reach remote locations and hence play an important role by supporting lifesaving missions such as medical emergencies and rescue & search operations. The commercial helicopter fleet is also used for commerce and businesses such as in filmmaking, mineral, oil & gas, tourism, and mining.Visit For TOC@Commercial Helicopter Market: SegmentationOn the basis of size, the commercial helicopter market can be segmented into:Light Helicopter (< 4.5 T)Medium Helicopter ( 4.5 to 8.5 T)Heavy Helicopter (> 8.5 T)On the basis of engine type, the commercial helicopter market can be segmented into:Single EngineMulti EngineCommercial Helicopter Market: Market ParticipantsExamples of some of the market participants in the global commercial helicopter market identified across the value chain include-Airbus Helicopter (Airbus Group)Lockheed Martin Corporation (Sikorsky)Leonardo S.p.A.Bell Helicopter Textron Inc.MD Helicopters Inc.Russian Helicopters, JSCRobinson Helicopter CompanyABOUT 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.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: Global Cardboard Box Erectors Market 2017: Yuanxu Packing(Shanghai) Machinery, Panotec, Prosystem Packaging Global Cardboard Box Erectors Market http://bit.ly/2fDi9m0 https://market.biz/report/global-cardboard-box-erectors-market-2017/41448/ http://bit.ly/2wB1hGV https://market.biz/ http://firstnewshawk.com/ Global Cardboard Box Erectors Market 2017 Research Report presents a professional and deep analysis on the present state of Cardboard Box Erectors Market 2017 in Chemicals and Materials Industry. High Use of Cardboard Box Erectors in Chemicals and Materials Industry Driving the Market Growth of Cardboard Box Erectors. Cardboard Box Erectors Market 2017 by Type (), Power Rating, Application (), and Region - Global Forecast to 2022.In the first part, Cardboard Box Erectors Market study deals with the comprehensive overview of the Cardboard Box Erectors market, which consists of definitions, a wide range of applications (), classifications and a complete Cardboard Box Erectors industry chain structure. The global Cardboard Box Erectors market analysis further consists of a competitive landscape of Cardboard Box Erectors market, Cardboard Box Erectors market development history and major development trends presented by Cardboard Box Erectors market.Request for Sample Report Click Here:* Leading Manufacturers Analysis in Global Cardboard Box Erectors Market 2017: Yuanxu Packing(Shanghai) Machinery, Panotec, Prosystem Packaging, Siat, Wexxar, A-B-C Packaging, Bortolin Kemo, Tmg Impianti, Tecnobox, Itw Loveshaw, Jaepack and Gurki Packaging Machine* Cardboard Box Erectors Market: Type Segment Analysis:* Cardboard Box Erectors Market: Applications Segment Analysis:The global Cardboard Box Erectors market is expected to reach $ XX million by 2022.As the report progresses further, it explains development plans and policies, manufacturing processes, cost structures of Cardboard Box Erectors market as well as the leading players. It also focuses on the details like company profile, product images, supply chain relationship, import/export details of Cardboard Box Erectors Market, market statistics of Cardboard Box Erectors Market, upcoming development plans, Cardboard Box Erectors Market gains, Contact details, Consumption ratio.In addition to this, the Cardboard Box Erectors Market report also covers gross margin by regions i. e. (US, EU, China and Japan)- Cardboard Box Erectors market. Other regions can be added efficiently.Lastly, Cardboard Box Erectors Market report includes an in-depth analysis of sub-segments, market dynamics, feasibility study, key strategies used by leading players, market share study and growth prospects of the industry. The Cardboard Box Erectors Report also evaluates the growth established by the market during the forecast period and research conclusions are offered.Explore More About Report Here:Thus, Cardboard Box Erectors Market Report 2017 serves as a valuable material for all industry competitors and individuals having a keen interest in Cardboard Box Erectors Market study.Key Highlights of the Cardboard Box Erectors Market:> A Clear understanding of the Cardboard Box Erectors market based on growth, constraints, opportunities, feasibility study.> Concise Cardboard Box Erectors Market study based on major geographical regions.> Analysis of improving business sections as well as a comprehensive study of existing Cardboard Box Erectors market segments.For Any Kind of Query Visit Here:About Us:Market.Biz is designed to provide the best and most penetrating research required to all commercial, industrial and profit-making ventures in any sector of online business. We take pride in our ability to satisfy the market research needs of both domestic and international businesses.Contact Us:James JohnsonS no. 51/14 First Floor,Office Number 4, Vishwa Arcade,Near Navale Lawns, PuneMaharashtra, India 411041Tel: +1(857)2390696Web:Email: inquiry@market.bizBrowse Latest News- Global Renewables Battery Energy Storage Market 2017: A123 Systems, Boston Power, Enersys, Samsung SDI, Sumitomo Electric Renewables Battery Energy Storage Market 2017 https://goo.gl/QtZQGf https://goo.gl/PVznq6 Global Renewables Battery Energy Storage Market 2017-2022QY Market Research include new Renewables Battery Energy Storage market research report "2016-2022 Report on Global Renewables Battery Energy Storage Market Competition, Status and Forecast, Market Size by Players, Regions, Type, Application" to its huge collection of research reports.This report on the global Renewables Battery Energy Storage market is highly useful as it covers all the aspects which are important in determining the future of this industry. 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AES Energy Storage10. General Electric11. Toshiba12. BYD13. LG Chem14. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries15. Amperex16. Primus PowerThe current trends shaping the global Renewables Battery Energy Storage market and how it will influence the Renewables Battery Energy Storage market in the future are also studied. In addition to this, the future opportunities within the Renewables Battery Energy Storage market that have the potential to help the market to expand are also given in the Renewables Battery Energy Storage report.Enquire Here:The segments within the global Renewables Battery Energy Storage industry and their sub-segments are also studied in detail. This ensures that the entire Renewables Battery Energy Storage market is covered. The leading segment along with the declining segment and the most promising segment has been given in this Renewables Battery Energy Storage 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 Renewables Battery Energy Storage 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 Renewables Battery Energy Storage market. The threat of new entrants or the barriers faced by new players in entering the global Renewables Battery Energy Storage market has been discussed. This gives new players an idea as to whether they can survive in the competitive Renewables Battery Energy Storage 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 No SQL Database Market: Challenges and Opportunities Report 2017 - 2027 https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-4197 https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-4197 www.futuremarketinsights.com No SQL database is also known as non relational, non SQL, not only SQL database. No SQL database is used to implement big data and real time web applications. No SQL database provides users facility of storage and retrieval of data from the database used mainly for storage, access, and retrieval of unstructured data. This database system is used for many purposes in businesses of all sizes. 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The cost for handling exponentially rising data traffic and transaction volume is reduced because cheap commodity servers are used for implementing No SQL database.Global No SQL Database Market: Drivers and RestraintsThe major factor in driving the market for No SQL database is enablement for managing big data easily because of this feature the rate for adaptation of No SQL database is rising substantially. The demand for No SQL database is expected to grow significantly in forecasted period because of the growing e-commerce industries, businesses also the sectors such as retail, gaming, IT and others. Enterprises are focusing on social media for improvising their customer relationships this factor is also expected to fuel the market of No SQL database. Owing to rapid industrialization and rise in day by day data traffic is going to drive the market for No SQL database globally. Moreover, the lack of awareness regarding benefits of No SQL database over relational database approaches is going to restraine growth of No SQL database market.Request For Report Sample@Global No SQL Database Market: SegmentationBy types of No SQL databaseObject databaseTabularTuple storeHostedDocument storeKey-value storeGraphMulti-model databaseMultivalue databaseBy ApplicationData storagee-CommerceWeb applicationsSocial networkingMobile applicationsData analyticsBy data modelColumnDocumentKey valueGraphMulti-modelBased on the basis of geography:The Middle East and Africa (GCC, South Africa, North AfricaNorth America (U.S., Canada)Western Europe (Germany, Italy, France, U.K, Spain, Nordic countries, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg)Asia-Pacific (China, India, ASEAN, Australia & New Zealand)JapanLatin America (Mexico, Brazil)Eastern Europe (Poland, Russia)Global No SQL Database Market: Region wise outlookThe global No SQL Database market is divided into seven regions, namely Japan and the Middle East and Africa (MEA), North America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Latin America, Asia Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ). Among these regions, North America is going to account for a large share of the market and lead the global market owing to the increasing usage of IT and the growing internet access across North America followed by Latin America. APEJ, Japan, MEA is expected to grow with highest CAGR due to rising in demand of data management solution in all verticals.Visit For TOC@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.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: Global Jet Mixer Market Forecast 2017 to 2021- Fluko, Xylem Inc, Alfa Laval Global Jet Mixer Market https://goo.gl/EoR7qG https://goo.gl/bEuu6A https://market.biz http://emarkets.eu Global Jet Mixer Market 2017 intends to provide the elementary information focusing on elite market players, industry competitors to acquaint the users with company breakthroughs which will help them in making appropriate decisions. The indepth study of Jet Mixer market will further help the readers in identifying the growth opportunities and the risk factors on a global scale.Global Jet Mixer Report covers distinct aspects of the market including the product category, product specifications, a range of applications and major geographical producing regions. The key regions covered in Jet Mixer report are the countries present in North America, Europe, APAC, South America, Middle East and Africa.Global Jet Mixer Report covers every minute details of the industry and the prominent market players present in different countries analysing the latest development plans, market situations, which will help in making vital business decisions.Do Inquiry Before Accessing Global Jet Mixer Market 2017 Report at:Core Highlights of Jet Mixer Market:1. Analysis of Jet Mixer market on global scale on the basis of market volume, price estimates and sales revenue will help in knowing the market trends during 2017 to 2023.2. Global Jet Mixer report provides information about the key market players along with their consumer volume, competitive scenario, growth aspects during the forecast period from 2017 to 2023.3. The top dominant players of Jet Mixer market decide certain strategies which will lead to growth, excellent performance and the analysis of competitive scenario on the global basis.Top players in Jet Mixer Market:GEA WiegandAlfa LavalXylem IncFlukoPallMitecoSharpeIKAFunkenRequest A Sample Copy of Report Here:Jet Mixer Market Review Based On Regions:1.North America2.Europe3.China4.Japan5.Southeast Asia6.IndiaThe Global Jet Mixer report is divided into 2 segments on the basis of Product type and Product application.The thorough analysis of Jet Mixer dominant players, the business strategies followed by them, company information, market share and industry trends during the forecast period will fuel the growth during the forecast period.In conclusion the Jet Mixer report analyses the global market, important business strategies, emerging market segments, the past, present and future market trends on the basis of consumer volume. Hence, Global Jet Mixer report is beneficial research material for all the market vendors.About Us:Market.Biz is designed to provide the best and most penetrating research required to all commercial, industrial and profit-making ventures in any sector of online business. We take pride in our ability to satisfy the market research needs of both domestic and international businesses.Market.Biz has access to the world's most comprehensive and up-to-date databases in your business sector, including countless market reports that can provide you with valuable data relating to your business. We understand the needs of our clients, and keep our reports updated as market requirement changes.Contact US:GlobeMetrixJames JohnsonS no. 51/14 First Floor, Office Number 4,Vishwa Arcade, Near Navale Lawns,Pune, Maharashtra, India 411041Tel: +1(857)2390696Email: inquiry@market.bizWebsite:Blog: Global Emission Monitoring Systems Market Is Expected To Present An Opportunity Worth US$7, 1187 mn By 2025 At A CAGR Of 7.5% Emission Monitoring Systems Market http://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=1128365 http://www.researchmoz.us/emission-monitoring-systems-market-global-industry-analysis-size-share-growth-trends-and-forecast-2017-2025-report.html http://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=E&repid=1128365 http://www.researchmoz.us/ http://marketresearchlatestreports.blogspot.in/ Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Emission Monitoring Systems Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2017 - 2025" to its huge collection of research reports.Global Emission Monitoring Systems Market: OverviewThe Emission Monitoring Systems Market report provides analysis for the period 2015 2025, wherein the period from 2017 to 2025 is the forecast and 2016 is the base year. The report covers all the major trends and technologies playing influential role in the emission monitoring systems markets growth over the forecast period. It also highlights the drivers, restraints, opportunities and trends expected to impact markets growth during the said period. The study provides a comprehensive perspective on global emission monitoring systems markets evolution throughout the above mentioned forecast period in terms of revenue (in US$ Mn).To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @The market overview section of the report demonstrates the market dynamics such as the drivers, restraints, opportunities, trends that is expected to influence the current nature and future status of this market. Key indicators mentioned in the report, provide a robust view about the vital factors that led to the strong adoption of emission monitoring systems around the globe. The key indicators also provide significance of the factors which are capable of changing the market scenario. These indicators are expected to define the market position during the forecast period. An attractiveness analysis has also been provided for every segment in the report, in order to provide a thorough understanding of the overall scenario in the emission monitoring systems market. Moreover, the report provides an overview of various strategies adopted by the key players present in the market.Global Emission Monitoring Systems Market: SegmentationThe report segments the market on the basis of technology and industry verticals. The technology segment includes predictive emission monitoring systems and continuous emission monitoring systems. The industry verticals considered in the emission monitoring systems market include Oil & Gas, Chemicals & Fertilizers, Cement, Pulp & Paper, Energy/Power, Mining, Others. The others segment of the end-use vertical include Electronics, Food & Beverages, Healthcare, incineration and waste water treatment. The report provides in-depth segment analysis of the global emission monitoring systems market, thereby providing valuable insights at the macro as well as micro levels.Global Emission Monitoring Systems Market: Competitive LandscapeThe report also highlights the competitive landscape of the global emission monitoring systems market, thereby positioning all the major players according to their presence in different regions of the world and recent key developments initiated by them in the emission monitoring systems market. The comprehensive emission monitoring systems market estimates are the result of our in-depth secondary research, primary interviews, and in-house expert panel reviews. These market estimates have been analyzed by taking into account the impact of different political, social, economic, technological, and legal factors along with the current market dynamics affecting emission monitoring systems market growth.Browse Detail Report With Full TOC @This report provides all the essential information required to understand the key developments in the technology used in emission monitoring systems market, growth trend of each segment and strategy of each company that help them to efficiently compete in the market. Also, the report provides insights related to trends and its impact on the market. Furthermore, Porters Five Forces analysis explains the factors which are currently affecting the emission monitoring systems market. This report also provides comparative analysis of predictive and continuous emission monitoring systems on the basis of various parameters namely, cost, application area, time required for configuration and hardware requirementKey Players Mentioned in this Research Report are:ABB Ltd., Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises Inc., Sick AG, Siemens AG, Emerson Electric Co., AMETEK, Inc., Durag Group and Teledyne Technologies Inc., Rockwell Automation Inc., General Electric, Opsis, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., Beijing SDL Technology Co., Ltd., ALS Limited, Parker Hannifin Ltd, Buhler Technologies GmbH, M&C TechGroup, Horiba, Yokogawa Electric Corporation, Fuji electric, Servomex, Enironnement S.A. are some of the major players operating within the Emission Monitoring Systems market profiled in this study. Details such as financials, SWOT analysis, business strategies, recent developments, and other such strategic information pertaining to these players have been duly provided as part of company profiling.Global Emission Monitoring Systems MarketBy Technology- Predictive Emission Monitoring Systems- Continuous Emission Monitoring SystemsBy End-Use Vertical- Oil &Gas- Chemicals & Fertilizers- Cement- Pulp & Paper- Energy/Power- Mining- OthersMake an Enquiry of this report @About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074For More Reports Visit @ Global Silicon Nitride Ceramic Substrate Market: Japan Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast, 2017 - 2022 Market Research Report https://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=1309834 https://www.researchmoz.us/2017-2022-global-and-japan-silicon-nitride-ceramic-substrate-market-analysis-report-report.html http://www.researchmoz.us/ http://bit.ly/1TBmnVG Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Global Silicon Nitride Ceramic Substrate Market: Japan Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast, 2017 - 2022" to its huge collection of research reports.The global Silicon Nitride Ceramic Substrate market is valued at XX million USD in 2016 and is expected to reach XX million USD by the end of 2017, growing at a CAGR of XX% between 2016 and 2022.Japan plays an important role in global market, with market size of xx million USD in 2016 and will be xx million USD in 2017, with a CAGR of xx%.This report, with focus on top players in the global and Japan, studies the Silicon Nitride Ceramic Substrate market's development status and future trend in the global and Japan. It splits Silicon Nitride Ceramic Substrate market by type and by applications to fully and deeply research and reveal market profile and prospect.The major players includeToshiba Materials (Japan)Rogers Corp (Germany)Kyocera (Japan)Maruwa (Japan)Coors Tek (Germany)Denka (Japan)Tomley Hi-tech (China)Geographically, this report splits the Global market into the following regions:Asia PacificJapanTokyoYokohamaOsakaNagoyaOthersChinaKoreaIndiaOthersEuropeFranceGermanyUnited KingdomItalyRussiaOthersNorth AmericaUnited StatesCanadaLatin AmericaTo Get Sample Copy of Report visit @On the basis of product, the Silicon Nitride Ceramic Substrate market is primarily split intoBy Thermal ConductivityHigh Thermal Conductivity SubstrateRegular SubstrateOtherBy ProcessPressure SinteringHot Pressing SinteringReactive SinteringHot Isostatic Pressing SinteringOtherKey ApplicationsPower ModuleHeat SinksLEDWireless ModulesOtherTable of Contents2017-2022 Global and Japan Silicon Nitride Ceramic Substrate Market Analysis Report1 Silicon Nitride Ceramic Substrate Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Silicon Nitride Ceramic Substrate1.2 Global and Japan Silicon Nitride Ceramic Substrate Market by Applications/End Users1.2.1 Japan Silicon Nitride Ceramic Substrate Sales (K Pcs) and Market Share Comparison by Applications (2012-2017)1.2.1.1 Japan Silicon Nitride Ceramic Substrate Sales (K Pcs) and Market Share by Applications (2012-2017)1.2.1.2 Japan Silicon Nitride Ceramic Substrate Sales Growth Rate (%) by Applications (2012-2017)1.2.1.3 Market Drivers and OpportunitiesBrowse More Details @About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @ Airbag Fabric Market News 2017: Industry Size, Share, Growth, Trends, Forecast to 2022 ReportsWeb http://www.reportsweb.com/inquiry&RW00011080611/sample http://www.reportsweb.com/global-airbag-fabric-market-research-report-2017 http://www.reportsweb.com/inquiry&RW00011080611/discount ReportsWeb.com has announced the addition of the Global Airbag Fabric Market Professional Survey Report 2017 The report focuses on global major leading players with information such as company profiles, product picture and specification.Global Airbag Fabric market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players includingHyosungToyoboTorayKolonSafety ComponentsHMTTakataPorcherUTTMillikenDualRequest a sample copy atGeographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD) , market share and growth rate of Airbag Fabric 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 intoFlat Airbag FabricOPW Airbag FabricOn 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 Airbag Fabric for each application, includingFront AirbagSide AirbagOtherFor More information about this report atTable of Content:-1 Industry Overview of Airbag Fabric2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Airbag Fabric2.1 Raw Material and Suppliers3 Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis of Airbag Fabric4 Global Airbag Fabric Overall Market Overview5 Airbag Fabric Regional Market Analysis5.1 North America Airbag Fabric Market Analysis6 Global 2012-2017E Airbag Fabric Segment Market Analysis (by Type)6.1 Global 2012-2017E Airbag Fabric Sales by Type7 Global 2012-2017E Airbag Fabric Segment Market Analysis (by Application)8 Airbag Fabric Manufacturing Cost Analysis8.1 Airbag Fabric Key Raw Materials Analysis8.1.1 Key Raw Materials8.1.2 Price Trend of Key Raw Materials8.1.3 Key Suppliers of Raw Materials8.1.4 Market Concentration Rate of Raw Materials8.2 Proportion of Manufacturing Cost Structure8.2.1 Raw Materials8.2.2 Labor Cost8.2.3 Manufacturing Expenses8.3 Manufacturing Process Analysis of Airbag Fabric9Development Trend of Analysis of Airbag Fabric Market10 Airbag Fabric Marketing Type Analysis11 Consumers Analysis of Airbag FabricDiscount on report purchase 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.Pune:505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028 Global and United States Patient Registry Software Market Report 2017-2022 : Status and Forecast, by Players, Types and Applications http://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=1315432 http://www.researchmoz.us/2017-2022-patient-registry-software-report-on-global-and-united-states-market-status-and-forecast-by-players-types-and-applications-report.html http://bit.ly/1TBmnVG http://deep-research-report.blogspot.com/ ResearchMoz added Latest Research Report titled " 2017-2022 Patient Registry Software Report on Global and United States Market, Status and Forecast, by Players, Types and Applications " to it's Large Report database.This report studies the Patient Registry Software market status and outlook of global and major regions, from angles of players, regions, product and end Application/industries; this report analyzes the top players in global and major regions, and splits the Patient Registry Software market by product and Application/end industries.The global Patient Registry Software market is valued at XX million USD in 2016 and is expected to reach XX million USD by the end of 2022, growing at a CAGR of XX% between 2016 and 2022.The Asia-Pacific will occupy for more market share in following years, especially in China, also fast-growing India and Southeast Asia regions.United States will still play an important role which cannot be ignored. Any changes from United States might affect the development trend of Patient Registry Software.EU also play important roles in global market, with market size of xx million USD in 2016 and will be xx million USD in 2022, with a CAGR of XX.Request for Sample PDF of Premium Research Report with TOC:The major players in global market includePhytel, IncImagetrend, IncFIGmd, Inc.Liaison TechnologiesCECity.com, IncDacima Software, Inc.Global Vision Technologies, Inc. (GVT)Ifa systems AGINC RESEARCH HOLDINGS, INC.M2S, Inc. (A Medstreaming Company)McKesson CorporationQUINTILES IMS HOLDINGS, INC.Optum, Inc. (A Part of Unitedhealth Group, Inc.)EVADO Pty. Ltd.Velos, Inc.Browse more details @Table of Contents1 Industry Overview1.1 Patient Registry Software Market Overview1.1.1 Patient Registry Software Product Scope1.1.2 Market Status and Outlook1.2 Global Patient Registry Software Market Size and Analysis by Regions (2012-2017)1.2.1 United States Patient Registry Software Market Status and Outlook1.2.2 EU Patient Registry Software Market Status and Outlook1.2.3 Japan Patient Registry Software Market Status and Outlook1.2.4 China Patient Registry Software Market Status and Outlook1.2.5 India Patient Registry Software Market Status and Outlook1.2.6 Southeast Asia Patient Registry Software Market Status and Outlook1.3 Classification of Patient Registry Software by Product1.3.1 Global Patient Registry Software Revenue (Million USD) and Growth (%) Comparison by Product (2012-2022)1.3.2 Global Patient Registry Software Revenue (Million USD) Market Share (%) by Product in 20161.3.3 By Software1.3.4 By Delivery1.4 Patient Registry Software Market by End Users/Application1.4.1 Government Organizations & TPAs1.4.2 Hospitals and Medical Practices1.4.3 Private Payers2 Global Patient Registry Software Competition Analysis by Players2.1 Global Patient Registry Software Market Size (Million USD) by Players (2012-2017)2.2 Competitive Status and Trend2.2.1 Market Concentration Rate2.2.2 Product/Service Differences2.2.3 New Entrants2.2.4 The Technology Trends in FutureAbout ResearchMozResearchMoz is the world's fastest growing collection of market research reports worldwide. Our database is composed of current market studies from over 100 featured publishers worldwide. Our market research databases integrate statistics with analysis from global, regional, country and company perspectives. ResearchMoz's service portfolio also includes value-added services such as market research customization, competitive landscaping, and in-depth surveys, delivered by a team of experienced Research Coordinators.Contact Us:Mr. Nachiket Ghumare90 State Street, Albany NY, United States - 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074 / Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Email: sales@researchmoz.usFollow us on LinkedIn at:Follow me on Blogger at: 2017-2022 Global and United States Quick Service Restaurants System Market Report - Key Players: 3M, HME, IDS, Ravel, ScanSource, Everbrite etc. http://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=1315433 http://www.researchmoz.us/2017-2022-quick-service-restaurants-system-report-on-global-and-united-states-market-status-and-forecast-by-players-types-and-applications-report.html http://bit.ly/1TBmnVG http://deep-research-report.blogspot.com/ ResearchMoz added Latest Research Report titled " 2017-2022 Quick Service Restaurants System Report on Global and United States Market, Status and Forecast, by Players, Types and Applications " to it's Large Report database.This report studies the Quick Service Restaurants System market status and outlook of global and major regions, from angles of players, regions, product and end Application/industries; this report analyzes the top players in global and major regions, and splits the Quick Service Restaurants System market by product and Application/end industries.The global Quick Service Restaurants System market is valued at XX million USD in 2016 and is expected to reach XX million USD by the end of 2022, growing at a CAGR of XX% between 2016 and 2022.The Asia-Pacific will occupy for more market share in following years, especially in China, also fast-growing India and Southeast Asia regions.United States will still play an important role which cannot be ignored. Any changes from United States might affect the development trend of Quick Service Restaurants System.EU also play important roles in global market, with market size of xx million USD in 2016 and will be xx million USD in 2022, with a CAGR of XX.Request for Sample PDF of Premium Research Report with TOC:The major players in global market includeNEXTEP SystemScanSourceHMERavelIDSThe Howard Company3MOrigin Menu BoardsEverbritePanasonicHuafone Technology LLCMarvel Technology (China)Browse more details @Table of Contents1 Industry Overview1.1 Quick Service Restaurants System Market Overview1.1.1 Quick Service Restaurants System Product Scope1.1.2 Market Status and Outlook1.2 Global Quick Service Restaurants System Market Size and Analysis by Regions (2012-2017)1.2.1 United States Quick Service Restaurants System Market Status and Outlook1.2.2 EU Quick Service Restaurants System Market Status and Outlook1.2.3 Japan Quick Service Restaurants System Market Status and Outlook1.2.4 China Quick Service Restaurants System Market Status and Outlook1.2.5 India Quick Service Restaurants System Market Status and Outlook1.2.6 Southeast Asia Quick Service Restaurants System Market Status and Outlook1.3 Classification of Quick Service Restaurants System by Product1.3.1 Global Quick Service Restaurants System Revenue (Million USD) and Growth (%) Comparison by Product (2012-2022)1.3.2 Global Quick Service Restaurants System Revenue (Million USD) Market Share (%) by Product in 20161.3.3 Hardware Equipment1.3.4 Software1.3.5 Accessories1.3.6 Services1.4 Quick Service Restaurants System Market by End Users/Application1.4.1 Restaurant POS1.4.2 Mobile Ordering1.4.3 Drive-Thru Display Boards1.4.4 Timer & TrackingAbout ResearchMozResearchMoz is the world's fastest growing collection of market research reports worldwide. Our database is composed of current market studies from over 100 featured publishers worldwide. Our market research databases integrate statistics with analysis from global, regional, country and company perspectives. ResearchMoz's service portfolio also includes value-added services such as market research customization, competitive landscaping, and in-depth surveys, delivered by a team of experienced Research Coordinators.Contact Us:Mr. Nachiket Ghumare90 State Street, Albany NY, United States - 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074 / Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Email: sales@researchmoz.usFollow us on LinkedIn at:Follow me on Blogger at: Veterinary Antibiotics Market: Competitive Intelligence and Tracking Report 2017 - 2027 https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-4295 https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-4295 www.futuremarketinsights.com Over the past few years animal antibiotics have accounted for major share in animal health industry owing to the rising need to treat, control or prevent animals against diseases. These are also used as growth promoters and play a vital role in maintaining animal health. Antibiotics are generally the anti-bacterial compounds that have a direct action on bacteria, thereby preventing the infection in livestock and companion animals. Growing concerns over antibiotic resistance in human beings coupled with rising demand for milk, eggs and meat is influencing the veterinary antibiotic market across the globe. Rising prevalence of zoonotic disease worldwide is one of the major factor fueling the demand for veterinary antibiotics both in livestock animals as well as companion animlas. However, many farm and pet owners supported by veterinary healthcare activists are shifting towards vaccines owing to the harmful effects, such as antibiotic resistance, caused by long term usage of antibiotics. Also, stringent regulations imposed by FDA on use of prescribed antibiotics by the veterinarians is also hindering the market for veterinary antibiotics at present. Whereas in long run, regulations imposed by U.S. FDA are anticipated to pace the demand for these antibiotics.Veterinary Antibiotics Market: Drivers and RestraintsSome of the factors such as rising awareness about zoonotic disease, rising incidence of disease outbreaks in animals, growing demand for animal derived food products, implementation of stringent regulations to prevent animal diseases and elevating animal population and pet adoption are anticipated to drive the market for veterinary antibiotics across the globe. Also, the growing demand for pet health insurance coupled with rise in healthcare expenditure is propelling the demand for veterinary antibiotics globally.Request For Report Sample@However, increasing antibiotic resistance among food producing animals along with regulatory authorities restricting their use is restraining the growth of veterinary antibiotics market. Also, presence of competitive replacement products such as vaccines and probiotics are also limiting the usage of antibiotics to treat animals on large scale.Veterinary Antibiotics Market: SegmentationSegmentation by Product TypeTetracyclinesPenicillinsMacrolidesSulphonamidesAminoglycosidesOthersSegmentation by Route of AdministrationPremixesInjectionsOral PowdersOral SolutionsOthersSegmentation by Animal TypeFood-producing AnimalsCompanion AnimalsVeterinary Antibiotics Market: OverviewThe market for the veterinary antibiotics is increasing due to the growing animal healthcare industry coupled with continuous development in this sector. On the basis of product type, tetracycline is anticipated to hold the largest market share in veterinary antibiotics market on the account of widespread use in food producing animals. Also, the rising awareness among people regarding essential pet health care is facilitating the market for veterinary antibiotics.Veterinary Antibiotics Market: Regional OverviewOn the basis of region, veterinary antibiotics market is segmented into North America, Latin America, Asia-Pacific excluding Japan, Eastern Europe, and Western Europe, Japan MEA and others. Among these, North America accounts for major share in veterinary antibiotics market, whereas, Asia-Pacific is anticipated to register the fastest growth at highest CAGR during the forecast period owing to presence of lenient regulations. However, unlike developed countries, the developing nations are projected to experience large demand for veterinary antibiotics due to less stringent regulations imposed on their usage.Visit For TOC@Veterinary Antibiotics Market: Key PlayersSome of the key players in the veterinary antibiotics market involves Zoetis, Inc., Merck & Co., Inc., Bayer AG, Sanofi, Eli Lilly and Company, Ceva Sante Animale and others.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.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: Interior Packaging Market Forecast Report Offers Actionable Insights 2017 - 2027 https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-4298 https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-4298 www.futuremarketinsights.com Interior Packaging is the packaging layer applied directly over the product. The Interior packaging is the first layer of packaging in which the product is contained. For product manufacturer its utmost important to pack the commodities or goods with best possible way so that the later is least damaged or spoilt during handling or transportation. Packaging industries has undergone tremendous evolution in last few decades due to which it there has been many innovations and changes. Interior packaging has been one such development from packaging industries on which now company depends for improved packaging of their products for product longevity and quality. With growth in various industries such as F&B, FMCG etc. it can be anticipated that interior packaging will be growth exponentially over the forecast period.Global Interior Packaging: Market DynamicsThe factors fueling the growth of the world Interior packaging market are ease to storing, measuring, handling and transporting the goods and commodities in various forms such as liquid, powder or semi liquid state. With ease of doing business now companies and industries to expand globally for which it needs to transport their goods and products to various places within nation boundaries as well as international boundaries. In order to keep products and goods in appropriate conditions such interior packaging has been gaining greater importance across various industries. Interior packaging also helps the manufacturers to maintain the aesthetic look of the product. Across various regions industries such as which manufactures various foods and commodities are on expansion spree to meet the high demand of consumers which will again also boost the growth of interior packaging. Even other industries such as alternative medicines, supplement industries as well as pharmaceutical products are gaining affinity which will again be an another factor that will drive the growth of interior packaging. Growth in modern retail format, e-commerce industry again are few of the various other products which will indirectly infuse momentum in interior packaging market.Request For Report Sample@However, in developing nations due to absence of demand of certain goods and commodities, can present challenge to the growth of interior packaging. But nevertheless companies and manufacturers are on competition to give best quality product in optimum packaging standard which will eventually mitigate any possibilities that can be any sort of restraint for the growth of interior packaging.Global Interior Packaging: SegmentationBased on the material type of interior packaging, the global Interior packaging market is segmented intoPlasticAluminum FoilCoated PapersOthersBy design type, the global Interior packaging market is segmented intoPrintedUn-PrintedBy end-user type, the global Interior packaging market is segmented intoFood & BeveragesHealth supplementsPharmaceuticalsPet FoodsOthersGlobal Interior Packaging: Regional OverviewGeographically, the global vial Interior packaging market is segmented into North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Japan, Middle East and Africa and Asia-Pacific excluding Japan. The North America market dominate the global Interior packaging market regarding market share owing to increase in the adoption of such packaging for packaging of various commodities and products. Next to North America, Asia Pacific has been gaining tremendous growth in interior packaging. APEJ is a region with countries with huge population and thus demand of various goods and commodities which is fuelling the demand of interior packaging. Western Europe is also a prominent region where interior packaging has a substantial demand. Japan on the other hand due to its advance process of packaging goods and commodities is pushing the growth of interior packaging. MEA & Latin America has also witnessed growth in establishments of various industries such as F&B industries, FMCG industries etc. which will be the major consumer of interior packaging subsequently. Overall the interior packaging is gaining significant acceptance across various region and countries.Visit For TOC@Global Interior Packaging: Market PlayersSome of the prominent players of the global Interior packaging market include-AmcorBASF S.EAEP IndustriesAmcorBemis CompanyConstantia FlexiblesBerry PlasticsDS Smith,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.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: Asia Pacific Renewable Energy Policy Handbook 2017 ReportsWeb http://www.reportsweb.com/asia-pacific-renewable-energy-policy-handbook-2017 http://www.reportsweb.com/inquiry&RW0001851093/sample http://www.reportsweb.com/inquiry&RW0001851093/buying ReportsWeb.com published Renewable Energy Market from its database. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market."Asia Pacific Renewable Energy Policy Handbook 2017" is among the latest region specific policy reports from Publisher, the industry analysis specialist that offers comprehensive information on major policies governing renewable energy market in the region.The report provides the current and future renewable energy targets and plans along with the present policy framework, giving a fair idea of overall growth potential of the renewable energy industry. The report also provides major technology specific policies and incentives provided in the region.The report is built using data and information sourced from industry associations, government websites and statutory bodies. The information is also sourced through other secondary research sources such as industry and trade magazines.For more information about this report:Scope- The report covers policy measures and incentives used in the Asia Pacific region to promote renewable energy.- The report details promotional measures in the Asia Pacific region both for the overall renewable energy industry and for specific renewable energy technologies that have potential in the region.Reasons to buyThe report will enhance your decision making capability in a more rapid and time sensitive manner. It will allow you to -- Develop business strategies with the help of specific insights about policy decisions being taken for different renewable energy sources.- Identify opportunities and challenges in exploiting various renewable technologies.- Compare the level of support provided to different renewable energy technologies in the Asia Pacific region.- Be ahead of competition by keeping yourself abreast of all the latest policy changes.Request Sample Copy atTable of Content:1.1 List of Tables 62 Executive Summary 83 Introduction 104 Renewable Energy Policy, Australia 115 Renewable Energy Policy, China 206 Renewable Energy Policy, India 407 Renewable Energy Policy, Indonesia 558 Renewable Energy Policy, Japan 619 Renewable Energy Policy, Kazakhstan 6510 Renewable Energy Policy, Malaysia 6911 Renewable Energy Policy, New Zealand 7312 Renewable Energy Policy, Pakistan 7913 Renewable Energy Policy, Philippines 8614 Renewable Energy Policy, Singapore 9015 Renewable Energy Policy, South Korea 9316 Renewable Energy Policy, Taiwan 10117 Renewable Energy Policy, Thailand 10718 Renewable Energy Policy, Vietnam 11519 Appendix 122Inquire for Report atContact Us:Call: +1-646-491-9876Email: sales@reportsweb.comReportsWeb.com is a one stop shop of market research reports and solutions to various companies across the globe. We help our clients in their decision support system by helping them choose most relevant and cost effective research reports and solutions from various publishers. We provide best in class customer service and our customer support team is always available to help you on your research queries.505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028 Graph Database Market Intelligence with Competitive Landscape 2017 - 2027 https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-4352 https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-4352 www.futuremarketinsights.com Graph database is an online database management system where connected elements are linked together. Graph database is an ideal solution to store data and to connect relationships between data much more accurately than a relational database (RDBMS). Graph Database is engineered with transactional integrity and operational availability, designed to deliver high-level transactional performance. Graph databases connect the data stored in the graph, and also equipped to determine how things relate to one another quickly. Graph database is flexible with expanding data mode and suitable for delivery aligned with todays changing business needs & delivery practices. Some of the predominant business giants utilizing graph databases are Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, and PayPal. Three key advantages of graph database are Flexibility, Performance, and Agility. Some of the common use cases of graph databases are fraud detection, real-time recommendation engines, master data management (MDM), network and its operations, identity and access management (IAM).Graph Database Market: Market DynamicsExpanding business applications with connected data coupled with rising technological challenges of connected data is the prominent factor drives the growth of global graph database market. Additionally, expanding enterprise data volumes coupled with growing importance to generate insight from existing data, rising focus on data monetization solutions and increasing demand for master data management solutions, are the factors further accelerates the growth of global graph database market. Also, growing dependency on connected data for fraud detection across various industries including e-commerce, banking, financial services and insurance, contributes the growth of growth of global graph database market. Furthermore, rising demand for connected data to optimize marketing performance, continuous adoption to cloud computing environment across various industries and expanding (IoT) applications, expected to fuel the growth of global graph database market. However, implementation challenges and lack of understanding regarding the potential benefits of graph databases are the key factors identified as restraints likely to deter the progression of global graph database market.Request For Report Sample@Graph Database Market: Market SegmentationThe globalgraph database market is segmented on the basis of component, vertical, end-user type, and by regionGraph Database Market: Segmentation on the basis of ComponentSoftwareOn premiseCloudServicesConsulting & TrainingGraph Database Market: Segmentation on the basis of VerticalBFSIInformation TechnologyTelecommunicationTravel & LogisticsHealthcare & PharmaceuticalManufacturingE-commerce & RetailOthersGraph Database Market: Segmentation on the basis of End-user TypeSmall & Medium EnterprisesLarge EnterprisesGraph Database Market: Segmentation on the basis of RegionNorth AmericaLatin AmericaWestern EuropeEastern EuropeAsia-Pacific excluding JapanJapanThe Middle East and AfricaGraph Database Market: Regional OutlookAmong all regions, graph database market in North America is expected to dominate the market, due to increasing demand for data analytics solutions and continuous focus to deliver personalized customer experience by organizations across various industries. Asia-Pacific is identified as the fastest growing graph database market due to expanding cloud computing solutions and growing preference to generate competitive insights from connected data from banking, financial, and e-commerce sector.Visit For TOC@Graph Database Market: Competition LandscapeSome of the prominent players in the global graph database market include Oracle, International Business Machines Corporation, Neo Technology, Inc., OrientDB, Franz Inc.(AllegroGraph), DataStax, Ontotext AD, ArangoDB GmbH, Sparsity Technologies, and Objectivity Inc.( InfiniteGraph).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.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: Network Forensics Market Intelligence Report for Comprehensive Information 2017 - 2027 https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-4354 https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-4354 www.futuremarketinsights.com Expanding enterprise computing and growing importance for network monitoring & analysis is the key factor contributes the growth of global network forensics market. Network forensics is an advanced tool, which enables identification and investigation of network attacks by recording, storage, and analysis of an enterprise network traffic. Network forensics delivers a complete record of network communications, equipped with powerful search and analysis tools for combing stored traffic to find critical information. Network forensics is an essential IT capability helps organizations to optimize its IT planning and reporting structure, enables faster troubleshooting, incident diagnosing and also provides faster characterization and remediation of security attacks. Network forensics provides 24/7 visibility into business operations & network performance and reduces the risk of regulatory penalties and fines. With the help of network forensics solutions, organizations can conduct various IT investigations including network troubleshooting, network performance benchmarking, transactional analysis and security attack analysis.Network Forensics Market: Market DynamicsExpanding network connectivity, complexity and activity in enterprise environments coupled with growing importance for network reconnaissance are the key driving factor propels the growth of global network forensics market.Request For Report Sample@Additionally, Rising IT security attacks, increasing IT investment across various industries on cyber security tools & training, and growing demand for network monitoring solutions to satisfy mandatory compliance and government regulations further accelerates the growth of global network forensics market.Continuous focus on reducing IT network downtime across various organizations, and growing importance to identify unauthorized access and to discover the source of security attacks, are the factors expected to fuel the growth of global network forensics market.However, the inherent anonymity of the Internet protocols and complexity in integrating and storage of the huge volume of enterprise data for investigation & other forensic procedures, are some of the factors identified as key challenges likely to deter the progression of global network forensics market.Network Forensics Market: Market SegmentationThe global network forensics market is segmented on the basis of component, end-user, end-user type, and by regionNetwork Forensics Market: Segmentation on the basis of componentSoftwareServicesNetwork Forensics Market: Segmentation on the basis of End-UserBFSIGovernmentIT and TelecommunicationManufacturingEnergy and UtilitiesHealthcareRetailNetwork Forensics Market: Segmentation on the basis of End-User TypeSmall and Medium EnterprisesLarge EnterprisesNetwork Forensics Market: Segmentation on the basis of RegionNorth AmericaLatin AmericaWestern EuropeEastern EuropeAsia-Pacific excluding JapanJapanThe Middle East and AfricaNetwork Forensics Market: Regional OutlookAmong all regions, network forensics market in North America is expected to dominate global network forensics market, due to the presence of prominent players specialized in network forensics in the region and increasing investment to create network forensics infrastructure by organizations across various industries. In terms of revenue, Asia-Pacific is identified as the fastest growing network forensics market, due to expanding IT infrastructure of organizations across various industries and rising focus on real-time network monitoring and threat intelligence solutions.Visit For TOC@Network Forensics Market: Competitive LandscapeSome of the prominent players in the global network forensics market includes, IBM Corporation, RSA Security LLC, Symantec Corporation, Viavi Solutions Inc., FireEye, Inc., LogRhythm, Inc., SAVVIUS, INC, NETSCOUT, NIKSUN Incorporated., and Novetta SolutionsABOUT 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.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: Global Freediving Respiratory Systems Market 2017 - Aqualung, Mares, Poseidon, Tusa, Scubapro http://www.qyresearchreports.com/sample/sample.php?rep_id=1128705&type=E http://www.qyresearchreports.com In this report, the global Freediving Respiratory Systems market is valued at USD XX million in 2016 and is expected to reach USD XX million by the end of 2022, growing at a CAGR of XX% between 2016 and 2022.Geographically, this report split global into several key Regions, with sales (K Units), revenue (Million USD), market share and growth rate of Freediving Respiratory Systems for these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringUnited StatesChinaEuropeJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaGlobal Freediving Respiratory Systems market competition by top manufacturers/players, with Freediving Respiratory Systems sales volume, Price (USD/Unit), revenue (Million USD) and market share for each manufacturer/player; the top players includingAqualungMaresPoseidonTusaScubaproFor Free Sample Copy click here:Table of ContentsGlobal Freediving Respiratory Systems Sales Market Report 20171 Freediving Respiratory Systems Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Freediving Respiratory Systems1.2 Classification of Freediving Respiratory Systems by Product Category2 Global Freediving Respiratory Systems Competition by Players/Suppliers, Type and Application2.1 Global Freediving Respiratory Systems Market Competition by Players/Suppliers2.1.1 Global Freediving Respiratory Systems Sales and Market Share of Key Players/Suppliers (2012-2017)2.1.2 Global Freediving Respiratory Systems Revenue and Share by Players/Suppliers (2012-2017)3 United States Freediving Respiratory Systems (Volume, Value and Sales Price)3.1 United States Freediving Respiratory Systems Sales and Value (2012-2017)3.1.1 United States Freediving Respiratory Systems Sales and Growth Rate (2012-2017)3.1.2 United States Freediving Respiratory Systems Revenue and Growth Rate (2012-2017)3.1.3 United States Freediving Respiratory Systems Sales Price Trend (2012-2017)About UsQYReseachReports.com delivers the latest strategic market intelligence to build a successful business footprint in China. Our syndicated and customized research reports provide companies with vital background information of the market and in-depth analysis on the Chinese trade and investment framework, which directly affects their business operations. Reports from QYReseachReports.com feature valuable recommendations on how to navigate in the extremely unpredictable yet highly attractive Chinese market.Contact usBrooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Web:Email: sales@qyresearchreports.com Venezuela Crude Oil Refinery Outlook to 2022 ReportsWeb http://www.reportsweb.com/venezuela-crude-oil-refinery-outlook-to-2022 http://www.reportsweb.com/inquiry&RW0001881601/sample http://www.reportsweb.com/inquiry&RW0001881601/buying ReportsWeb.com published Crude Oil Refinery Market from its database. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market."Venezuela Crude Oil Refinery Outlook to 2022" is a comprehensive report on crude oil refinery industry in Venezuela. The report also provides details on oil refineries such as name type operational status operator apart from capacity data for the major processing units for all active and planned refineries in Venezuela for the period 2012-2022. Further the report also offers recent developments financial deals as well as latest contracts awarded in the country's oil refinery industry.For more information about this report atScope- Updated information related to all active and planned refineries in the country including operator and equity details- Information on CDU coking catalytic cracking and hydrocracking capacities by refinery in the country where available- Key mergers and acquisitions partnerships private equity and IPOs in the country's crude oil industry where available- Latest developments financial deals and awarded contracts related to crude oil refineries in the countryReasons to buy- Gain a strong understanding of the country's crude oil refining industry- Facilitate decision making on the basis of strong historic and forecast capacity data- Assess your competitor's major crude oil refining assets and their performance in the country- Analyze the latest developments financial deals and awarded contracts related to the country's crude oil refining industry- Understand the country's financial deals landscape by analyzing how competitors are financed and the mergers and partnerships that have shaped the marketRequest a sample copy atTable of Content1.1 List of Tables 31.2 List of Figures 32 Introduction 42.1 What is This Report About? 42.2 Market Definition 43 Venezuela Refining Industry 53.1 Venezuela Refining Industry Key Data 53.2 Venezuela Refining Industry Overview 53.3 Venezuela Refining Industry Total Refining Capacity 53.4 Venezuela Refining Industry Crude Distillation Unit Capacity 73.5 Venezuela Refining Industry Coking Unit Capacity 83.6 Venezuela Refining Industry Catalytic Cracking Capacity 83.7 Venezuela Refining Industry Hydrocracking Capacity 93.8 Venezuela Refining Industry Asset Details 103.8.1 Venezuela Refining Industry Active Asset Details 103.8.2 Venezuela Refining Industry Planned Asset Details 334 Recent Contracts 414.1 Detailed Contract Summary 414.1.1 Awarded Contracts 415 Financial Deals Landscape 435.1 Detailed Deal Summary 435.1.1 Acquisition 435.1.2 Debt Offerings 456 Recent Developments 466.1 Other Significant Developments 466.1.1 Aug 23 2016 Venezuela's Amuay Refinery Unit Shut Down After Valve Problem 466.1.2 Jun 11 2016 CITGO Aruba And The Aruban Government Finalized Agreement To Re-open Refinery 466.1.3 Jun 03 2016 Citgo Petroleum Plans To Begin Rehabilitation Project At Aruba Oil Refinery In August 2016 476.1.4 May 13 2016 Citgo Petroleum Aruba Government Ink Deal To Lease And Restart 235000 BPD Refinery 476.1.5 Apr 01 2016 Citgo Extends Deadline To Take Aruba Refinery Back Online 476.1.6 Mar 21 2016 Aruba Refinery To Begin Hiring Staff For Repair And Modernization Works 486.1.7 Mar 05 2016 PDVSA Reports Fire At Cardon Refinery 486.1.8 Feb 11 2016 PDVSA Provides Update On Operations At Three Refineries In Venezuela 486.1.9 Feb 03 2016 ALL Delivers Its First Cargo Shipment For Multi-billion Dollar Puerto La Cruz Refinery Project 496.1.10 Sep 25 2015 Aruba Government Signs MoU With Citgo Petroleum To Reopen Idled Refinery 497 Appendix 507.1 Abbreviations 507.2 Methodology 507.2.1 Coverage 507.2.2 Secondary Research 507.3 Contact Us 517.4 Disclaimer 51Inquire for Report atContact Us:Call: +1-646-491-9876Email: sales@reportsweb.comReportsWeb.com is a one stop shop of market research reports and solutions to various companies across the globe. We help our clients in their decision support system by helping them choose most relevant and cost effective research reports and solutions from various publishers. We provide best in class customer service and our customer support team is always available to help you on your research queries.505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028 Wireless Tower Market in Europe: MNO Regulatory Requirements and Debt Burdens Create Opportunities for Tower Companies ReportsWeb http://www.reportsweb.com/Wireless-Tower-Market-in-Europe:-MNO-Regulatory-Requirements-and-Debt-Burdens-Create-Opportunities-for-Tower-Companies http://www.reportsweb.com/inquiry&RW0001741027/sample http://www.reportsweb.com/inquiry&RW0001741027/buying ReportsWeb.com published Wireless Tower Market from its database. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market."Wireless Tower Market in Europe: MNO Regulatory Requirements and Debt Burdens Create Opportunities for Tower Companies", a new Telecom Insider Report by Publisher offers a thorough study of the wireless tower market in the European region. The first section of this report explains the major sources of wireless capacity and the different radio access nodes used to offer wireless coverage. The report then provides an assessment of the European wireless tower market with a focus on selected markets in the region. The report includes an in-depth examination of the key factors driving and inhibiting wireless tower activity in Europe. We then present case studies that analyze the wireless tower markets in the UK, Italy and Romania. The report concludes with a summary of key findings and a set of recommendations.For more information about this report:Mobile network operators (MNOs) have invested heavily in setting up wireless tower infrastructure, resulting in high financial burdens. With declining ARPS and pressure to invest in network quality and LTE roll-outs, MNOs are looking to divest their tower infrastructure in order to reduce capex and debt. This has emerged as an opportunity for third-party tower companies (towercos) in recent years.Report Scope- In Europe, a growing LTE subscriber base and the increasing adoption of mobile video traffic driven applications over LTE-enabled smartphones is providing fuel for wireless tower market growth. It is, however, also resulting in substantial pressure being placed on operators to increase the number of wireless tower sites.- Until recently, the majority of wireless tower sites were owned and managed by MNOs, however this scenario is changing due to the increase in divestments of tower infrastructure by these operators. MNOs are either selling their tower infrastructure to independent towercos or creating independent entities to manage the tower infrastructure.- There are a variety of challenges faced by the key players in the European wireless tower market, which include complex permitting processes, site acquisition, environmental regulations and lower ARPU and population density in rural areas.Request Sample Copy atReasons to buy- This report examines the wireless tower market in the European region, in order to enable new tower companies to align their product offerings. The report also provides analysis of tower market structure along with drivers and inhibitors influencing the region with a focus on the region's major markets, including France, Italy, Romania, UK, Spain, Germany and Russia among others.- Helps executives build proactive, profitable growth strategies by offering comprehensive and relevant analysis of growing opportunities in the European wireless tower market, regulatory framework, competitive environment and best practices of the existing operators.- The case studies focus on the drivers and inhibitors within three leading tower markets in the region including the telco strategies being pursued in these markets to drive business, which can be beneficial to local players or prospective market entrants.- By understanding the interests and positions of the main stakeholders in the wireless tower market (including independent tower companies, MNOs, end users and regulators), telecom professionals and operators can develop strategies and increase their participation in the growing tower market.Companies Mentioned:TelefonicaDeutsche TelekomVodafoneOrangeSFRBouyguesTelecomWindHutchisonBT, 3T-MobileCellnexFPS TowersTDSINWITArqivaWireless Infrastructure GroupTelxiusOmega TowersDeutsche FunkturmInquire for Report atContact Us:Call: +1-646-491-9876Email: sales@reportsweb.comReportsWeb.com is a one stop shop of market research reports and solutions to various companies across the globe. We help our clients in their decision support system by helping them choose most relevant and cost effective research reports and solutions from various publishers. We provide best in class customer service and our customer support team is always available to help you on your research queries.505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028 Global Solar PV Module Market Size, Competitive Landscape and Key Country Analysis to 2020 - Researchmoz Solar PV Module Market http://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=959681 https://www.researchmoz.us/solar-pv-module-market-update-2016-global-market-size-competitive-landscape-and-key-country-analysis-to-2020-report.html http://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=E&repid=959681 http://www.researchmoz.us/ http://marketresearchlatestreports.blogspot.in/ Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Solar PV Module Market, Update 2016 - Global Market Size, Competitive Landscape and Key Country Analysis to 2020" to its huge collection of research reports.Latest report "Solar PV Module Market, Update 2016 - Global Market Size, Competitive Landscape and Key Country Analysis to 2020" offers comprehensive information and understanding of the global Solar Module Market.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @The report offers in-depth analysis of solar PV module market at global, regional (Asia-Pacific, Americas, Europe, and Middle East and Africa) and key countries (China, India, Japan, Australia, the US, Canada, Germany, Italy, France and the UK) level. The report analyzes the solar PV module market value and volume for the historic (2010-2015) and forecast (2016-2020) period. The report covers the drivers and restraints affecting the solar PV module market, country-wise annual additions, average module price trends, and the competitive landscape for respective countries in 2015.The report is built using data and information sourced from proprietary databases, primary and secondary research, and in-house analysis by GlobalData's team of industry experts.ScopeThe report analyses Solar PV Module market. Its scope includes -- Analysis of the growth of solar PV module market with a focus on market value and volume in global and regional level including Asia-Pacific, Americas, Europe, and Middle East and Africa.- The report provides solar PV module market analysis for key countries including China, India, Japan, Australia, the US, Canada, Germany, Italy, France and the UK.- The report offers country level solar PV module market value and volume for the historical (2010-2015) and forecast (2016-2020) periods.- It provides competitive landscape at country level for the year 2015.- Annual additions, average module price trends, key market drivers and restraints, and analysis of their impact in solar PV module market are also discussed.Browse Detail Report With Full TOC @Reasons to buyThe report will enhance your decision making capability in a more rapid and time sensitive manner. It will allow you to -- Facilitate decision-making by analyzing historical and forecast data on solar PV module market- Develop strategies based on developments in the solar PV module market- Identify key partners and business-development avenues, based on an understanding of the movements of the major competitors in the solar PV module market- Respond to your competitors business structure, strategies and prospectsMake an Enquiry of this report @About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074For More Reports Visit @ Asia-Pacific Car Roof Racks Market Report 2017 - Thule, JAC, YAKIMA, Mont Blanc, Hapro http://www.qyresearchreports.com/sample/sample.php?rep_id=1325472&type=E http://www.qyresearchreports.com In this report, the Asia-Pacific Car Roof Racks market is valued at USD XX million in 2016 and is expected to reach USD XX million by the end of 2022, growing at a CAGR of XX% between 2016 and 2022.Geographically, this report split Asia-Pacific into several key Regions, with sales (K Units), revenue (Million USD), market share and growth rate of Car Roof Racks for these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), includingChinaJapanSouth KoreaTaiwanIndiaSoutheast AsiaAustraliaAsia-Pacific Car Roof Racks market competition by top manufacturers/players, with Car Roof Racks sales volume, price, revenue (Million USD) and market share for each manufacturer/player; the top players includingThule(SW)JAC(DE)YAKIMA(TW)Mont Blanc(SW)Hapro(NL)Get Sample of this report @Table of ContentsAsia-Pacific Car Roof Racks Market Report 20171 Car Roof Racks Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Car Roof Racks1.2 Classification of Car Roof Racks by Product Category2 Asia-Pacific Car Roof Racks Competition by Players/Suppliers, Region, Type and Application2.1 Asia-Pacific Car Roof Racks Market Competition by Players/Suppliers2.1.1 Asia-Pacific Car Roof Racks Sales Volume and Market Share of Key Players/Suppliers (2012-2017)2.1.2 Asia-Pacific Car Roof Racks Revenue and Share by Players/Suppliers (2012-2017)3 China Car Roof Racks (Volume, Value and Sales Price)3.1 China Car Roof Racks Sales and Value (2012-2017)3.1.1 China Car Roof Racks Sales Volume and Growth Rate (2012-2017)3.1.2 China Car Roof Racks Revenue and Growth Rate (2012-2017)3.1.3 China Car Roof Racks Sales Price Trend (2012-2017)QYResearchReports.com is an unimpeachable source of market research data for clients that comprise acclaimed SMEs, Chinese companies, private equity firms, and MNCs. We provide market research reports on various categories such as Energy, Chemicals, Alternative and Green Energy, Manufacturing, Machinery, Pharmaceuticals and Materials, and Glass.Contact usBrooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Web:Email: sales@qyresearchreports.com The Future of the Russian Defense Market Attractiveness, Competitive Landscape and Forecasts to 2022, published by MarketResearchReports.biz https://www.marketresearchreports.biz/sample/sample/1329516 https://www.marketresearchreports.biz/reports/1329516/the-future-of-the-russian-market-research-reports https://www.marketresearchreports.biz/reports/1329516/the-future-of-the-russian-market-research-reports.pdf http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/ "The Report The Future of the Russian Defense Industry - Market Attractiveness, Competitive Landscape and Forecasts to 2022 provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"The Future of the Russian Defense Industry - Market Attractiveness, Competitive Landscape and Forecasts to 2022, published by Strategic Defence Intelligence, provides readers with detailed analysis of both historic and forecast defense industry values, factors influencing demand, the challenges faced by industry participants, analysis of industry leading companies, and key news.SynopsisThis report offers detailed analysis of the Russian defense industry with market size forecasts covering the next five years. This report will also analyze factors that influence demand for the industry, key market trends, and challenges faced by industry participants.Get Sample Copy Of This Report @In particular, it provides an in-depth analysis of the following -- The Russian defense industry market size and drivers: detailed analysis of the Russian defense industry during 2018-2022, including highlights of the demand drivers and growth stimulators for the industry. It also provides a snapshot of the countrys expenditure and modernization patterns- Budget allocation and key challenges: insights into procurement schedules formulated within the country and a breakdown of the defense budget with respect to capital expenditure and revenue expenditure. It also details the key challenges faced by defense market participants within the country- Porters Five Force analysis of the Russian defense industry: analysis of the market characteristics by determining the bargaining power of suppliers, bargaining power of buyers, threat of substitution, intensity of rivalry, and barriers to entry- Import and Export Dynamics: analysis of prevalent trends in the countrys imports and exports over the last five years- Market opportunities: details of the top five defense investment opportunities over the next 10 years- Competitive landscape and strategic insights: analysis of the competitive landscape of the Russian defense industry. It provides an overview of key players, together with insights such as key alliances, strategic initiatives, and a brief financial analysisView Report @Scope- Russias defense expenditure in 2017 values US$48.7 billion, recording a CAGR of -7.40% during the historic period, and it is expected to cumulatively value US$270.8 billion over the forecast period. Russia has the worlds longest land border, which it shares with 16 other countries, along with maritime borders with Japan, via the sea of Okhotsk, and the US state of Alaska, across the Bering Strait. The country places the utmost importance on the protection of its borders and critical infrastructure, which covers a large geographical area that is rich in natural resources.- During the historic period, the Russian Government allocated an average of 47.1% of its total defense budget to capital expenditure and the remaining 52.9% to revenue expenditure. Capital expenditure is expected to decrease during the forecast period to an average of 40.2%, due to the Russian Ministry of Finance setting a target of cutting defense spending by 12% by 2018.- The MoD is expected to invest in space based ISR, transport aircraft, and multi-role aircraft.Reasons to buy- This report will give the user confidence to make the correct business decisions based on a detailed analysis of the Russian defense industry market trends for the coming five years- The market opportunity section will inform the user about the various military requirements that are expected to generate revenues during the forecast period. The description includes technical specifications, recent orders, and the expected investment pattern by the country during the forecast period- Detailed profiles of the top domestic and foreign defense manufacturers with information about their products, alliances, recent contract wins, and financial analysis wherever available. This will provide the user with a total competitive landscape of the sector- A deep qualitative analysis of the Russian defense industry covering sections including demand drivers, Porters Five Forces Analysis, Key Trends and Growth Stimulators, and latest industry contractsView Sample PDF @Table of Contents1 Introduction 81.1 What is this Report About? 81.2 Definitions 81.3 Summary Methodology 101.4 About Strategic Defence Intelligence 112 Executive Summary 123 Market Attractiveness and Emerging Opportunities 143.1 Current Market Scenario 153.1.1 Primary Threat Perception 153.1.2 Military Doctrine & Strategy 163.1.3 Military Fleet Size 303.1.4 Procurement Programs 363.1.5 Social, Political and Economic Environment & Support for Defense Projects 393.1.6 Political and Strategic Alliances 403.2 Defense Market Size Historical and Forecast 423.2.1 Russias defense budget to grow at a CAGR of 8.62% to value US$65.2 billion by 2022 423.2.2 Military modernization and defense exports to drive defense expenditure over the forecast period 453.2.3 Defense expenditure as a percentage of GDP is expected to average 3.14% over the forecast period 473.3 Analysis of Defense Budget Allocation 493.3.1 The majority of Russias defense budget is allocated to revenue expenditure 493.3.2 Capital expenditure is expected to record a CAGR of 20.47% during the forecast period 513.3.3 Per capita defense expenditure expected to increase over the forecast period 543.4 Homeland Security Market Size and Forecast 553.4.1 Russian homeland security expenditure forecast to reach US$41.1 billion by 2022 553.4.2 Border security and the fight against cyber-attacks are mains factors for growth in the homeland security market 573.4.3 The Terrorism Heat Map considers Russia a highly affected region 593.4.4 Russia faces high risk from acts of terrorism 603.4.5 Russia faces a significant threat from terrorists 623.5 Benchmarking with Key Global Markets 633.5.1 Russias defense budget is expected to grow significantly during the forecast period 633.5.2 Russia is worlds third largest defense spender 653.5.3 Russia allocated 3.1% of its GDP to defense in 2017 663.6 Market Opportunities: Key Trends and Growth Stimulators 673.6.1 Space-based ISR 673.6.2 Transport Aircraft 693.6.3 Multi-role Aircraft 704 Defense Procurement Market Dynamics 724.1 Import Market Dynamics 724.1.1 The countrys defense imports are low owing to a developed indigenous sector 724.1.2 Ukraine was the key defense supplier to Russia 744.1.3 Aircraft and engines were the key defense imports during 2012-2016 754.2 Export Market Dynamics 764.2.1 Russias exports witnessed a decline during 2012-2016 764.2.2 India, China, and Vietnam are Russias main defense equipment purchasers 774.2.3 Aircraft and ships account for the majority of Russias defense exports 785 Industry Dynamics 795.1 Five Forces Analysis 795.1.1 Bargaining power of supplier: medium to high 805.1.2 Bargaining power of buyer: high 805.1.3 Barrier to entry: high 805.1.4 Intensity of rivalry: high 805.1.5 Threat of substitution: high 806 Market Entry Strategy 816.1 Market Regulation 816.1.1 Entry into defense sector is highly regulated 816.2 Market Entry Route 826.2.1 Budgeting Process 836.2.2 Procurement Policy and Process 856.3 Key Challenges 866.3.1 Russian Governments aversion to Western defense technology 86About usMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.Mr. NachiketState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074Website:Email: sales@marketresearchreports.biz Global PolyEthylene Overshoes Market Forecast 2017 to 2021- Lakeland, 3M, Schilling Global PolyEthylene Overshoes Market https://goo.gl/keKxaX https://goo.gl/zCQmw1 https://market.biz http://emarkets.eu Global PolyEthylene Overshoes Market 2017 intends to provide the elementary information focusing on elite market players, industry competitors to acquaint the users with company breakthroughs which will help them in making appropriate decisions. The indepth study of PolyEthylene Overshoes market will further help the readers in identifying the growth opportunities and the risk factors on a global scale.Global PolyEthylene Overshoes Report covers distinct aspects of the market including the product category, product specifications, a range of applications and major geographical producing regions. The key regions covered in PolyEthylene Overshoes report are the countries present in North America, Europe, APAC, South America, Middle East and Africa.Global PolyEthylene Overshoes Report covers every minute details of the industry and the prominent market players present in different countries analysing the latest development plans, market situations, which will help in making vital business decisions.Do Inquiry Before Accessing Global PolyEthylene Overshoes Market 2017 Report at:Core Highlights of PolyEthylene Overshoes Market:1. Analysis of PolyEthylene Overshoes market on global scale on the basis of market volume, price estimates and sales revenue will help in knowing the market trends during 2017 to 2023.2. Global PolyEthylene Overshoes report provides information about the key market players along with their consumer volume, competitive scenario, growth aspects during the forecast period from 2017 to 2023.3. The top dominant players of PolyEthylene Overshoes market decide certain strategies which will lead to growth, excellent performance and the analysis of competitive scenario on the global basis.Top players in PolyEthylene Overshoes Market:BioCleanDuPont3MLakelandSchillingRequest A Sample Copy of Report Here:PolyEthylene Overshoes Market Review Based On Regions:1.North America2.Europe3.China4.Japan5.Southeast Asia6.IndiaThe Global PolyEthylene Overshoes report is divided into 2 segments on the basis of Product type and Product application.The thorough analysis of PolyEthylene Overshoes dominant players, the business strategies followed by them, company information, market share and industry trends during the forecast period will fuel the growth during the forecast period.In conclusion the PolyEthylene Overshoes report analyses the global market, important business strategies, emerging market segments, the past, present and future market trends on the basis of consumer volume. Hence, Global PolyEthylene Overshoes report is beneficial research material for all the market vendors.About Us:Market.Biz is designed to provide the best and most penetrating research required to all commercial, industrial and profit-making ventures in any sector of online business. We take pride in our ability to satisfy the market research needs of both domestic and international businesses.Market.Biz has access to the world's most comprehensive and up-to-date databases in your business sector, including countless market reports that can provide you with valuable data relating to your business. We understand the needs of our clients, and keep our reports updated as market requirement changes.Contact US:GlobeMetrixJames JohnsonS no. 51/14 First Floor, Office Number 4,Vishwa Arcade, Near Navale Lawns,Pune, Maharashtra, India 411041Tel: +1(857)2390696Email: inquiry@market.bizWebsite:Blog: How Wearable Cardioverter Defibrillator Market will Grow in Future? Offers FMI Research 2016-2026 https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-1222 https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-1222 www.futuremarketinsights.com Wearable cardioverter defibrillator is an external defibrillator which is non-invasive it is used to prevent sudden cardiac attack. It has two partsA light weight vest that is worn under regular clothesA small portable unit that includes recorder and generatorSudden cardiac attack happens when there is an issue with the heart's electrical system. The electrical system guides the heart to relax and contract. Condition where there is abnormal rhythm in the ventricles of the heart is Ventricular Fibrillation. If VF occurs, a defibrillator sends an electrical current to the heart which is used to re-start a normal heart rhythm. Defibrillators are utilized for the treatment of life-threatening heart dysrhythmias, ventricular fibrillation, and ventricular tachycardia. They control irregular heartbeat, prevent heart failure, and treat patients affected by sudden heart failure. Defibrillators can be internal (inside the body) and external (outside the body). The wearable defibrillator is a treatment given for patients who are at high risk for sudden heart failure or sudden cardiac death. Basically the wearable cardioverter defibrillator is used for outpatient.The global wearable cardioverter defibrillator market is categorized on the basis of condition type, end user and geography. The market is driven by some key factors such as future advancement in technology which help in introducing patient friendly devices by reducing the size and weight of the wearable cardioverter defibrillator, introduction of rental services for wearable cardioverter defibrillators and reducing the cost and making it affordable in developing countries, enhancing patient education and training. Wearable cardioverter defibrillator is used for the conditions like Peripartum Cardiomyopathy, Congenital heart disease and Inherited Arrhythmias.Request Report Sample@Wearable Cardioverter Defibrillator Market: Drivers and RestraintsFactors contributing to the growth of wearable cardioverter defibrillator marketincludes the rise to prevalence of diseases, growing geriatric population, increasing number of training and awareness among the population base results in growth of market, technological advancements to propel the growth of the market, providing producers with future growth opportunities to bolster the growth of the marketHowever factors such as lack of knowledge about sudden cardiac arrest, problems related to the use of wearable cardioverter defibrillator devices, and the wearable cardioverter defibrillator does not monitor atrial arrhythmias therefore this hinders the growth of the marketWearable Cardioverter Defibrillator Market: OverviewThe wearable cardioverter defibrillator market is expected to have tremendous growth during the forecast period (2016-2026), with rising incidence of cardiac disorders, advancement and innovations in technology in medical field, and government initiative by increased spending in research and developmentWearable Cardioverter Defibrillator: Region- wise OutlookNorth America holds the largest market share of the overall industry and is liable to keep ruling the business sector asrising incidence of diseases, improvement in healthcare industry and extended growth. USA and Canada contribute to the overall defibrillator market in the region as lot of awareness about the sudden cardiac arrest and defibrillators. Europe has second largest market for defibrillator devices. The Market is appeared to be driven by increase in demand from emerging countries in the Asia Pacific and Middle East regions, where more workstations and business environments are introducing advancement in defibrillators. It is estimated to benefit the defibrillators market in upcoming yearsVisit For TOC@Wearable Cardioverter Defibrillator: SegmentationGlobal wearable cardioverter defibrillatormarketis segmented on the basis of condition, end use and geography as following:By ConditionsPeripartum CardiomyopathyCongenital Heart DiseaseInherited ArrhythmiasBy End UserHospitalsHome Care SettingsCardiology ClinicsWearable Cardioverter Defibrillator: Key PlayerZOLL Medical Corporation is the key player operating in this segment.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, types, technology and applications.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: Fuel Cell Global Market Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross, Cost and Margin Forecast To 2025 Summary A fuel cell is a device that generates electricity by a chemical reaction. Every fuel cell has two electrodes, one positive and one negative, called, respectively, the anode and cathode. The reactions that produce electricity take place at the electrodes.Every fuel cell also has an electrolyte, which carries electrically charged particles from one electrode to the other, and a catalyst, which speeds the reactions at the electrodes.Hydrogen is the basic fuel, but fuel cells also require oxygen. One great appeal of fuel cells is that they generate electricity with very little pollutionmuch of the hydrogen and oxygen used in generating electricity ultimately combine to form a harmless byproduct, namely water. The global Fuel Cell market will reach xxx Million USD in 2017 with CAGR xx% from 2018-2025. The main contents of the report including: Global market size and forecast Regional market size, production data and export & import Key manufacturers (manufacturing sites, capacity and production, product specifications etc.) Average market price by SUK Major applications Request a Sample Report @ https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/1837209-global-fuel-cell-market-data-survey-report-2025 Key manufacturers are included based on manufacturing sites, capacity and production, product specifications etc.: Ballard Power System, Inc. Ceramic Fuel Cells Limited FuelCell Energy, Inc. Hydrogenics Corporation AFC Energy PLC Bloom Energy Ceres Power Holdings PLC Doosan Corporation Plug Power, Inc. POSCO Energy Co., Ltd. Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies Pte. Ltd. Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies Worldwide, Inc. Panasonic Corporation Toshiba Fuel Cell Power Systems Corp. Major applications as follows: PEMFCs SOFC MCFC DMFC Regional market size, production data and export & import: Asia-Pacific North America Europe South America Middle East & Africa At any Query @ https://www.wiseguyreports.com/enquiry/1837209-global-fuel-cell-market-data-survey-report-2025 Table of Contents 1 Global Market Overview 1.1 Scope of Statistics 1.1.1 Scope of Products 1.1.2 Scope of Manufacturers 1.1.3 Scope of Application 1.1.4 Scope of Regions/Countries 1.2 Global Market Size 2 Regional Market 2.1 Regional Production 2.2 Regional Demand 2.3 Regional Trade 3 Key Manufacturers 3.1 Ballard Power System, Inc. 3.1.2 Company Information 3.1.2 Product Specifications 3.1.3 Business Data (Capacity, Sales Revenue, Volume, Price, Cost and Margin) 3.2 Ceramic Fuel Cells Limited 3.2.1 Company Information 3.2.2 Product Specifications 3.2.3 Business Data (Capacity, Sales Revenue, Volume, Price, Cost and Margin) 3.3 FuelCell Energy, Inc. 3.3.1 Company Information 3.3.2 Product Specifications 3.3.3 Business Data (Capacity, Sales Revenue, Volume, Price, Cost and Margin) 3.4 Hydrogenics Corporation 3.4.1 Company Information 3.4.2 Product Specifications 3.4.3 Business Data (Capacity, Sales Revenue, Volume, Price, Cost and Margin) 3.5 AFC Energy PLC 3.5.1 Company Information 3.5.2 Product Specifications 3.5.3 Business Data (Capacity, Sales Revenue, Volume, Price, Cost and Margin) 3.6 Bloom Energy 3.6.1 Company Information 3.6.2 Product Specifications 3.6.3 Business Data (Capacity, Sales Revenue, Volume, Price, Cost and Margin) 3.7 Ceres Power Holdings PLC 3.7.1 Company Information 3.7.2 Product Specifications 3.7.3 Business Data (Capacity, Sales Revenue, Volume, Price, Cost and Margin) 3.8 Doosan Corporation 3.8.1 Company Information 3.8.2 Product Specifications 3.8.3 Business Data (Capacity, Sales Revenue, Volume, Price, Cost and Margin) 3.9 Plug Power, Inc. 3.9.1 Company Information 3.9.2 Product Specifications 3.9.3 Business Data (Capacity, Sales Revenue, Volume, Price, Cost and Margin) 3.10 POSCO Energy Co., Ltd. 3.10.1 Company Information 3.10.2 Product Specifications 3.10.3 Business Data (Capacity, Sales Revenue, Volume, Price, Cost and Margin) 3.11 Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies Pte. Ltd. 3.12 Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies Worldwide, Inc. 3.13 Panasonic Corporation 3.14 Toshiba Fuel Cell Power Systems Corp. 4 Major Application 4.1 PEMFCs 4.1.1 Overview 4.1.2 PEMFCs Market Size and Forecast 4.2 SOFC 4.2.1 Overview 4.2.2 SOFC Market Size and Forecast 4.3 MCFC 4.3.1 Overview 4.3.2 MCFC Market Size and Forecast 4.4 DMFC 4.4.1 Overview 4.4.2 DMFC Market Size and Forecast Buy Now @ https://www.wiseguyreports.com/checkout?currency=one_user-USD&report_id=1837209 Continued.... Contact Us: sales@wiseguyreports.com Ph: +1-646-845-9349 (US) ; Ph: +44 208 133 9349 (UK) ABOUT US: Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports features an exhaustive list of market research reports from hundreds of publishers worldwide. We boast a database spanning virtually every market category and an even more comprehensive collection of market research reports under these categories and sub-categories. ADDRES: WISE GUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTD Office No. 528, Amanora Chambers Magarpatta Road, Hadapsar Pune - 411028 Maharashtra, India This release was published on openPR. Permanent link to this press release: Copy Please set a link in the press area of your homepage to this press release on openPR. openPR disclaims liability for any content contained in this release. New guide aims to help waste management companies avoid heavy fines http://www.marsden-weighing.co.uk/index.php/blog/blog/2017/09/01/weighing-compliance-waste-management-new-white-paper/ UK-based weighing scales manufacturer, Marsden Group, has launched a new white paper aimed at supporting waste management businesses in meeting weighing legislation.The waste management industry is heavily regulated, in order to minimise or eliminate the dispersal of waste materials into the environment. The legislation states that records should be kept relating to the weight of waste materials handled.Michael McLarnon of ISL Waste Management and a contributor to the white paper, said: Failure to comply with weighing regulation could mean your business is hit with heavy fines.It is important to have company policy and ISO accredited procedures in place to ensure compliance with weight regulation.Marsdens Managing Director, Richard Black, added: Weight legislation in waste management is complex and it is vital that companies understand the regulation, which is why weve produced this new, easy to read guide.With the weight of waste so integral to reporting that it is vital the right scales are used. This guide outlines clearly what should be reported, how frequently, and the scales suitable for the job.The white paper can be downloaded fromEndsDavid SmithMarsden Weighing Groupt: 01709 364296e: david@marsdengroup.co.ukFor over 90 years, both the UK medical profession and British industry have relied on Marsden scales for reliability, accuracy and value for money. Today, youll find Marsden digital weighing scales around the world, from the USA to Africa - and were now proud to be able to meet just about any weighing need.Marsden Weighing Group, Unit 1, Genesis Business Park, Sheffield Road, Rotherham, S60 1DXDavid Smitht: 01709 364296e: david@marsdengroup.co.uk Forecast and Analysis on Remote Patient Monitoring Devices Market for Period (2016-2026) https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-1240 https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-1240 www.futuremarketinsights.com Remote patient monitoring devices supports in monitoring of patients physical condition. Patient does not need to visit the medical practitioner. Digital technology is used in remote patient monitoring devices to gather health and other forms of medical data to securely pass on to healthcare providers situated at different location for clinical review. The accuracy of remote patient monitoring devices allows reliable diagnosis, leading to a more specific and efficient treatment. Remote patient monitoring devices helps to reduce costs of hospital stays by continuing to monitor patient condition, irrespective of patient location and also it helps to reduce overcrowding at clinics and diagnostic centers. Remote patient monitoring devices systems are used for continuously monitoring important physiological parameters like, heart activity, body temperature, blood pressure, pulse rate and other clinical conditions. Remote patient monitoring devices is based on real time data sharing which helps physicians to take vital decisions to ensure better patient treatment. Physician and healthcare providers are extending the use ofremote patient monitoring devices to enhance the excellence of patient care and reduce expenses by prognosis.Remote Patient Monitoring Devices Market: Drivers & RestraintsRemote patient monitoring devices market is fueled by great technological advancements. The increasing incidence and prevalence of chronic diseases like heart conditions and diabetes requires compulsory life-long monitoring will also contribute to remote patient monitoring devicesglobal market. Increase in geriatric population around the globe is leading to enhanced global market forremote patient monitoring devices. Awareness among the medical practitioners and improved private sector and government involvement in remote patient monitoring devices is supporting the global market for remote patient monitoring devices dwell in developing countries. Deficiency of trained and expert professionals are hampering the growth of remote patient monitoring devices.Request Report Sample@Remote Patient Monitoring Devices Market: SegmentationGlobal remote patient monitoring devices market is segmented as following:By Product Type:Heart Rate MonitorsBlood Pressure MonitorsHeart MonitorsBreath MonitorsSleep Apnea MonitorsBlood Glucose MonitorsWeight MonitorsBody Temperature MonitorsInfusion PumpsBy End User:HospitalsAmbulatory Surgical CentersHomecare settingsRemote Patient Monitoring Devices Market: OverviewIncreased technological improvement, rise in the incidence and prevalence of chronic diseases along with increase in aging population, enhanced demand for remote monitoring, private sector and government involvement in remote patient monitoring devices, the global market for remote patient monitoring devices market is expected to have a healthy growth rate in the forecast period (2016-2026).Visit For TOC@Remote Patient Monitoring Devices Market: Region-wise OutlookDepending on geographic regions, global remote patient monitoring devicesmarketis segmented into seven key regions: North America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia Pacific Excluding Japan, Japan and Middle East & Africa.North America is the leading global remote patient monitoring devices market due to the high volumes of surgical procedures being performed. Also, the availability of established healthcare infrastructure, high influence of healthcare to economy are the reasons for the high demand in North America. Europe is also a lucrative market for remote patient monitoring devices due to rapid technological advancement in terms of healthcare sector. Asia Pacific market is expected to grow at a good rate as compared to NA and Europe as there is ample market opportunity in countries like India and China due the large population.Remote Patient Monitoring Devices Market: Key PlayersSome of the key participating global remote patient monitoring devicesmarketare Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., AMD Global Telemedicine, Honeywell International Inc., Omron Healthcare, Smiths Medical, Medtronic, and others.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite: Cardiac Pacemaker Market is Projected to Record Sluggish CAGR of -0.5% Between 2016 and 2024 https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/cardiac-pacemaker-market/toc https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/12382 https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/checkout/12382 www.persistencemarketresearch.com Persistence Market Research (PMR) delivers key insights on the global cardiac pacemaker market in its upcoming report titled, Cardiac Pacemaker Market: Global Industry Analysis and Forecast, 20162024. The global cardiac pacemaker market was valued at US$ 4,100.0 Mn in 2015 and this is likely to decline to US$ 3923.8 Mn by 2024. In terms of revenue, the global cardiac pacemaker market is anticipated to exhibit a declining CAGR of -0.5% over the forecast period owing to various factors, on which PMR offers detailed insights and forecasts.A key unmet need in global cardiac pacemaker market is the lack of a 100% safe and efficient pacemaker device to treat arrhythmias. There is an imperative need for development of cost-effective and rapid diagnostic methods for arrhythmias with a growing geriatric population and increasing patient pool with escalating global demand for treatment. This is anticipated to offer lucrative opportunities to new players in the global cardiac pacemaker market. Various key players in the cardiac pacemaker market are signing partnerships and licensing deals to share the research and development platform. In 2014, Medtronic has signed a deal with Lifetech Scientific to bring pacemaker into the Chinese market. According to the agreement, Lifetech Scientific shall manufacture pacemaker at their facility and Medtronics would provide with technology and required training.View and Download TOC of Cardiac Pacemaker Market Research Report @The market is segmented based on product type, end users, and regions. Based on product type, the market is segmented into implantable pacemaker and external pacemaker. Both the segments are expected to exhibit a negative CAGR for the forecast period, owing to increasing number of device recall related to device malfunctioning. The implantable pacemaker segment is expected to exhibit a declining CAGR of -0.5% and external pacemaker segment is expected to exhibit a declining CAGR of -1.0% during the forecast period.Based on end users, the market is segmented into hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers. The hospitals segment is anticipated to account for the highest market share over the forecast period exhibiting a declining CAGR of -0.1% due to better reimbursement rates offered by government and non-government bodies.Request and Download Sample Report @This report assesses trends, that drive growth of each segment on the global as well as regional levels, and offers potential takeaways, that could prove substantially useful to medical device manufacturing companies who wish to enter into the global cardiac pacemaker market. North America and Europe are expected to lose market share in terms of revenue generation. Latin America, APAC, and MEA are collectively expected to be more attractive in terms of revenue generation in the global cardiac pacemaker market in 2016 with growth in revenue for the forecast period. Latin America is expected to expand at a CAGR of 1.1% closely followed by Asia Pacific with a CAGR of 1.0% over the forecast period, due to increase in the diagnosis rate and improved healthcare infrastructure. The India cardiac pacemaker market is expected to increase over other markets and register a CAGR of 1.5% in the region due to increased government initiative, increase in health care expenditure, and increase in disease prevalence. The growth of cardiac pacemakers in this region is largely due to increased participation of local manufacturers and increasing healthcare expenditure.Some key players in the global cardiac pacemaker market identified in this report are Medtronics, Lepu Medical Technology Co ltd., Osypka Medical GmbH. MEDICOWEB, Boston Scientific Corporation, Pacetronix ltd., BIOTRONIK SE & Co. KG, LivaNova Plc., and St.Jude Medical Inc. Persistence Market Research has discussed individual strategies of these companies in terms of increasing focus on rare diseases, initiatives to increase awareness, and enhancing distribution base. The report has been concluded with strategic recommendations for players already present in the market and new players planning to enter the market, which could help them in the long run.Buy Full Cardiac Pacemaker Bags 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: Black Pepper Market will be Massively Influenced by Macroeconomic Factors 2016-2026 https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-1274 https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-1274 www.futuremarketinsights.com Black Pepper is a pungent hot-tasting powder spice prepared from dried and ground peppercorns, used to flavor food. It is also known as king of spices because it contains rich anti-oxidants and other nutrients. The high demand for pepper presents an attractive market opportunity for new vendors to enter the market. In the present market scenario, it is estimated that the new crop of black pepper accounts for nearly 30% to 35% of the market. The high demand is expected to increase the price of black pepper, thereby increasing the profit margin of the vendors in this market.Apart from this, black pepper powder is also used to make medicines. It often used to cure stomach upset, bronchitis, and cancer. It is sometimes applied directly to the skin for treating nerve pain(neuralgia) and a skin disease called scabies. Black peppers are also used typically as a counterirritant for pain.Black Pepper Market: Drivers & RestraintsThe black pepper market is directly influenced by the growing processed food industry. The rise in consumption of bakery products, confectionery products, and ready-to-eat and ried food in the developed economies is driving the market for the spice. The recent trend of using natural flavor enhancer has also catalyzed the growth of the global market. In the year 2013-15, the global pepper consumption is estimated at around 400,000 tons and has been increasing steadily. Increasing demand from Far East countries, which have started using more pepper in cooking, has been quite significant in driving the global black pepper market. Growth in the cosmetics industry is also directly influencing the pepper market. Due to the antioxidant and antibacterial properties of black pepper, it is often included in skin care products.Request Report Sample@As stated earlier, that the market is experiencing a major year on year increase in demand for black pepper. But unfortunately, this demand is not backed by adequate supply, which has proved to be a major restraint in this market. This is majorly due to the intensive crop losses in various parts of the world, especially in India & Brazil. Sudden climatic changes and untimely rainfall has significantly led to the fall in the yield of black pepper.Black PepperMarket: SegmentationThe global black pepper market can be broadly segmented on the basis of; type, end use and application. On the basis of type, the market can be further segmented into organic and inorganic. Based on end use, the market can be segmented into bakery and confectionery products, frozen products, soups, sauces & dressing, beverages, meat & poultry products, snacks and convenience food, and others. Based of application, the black pepper market can be segmented into food & beverages, health care and personal care & cosmetics.Black PepperMarket: Region Wise OutlookGeographically, the global black peppermarket is segmented into seven regions which are ; North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Japan, Asia Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ), and Middle East and Africa (MEA) and Japan.Visit For TOC@Vietnam, followed by Brazil, India & Indonesia are the leading producer of black pepper in the year 2014 globally.India saw a fall in its average production in the same year. The leverage of large scale production and productivity helps Vietnam growers to offer world's lowest price tags.In terms of export, Vietnam leads the market globally. U.S. market continues to be the largest importer of black pepper from Vietnam. While most markets like India, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Netherlands, Spain have seen an increase in their imports, except Germany. German market recorded a drop in imports from Vietnam. Thus, with a market share of approximately 50% per cent in the global market, Vietnam has been able dominate the market.Black PepperMarket: Key PlayersSome of the major companies operating in global black peppermarket are Baria Pepper, British Pepper and Spice, Catch, Everest Spices, McCormick, MDH, Agri food Pacific, Akar Indo, Brazil Trade Business, DM AGRO, Gupta Trading, Pacific Production, PT AF, Silk Road Spices, The Spice House, Vietnam Spice Company, Visimex, and Webb James, Olam International Limited.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite: The Global Process Oils Market accounted for USD 4.45 billion in 2016 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 3.9% till 2024 Global Microprocessor and GPU Market ? Industry Trends and Forecast to 2024 http://databridgemarketresearch.com/request-a-sample/?dbmr=process-oils-market http://databridgemarketresearch.com/speak-to-analyst/?dbmr=process-oils-market http://databridgemarketresearch.com/toc/?dbmr=process-oils-market http://databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/process-oils-market/ http://databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/north-america-digital-health-monitoring-devices-market/ http://databridgemarketresearch.com/blog/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/data-bridge-market-research The Global Process Oils Market accounted for USD 4.45 billion in 2016 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 3.9% during the forecast period of 2017 to 2024. The upcoming market report contains data for historic years 2014, 2015, the base year of calculation is 2016 and the forecast period is 2017 to 2024.Global Process Oils Market By Type (Naphthenic, Non-Carcinogenic, Aromatic, Paraffinic); By Containing Materials (Peptizers, Fatty Acid Derivatives, Petroleum Oils, Polymers, Waxes) By Application (Tire & Rubber, Polymer, Textile, Polymer, Others), By Geography (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Europe, South America, Middle East and Africa) Industry Trends and Forecast to 2024Ask for Free Sample Report @Process oils Market Definition:Process oil is a combination of naphthenic, non-carcinogenic, aromatic, paraffinic used either as an acid for processing or as a raw material. Process oils are refined using solvent extraction, flash solvency, or aromatics. Process oils are used in various industries including personal care, polymer, defoamer, textile, cable fill, and tire.Major Market Drivers and Restraint:Increasing usage of the process oils in the rubber and tire industriesGrowing market for green and eco-friendly oilsLimitations on the usage of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbonQuestions? Well Put You On The Right Path Request Analyst Call @Process oils Market Segmentation:The Process Oils Market is segmented on the basis of type into naphthenic, non-carcinogenic, aromatic, and paraffinic. Non-carcinogenic are further segmented into Treated Distillate Aromatic Extracted Solvent (TDAE), Mild Extracted Solvent (MES), Residual Aromatic Extracted Solvent (RAE), Treated Residual Aromatic Extract (TRAE))On the basis of containing materials, the market is segmented into peptizers, fatty acid derivatives, petroleum oils, polymers, and waxes.On the basis of application, the market is segmented into tire & rubber, polymer, textile, polymer, and others.On the basis of geography, the process oils market report covers data points for 28 countries across multiple geographies such as North America, South America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Middle East & Africa. Some of the major countries covered in this report are U.S., Canada, Germany, France, U.K., Netherlands, Switzerland, Turkey, Russia, China, India, South Korea, Japan, Australia, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and Brazil among others. In 2017, Asia-Pacific is expected to dominate the market.Request for Detail TOC @Competitive Landscape: Process oils MarketThe Global Process Oils Market is consolidated due to the presence of a limited number of players concentrated in few countries. These major players have adopted various organic as well as inorganic growth strategies such as mergers & acquisitions, new product launches, expansions, agreements, joint ventures, partnerships, and others to strengthen their position in this market.Major Market Competitors of Process oils Market:Some of the major players in the process oils market are:Royal Dutch Shell plc,Chevron Corporation,Nynas AB,ORGKHIM Biochemical Holding,Petronas Lubricants Belgium NV,Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited,Repsol S.A.Among othersRead more about the Global Process oils Market @Related ReportNorth America Digital Health Monitoring Market Industry Trends and Forecast to 2024North America Digital Health Monitoring Market By Product Type Devices (Blood Pressure Monitors, Blood Glucose Monitors, ECG, Oximeters, Peak Flow Monitors, Multi Parameter Monitors, Sleep Neap Monitors, Neurological Monitors, Others), Software (Healthcare Apps, Chronic Disease Apps, Personal Health Apps, Others), Services (Remote Monitoring, Consultancy Services, Treatment Services, Fitness and Wellness Services, Others), By Country (U.S., Canada, Mexico) Industry Trends and Forecast to 2024.Report Access@About 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 Blog:Follow us on LinkedIn:Data 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 Global Medical Implants Sterile Packaging Market to Witness US$ 2,436.4 Mn by the end of 2024 https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/medical-implants-sterile-packaging-market/toc https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/12379 https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/checkout/12379 www.persistencemarketresearch.com According to a new report by Persistence Market Research titled Medical Implants Sterile Packaging Market: Global Industry Analysis and Forecast, 20162024, the global medical implants sterile packaging market is anticipated to be valued at US$ 1,427.8 Mn by the end of 2016 and this is estimated to increase to US$ 2,436.4 Mn by the end of 2024, registering a CAGR of 6.5% in terms of value during the forecast period (2016 2024). Orthopedic implants (including spinal implants, reconstructive joint implants, and extremity braces & support) is expected to gain a significant market share owing to a large global baby boomer population prone to orthopedic ailments.A growing demand in medical packaging and increasing usage of hygiene packaging among multiple end users is anticipated to drive advances in the industry. Medical implants sterile packaging is one of the emerging packaging solutions, widely used for pharma packaging, and is driven by factors such as increasing implant surgeries, innovative medical equipment and implants, increasing chronic degenerative diseases, and changing lifestyle of people.View and Download TOC of Medical Implants Sterile Packaging Market Research Report @The global medical implants sterile packaging market report is categorically split into four sections based on product type, material type, application, and region. On the basis of product type the global medical implants sterile packaging market has been segmented into pouches & bags, blister, clamshell, tubes, vials, and others. On the basis of material, the global medical implants sterile packaging market has been segmented into plastic, foils, paper, and others. On the basis of application, the global medical implants sterile packaging market has been segmented into spinal implants, extremity braces & support, dental implants, cardiovascular implants, reconstructive joint implants, and other implants. On the basis of region, the global medical implants sterile packaging market has been segmented into the five key regions of North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Middle East & Africa.The pouches & bags product type is likely to emerge the dominant segment throughout the forecast period due to its wide application in multiple pharma industries. The pouches & bags product type segment is estimated to create a large market share of 53.1% in 2016 and is expected to expand at a CAGR of 6.9% from 2016 to 2024 in terms of value. The clamshell product type segment is anticipated to witness high Y-o-Y growth rates ranging from 5.8% to 7.2% over 20162024 and is expected to exhibit a CAGR of 7.6% in terms of value over the forecast period.Request and Download Sample Report @The foils material type segment is expected to create a significant CAGR of 7.3% in terms of value over the forecast period. The paper material type segment is projected to grow at lower Y-o-Y rates ranging from 5.6% to 5.7% over 20162024.The dental implants application segment is estimated to account for 13.7% market share by 2016 end and is anticipated to remain stagnant at 13.8% during the forecast period. The cardiovascular implants segment is projected to grow at a CAGR of 7% in terms of value during 20162024.Among regions, Asia Pacific is anticipated to be the key region driving overall demand for medical implants sterile packaging owing to the increasing usage of packaging and growing consumer spending power in the region. Mature markets such as North America and Europe are expected to witness uneven growth while Latin America and MEA are expected to register sluggish growth throughout the forecast period. Europe is anticipated to witness higher Y-o-Y growth rates ranging from 5.9% to 6.2% over 20162024, and is estimated to record 7.3% CAGR in terms of value over the forecast period.The global medical implants sterile packaging market report studies business operations including short-term and long-term strategies, product offerings, and key developments of some of the top companies in the global medical implants sterile packaging market. Key market players featured in the report are Sealed Air Corporation, Orchid Orthopedic Solutions LLC, Selenium Medical, Bemis Healthcare, Janco Inc., Multivac Group, Oliver-Tolas Healthcare Packaging, and Steripack Contract Manufacturing.Buy Full Medical Implants Sterile Packaging 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: Government Support will boost Macadamia Market size During Forecast Period (2016-2026) https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-1304 https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-1304 www.futuremarketinsights.com Macadamia nut was introduced in the early 1960s to the Kenyan highlands from Australia. Macadamia is a member of the family Proteaceae, native to Australia. Australia and Hawaii are the major producing areas of macadamia with others including eastern and southern Africa, and Central and Latin America. Several species of macadamia exist in Australia but only two species such as M. tetraphylla and Macadamia integrifolia and their hybrids are grown commercially. Production of macadamia nuts in Australia is mainly in eastern shore of Australia (northern New South Wales and south-eastern Queensland). Currently, Hawaii is the largest producer of global macadamia, accounting for around 70 percent of total macadamia production worldwide followed by Australia, around 22 percent, rest is produced by other countries including Malawi, South Africa, Kenya, Guatemala, Mexico, California, Costa Rica, Brazil, New Zealand and China.Tree nuts include almond, cashew, hazelnut, pistachio, walnut, macadamia, and pecan. Currently, macadamia accounts for around only one percent among all the tree nuts available across the globe. Almond nut dominates the nut segment, accounting for around 34 percent. Increasing health claims for macadamia have witnessed a surge in recent years, which if succeeded is expected to increase the consumption of macadamia nuts among consumers.Global Macadamia Market Segmentation:On the basis of application the global macadamia market is broadly segmented into food industry, and cosmetics industry. In food industry macadamia is widely used in confectionaries including chocolate bar, chocolate covered candy, ice cream and other baking products. In cosmetics industry it is used in shampoos, sunscreens, soaps and others.Request Report Sample@Geographically, global macadamia market is segmented into North America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia Pacific excluding Japan, Japan and Middle East & Africa. Currently, North America and Western Europe account for major market share for macadamia however, Asia Pacific excluding Japan is expected to grow significantly in the forecasted years.Global Macadamia Market Dynamics:Owing to increasing variety of applications of macadamia, various workshop are taking places in order to increase the international trade for macadamia and since capitalise the growing demand for macadamia. Adoption of macadamia in chocolate and ice cream among consumers is expected to drive the demand for global macadamia in the near future. The biggest restraint for macadamia market is increasing crop losses due to immature nuts and moldy / rotten nuts. The crop losses due to these type of nuts accounts for around 50 percent of the total macadamia wastage globally. Thereby, reducing inclination of crop growers for macadamia and thus, hampering the market growth.Visit For TOC@There is a high opportunity to increase the market share of macadamia in terms of revenue across countries such as Mexico, China, South Africa and others. Companies are investing in these countries through promotional activities in order to increase the footprint of macadamia worldwide.Global Macadamia Market Key Players:Some of the key players operating in the global macadamia market are Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Corp., Hamakua Macadamia Nut Company, MacFarms, Wondaree Macadamias, NAMBUCCA MACNUTS Pty Ltd, Golden Macadamias, Royal Macadamia (Pty) Ltd., Kenya Nut Company Ltd. and MWT Foods Australia.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: Intraoral cameras Market Shows Highest Growth Potential of 9.5% by 2023 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/1219 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/intraoral-cameras-market https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/request-toc/1219 Market Research Future adds new report of Global Intraoral cameras Market Research Report- Forecast To 2027 it contains Company information, geographical data and Table of ContentCompetitive Analysis: Danaher Corporation (U.S) Sirona Dental System (Germany) Carestream Health (US) Gendex (US) Owandy Radiology (USA) TPC Advanced Technology Inc. (US) Digital Doc LLC (US) DEXIS (US) Prodent (US)Get a Sample Report @Market Segments:Global Intraoral cameras market has been segmented On the basis of Types; which comprises of USB camera, fiber optic camera, wireless, corded On the basis of End Users; which consists of dental hospitals, dental clinics On the basis of Software Types; which includes X-Ray software, button Capture softwareMarket Highlight:Intraoral camera is a small camera that takes the X-ray of the tooth or gums of the patients. It is a pen having disposable sheath. It provides a clear picture of the mouth and teeth which aids the dentist to decide the line of treatment. It is an alternative for traditional dental mirrors which are previous used by the dentists to get the visuals of tooth or gums. It is useful in diagnosing dental conditions like tooth decay and cracked teeth. It is widely used for dental restoration procedure. With the help of intraoral camera the doctor is able to show the picture of tooth or gums on the monitor instead of just explaining the result of diagnosis. These advantages of intraoral camera contribute to an increase in the demand of these cameras. Easy and reliable diagnosis, quality of product and safe use also drive the market growth. Global market of intraoral cameras is expected to reach USD 2450 million in 2023 from USD 1250 million in 2016 with a CAGR of approximately 9.5% during the forecast period 2017-2023.Browse Report Details @Study objectives:Main objective of this research is to provide information about intraoral cameras market, types of intraoral camera, type of software and end users. To provide detailed analysis of the market structure along with forecast for the next seven years of the various segments and sub-segments of the intraoral cameras market. To provide insights about factors affecting the market growth. To analyze the intraoral cameras 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 and Africa. To provide country level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and future prospective. To provide country level analysis of the market for segments by types of intraoral camera, type of software, end users and its sub-segments.Intended Audience Medical device manufacturers Medical device suppliers Contract Research Organizations (CROs) Research and Development (R&D) Companies Academic Medical Institutes and UniversitiesGet Table of Contents for this Report @Regional Analysis:Globally, intraoral cameras market consists of four regions Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Middle East and Africa. America dominates the largest market for intraoral cameras. Increase in awareness about dental health and dental examination devices fuelled the growth of the market in America. Europe is the second largest market. Asia Pacific shows fastest growth in this market. The market shows steady growth in Middle East and Africa.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 Yoko Tours Offers Great Kerala Honeymoon and South India Tour Packages Yoko Tours http://www.yokotours.com/ Based out of Cochin in the Indian state of Kerala, Yoko Tours, as the name indicates, is a tour planning company. It offers tour planning services in a way that customers not only feel at ease but also have a great travel experience. Benefiting from the extensive and unparalleled experience of Mr. Lenin Peter, who is a veteran in the hospitality industry, the company never fails to win customers trust. This also enables Yoko Tours to stand in good stead among customers.When asked about the travel planning services on offer, one of the senior executives working with Yoko Tours stated, With the intent to offer customers with the best tour packages, we never mind going the extra mile and beyond just the call of the duty. With experience and industry knowhow, we are in a better position to plan everything adroitly and cater to the aspirations of prospect travellers with relative ease. On the other hand, understanding of what travellers look for when they plan to visit a place add more names to our long list of satisfied customers every day.Yoko Tours takes immense pride in the reputation it has achieved in catering to the travel expectations of innumerable wanderers across the states in India and even beyond border for that matter. The company always strives hard and is successful in offering that immaculate experience, ease of travel and comforts travellers wanted and rightfully deserve when visiting a place in Kerala. Since the tour company offers unparalleled services, it helps customers to explore new things without any hassles.When asked about the South India tour packages, the senior executive further stated, We customise every tour package to suit the peculiar needs and specific requirements of customers. The case is no different with South India tour packages. With our meticulous planning and flawless execution of travel packages, we help visitors explore various destinations in South India. We help travellers enjoy the picturesque beauty that this side of India is known for, grand temples, scenic beaches and hill stations. This way we keep them entertained and make their tours once in a lifetime experience.Kerala is also one of the most preferred, visited and liked honeymoon destinations in India. When it comes to honeymoon tour packages, Yoko Tours offers amazing packages to this heavenly land and enables the newlywed couples to not only start their life with style but also enjoy the bliss of married life to the maximum. In the vicinity that is simply the best for the honeymooners, Yoko Tours South India honeymoon is a four-night and five-day long tour package that starts from Cochin and takes the guests to Munnar, Kumarakom and back to Cochin. The prospect visitors can book Kerala trip honeymoon package from the online portal of Yoko Tours and rest assured about getting the unparalleled hospitality.About Yoko ToursOperating out of Cochin, Kerala, India, Yoko Tours leads from the front when it comes to offering tour-planning services to individuals, families and newlywed couples. Established in the year 2012, the travel company is held in high esteem for offering unparalleled hospitality and travel packages that meet or exceed the expectations of avid or occasional travellers. Therefore, those who are looking for the best South India packages online can count on Yoko Tours.Company Name : Yoko ToursAddress : First Floor, Ariyattil building,Arkakadavu- Vennala High School Road,Vennala, Cochin, Kerala 682028Landline: 91 484 6056000 / 6057000Mobile: 8129100925/ 8129100923Email: info@yokotours.comWeb: 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 E-Health Services Market Pegged to Rise at 12.9% of CAGR by 2023 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/1251 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/bioresorbable-scaffolds-market https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/request-toc/1251 Market Research Future adds new report of Global E-Health Services Market Research Report- Forecast To 2023 it contains Company information, geographical data and Table of ContentCompetitive Analysis:Some of the key players in this market are: IBM (US) McKinsey & Co. (US) Motion Computing Inc. (US) Epocrates Inc. (US) Telecare Corp. (US) Proteus Digital Health (US) Apple (US) GE Healthcare (US) Allscripts Healthcare Solutions Inc. (US) Boston Scientific Corp (US), Cerner (US)Get a Sample Report @Market Segmentation:Global e-health services market has been segmented On the basis of Type of E-Health Technologies which includes Electronic Health Records (EHR), ePrescribing, Telemedicine, big data systems, Clinical Decision Support System (CDSS), Consumer health IT, Knowledge Management System (KMS). On the basis of Service the market segmented into administrative services, clinical services and financial services and the end user are hospitals, clinics, health insurance companiesMarket Highlight:E-health is the management of healthcare organization with the help of information and communication technology (ICT). ICT has been widely used in the form of medical health records and telemedicine. With the help of telemedicine, it is possible Data related to patients, staff and finance of the hospital is stored electronically. This has resulted into transformation in the means of storing healthcare data. Initially, data was recorded manually by the healthcare staff. But now single unique identification number is needed to be entered and all the data of the patient is available within seconds. E-health has many advantages over conventional methods of clinical data management such as avoidance of manual records and timely access to patient data. The factors driving for the growth of this market are extensive use of software and ICT healthcare, reduce cost, improve quality, availability of infrastructure for implementation of e-health and safe and adequate storage of data. Cost of installation of e-health service may act as a restraint for this market. Global market of e-health services is expected to reach USD 270 billion in 2023 from USD 120 billion in 2016 with a CAGR of approximately 12.9% during the forecast period 2017-2023.Browse Report Details @Study objectives:Main objective of this research is to provide information about E-health services market, type, services and end user. To provide detailed analysis of the market structure along with forecast for the next seven years of the various segments and sub-segments of the e-health services market. To provide insights about factors affecting the market growth. To analyze the e-health services 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 and Africa. To provide country level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and future prospective. To provide country level analysis of the market for segments by type, by service, by end users and its sub-segments.Intended Audience Healthcare IT companies Healthcare companies Contract Research Organizations (CROs) Research and Development (R&D) Companies Academic Medical Institutes and UniversitiesGet Table of Contents for this Report @Regional Analysis:Globally, e-health services market consists of four regions Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Middle East and Africa. North America is the largest market. Concentration of major market players and extensive use of software for data management in hospitals North America is driving the market in this region. Europe is the second largest market. Asia Pacific shows fastest growth in this market. Whereas the market in Middle East and Africa shows steady growth.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 World Wound Debridement Market by Size, Supply, Demand and Growth Factor Analysis 2022 https://www.orianresearch.com/request-sample/388935 https://www.orianresearch.com/enquiry-before-buying/388935 www.orianresearch.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/company-beta/13281002/ The Orian research Publish the latest Report on Global Wound Debridement Market under Medical Devices Portfolio. The research report presents you Comprehensive analysis of Suppliers, Buyers, Emerging Market Trends, industrial Chain, sourcing Strategy, Technology, Application and Market Effect Factor.The Wound Debridement Market report is a compilation of the several factors driving and restraining this market along with a thorough run-down of the sales volume of each product within carefully categorized sub-segments of the market.The Wound Debridement Market has been categorically sub-divided into multiple categories to give the user of the report a clear representation of the market. Those categories are viz. Market Split by Application/ End Users, Volume, Value, Sales priceRequest For Free SampleThe Key Players Mentioned in Wound Debridement Market- Advanced Medical Solutions Group plc, Coloplast A/S, ArthroCare Corporation, Misonix, Inc., Derma Sciences, Inc., MediWound Ltd, PuriCore plc., Smith & Nephew Plc., Lohmann & Rauscher GmbH, Medtronic Inc., Soering GmbH, Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.The Wound Debridement Market report is strategically insightful for both New Market Entrants and Established Players and will help them gauge the pulse of the market which in turn will result in them garners a greater market share.In this report, the Global Wound Debridement Market 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 Cable Protectors for each application, including Household, Commercial Use.No. of Report Pages: 113Ask your queryReport Key insights in-depth:Competitive Assessment: In-depth assessment of market shares, growth strategies, products, distribution networks, manufacturing capabilities, and SWOT analysis of leading players in this market.Market Diversification: Exhaustive information of new products, growing regions, recent developments, and investments made towards this market.Market Development: Comprehensive information on lucrative emerging markets by products, applications and regions.Market penetration: Detailed layout of the product portfolio offered by top players of this market. The report analyzes the market mainly by products and services across all regions.Product Development/ Innovation: Detailed insights on upcoming trends, research and development activities and new products being launched within this marketThe Wound Debridement Market report is strategically insightful for both New Market Entrants and Established Players and will help them gauge the pulse of the market which in turn will result in them garner a greater market share.The Wound Debridement Industry Report can be used by different functions within an organization as a marketing toolkit because it also covers data such as:1. Manufacturing Cost Analysis [Raw Material analysis, Labor cost analysis]2. Industry Chain, Sourcing strategy and buyer analysis3. Marketing Strategy Analysis of Marketing Channel (direct/indirect) Market Positioning, Pricing, Branding & Target Clients with List of Distributors and their contact informationThe study is concluded with our conclusion basis the findings of the research study conducted along with the methodology and the research approach out to use with information of list of sources used to gather information.Table of ContentsGlobal Wound Debridement Market Professional Survey Report 20171 Industry Overview of Wound Debridement2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Wound Debridement3 Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis of Wound Debridement4 Global Wound Debridement Overall Market Overview5 Wound Debridement Regional Market Analysis6 Global 2012-2017E Wound Debridement Segment Market Analysis (by Type)7 Global 2012-2017E Wound Debridement Segment Market Analysis (by Application)8 Major Manufacturers Analysis of Wound Debridement9 Development Trend of Analysis of Wound Debridement Market10 Wound Debridement Marketing Type Analysis11 Consumers Analysis of Wound Debridement12 Conclusion of the Global Wound Debridement Market Professional Survey Report 2017Orian Research is one of the most comprehensive collection of market intelligence reports on the World Wide Web. Our reports repository boasts of over 500000+ industry and country research reports from over 100 top publishers. We continuously update our repository so as to provide our clients easy access to the world's most complete and current database of expert insights on global industries, companies, and products. We also specialize in custom research in situations where our syndicate research offerings do not meet the specific requirements of our esteemed clients.Ruwin MendezVice President Global Sales & Partner RelationsOrian Research ConsultantsUS: +1 (832) 380-8827 | UK: +44 0161-818-8027Email: info@orianresearch.comWebsite:Follow Us on LinkedIn: Fingerprint Sensors Global Market Other Key Strategies By Type & Geography Analysis & Forecast to 2022 ReportsWeb http://www.reportsweb.com/global-fingerprint-sensors-market-outlook-2014-2022 http://www.reportsweb.com/inquiry&RW000117235/sample http://www.reportsweb.com/inquiry&RW000117235/buying The Global Fingerprint sensors market is valued at $5.5 billion in 2014 with CAGR of 17.53% and is expected to reach $20.03 billion by 2022. The most important factors driving the market are electronic devices such as laptops, PC's, tablets, mobiles, Increase in demand for Fingerprint Sensors in Security checks in airports, organizations. On the other side, the factors such as lack of awareness on security rudiments and complexity of smart phone, can restrain the growth of fingerprint sensors market.For more information about this report:Global Fingerprint sensors markets are mainly segmented by Technology, by Material, by Type, by Application and by Geography. Based on Technology, market is segmented into Optical Sensors, Ultrasound Sensors, Thermal Sensors and Capacitive Sensors. Based on Material, market is classified into Quartz, Optical Prism, Capacitive, Ultrasonic, Sapphire (Coating Material), Adhesives. Based on Type, markets are categorized into Area Sensors and Swipe Sensors. Based on Application, Fingerprint sensors market are segmented into Healthcare, Smart Homes, Mobile Applications, Government, Commercial Security, Military, Defense & Aerospace, Travel & Migration. Fingerprint sensors market, by geography is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Rest of the World.The keyplayers in the Fingerprint sensors market include, Infineon, Technologies AG (Germany), IrScan, Synaptics (U.S.), Idex ASA, 3M Cogent, Inc., Cyber-SIGN, Interlink Electronics, Fingerprint Cards AB, Ekey Biometric Systems.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 Profiling11.1 Infineon Technologies AG11.2 IrScan11.3 Synaptics11.4 Idex ASA11.5 3M Cogent, Inc.11.6 Cyber-SIGN11.7 Interlink Electronics11.8 Fingerprint Cards AB11.9 Ekey Biometric SystemsInquire 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 Government Support will boost Orthopaedic Oncology Market size During Forecast Period (2016-2026) https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-1523 https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-1523 www.futuremarketinsights.com Orthopedic oncology accounts for a small proportion in orthopedics. Orthopedic oncology is a condition that arises due to the formation of benign and malignant tumors in bones and connective soft tissues. It also includes the diagnosis and treatment of patients with metastatic carcinomato the skeleton. Bone and soft tissue tumors are quite rare and sometimes require reconstructive surgery. Soft tissue sarcomas are more common than bone sarcomas. For 2016, the American Cancer Society estimates about 3,300 new cases for cancer of the bones and joints and 12,310 new cases for soft tissue sarcomas. There are three main types of bone cancers, osteosarcoma, which arises most often in the growing ends of long bones, chondrosarcoma, which develops in the metaphysis and Ewings sarcoma. Malignant bone tumors also referred to as chondrosarcoma are more prevalent in adults than other form of cancers and remains a challenging tumor to diagnose and treat. Treatment with chemotherapy and radiotherapy do not remain the preferred choice of treatment in treating such type of tumor as clinical studies demonstrate no substantial improvements in the survival rate of the patients. Therefore, adequate surgical resection is the mainstay of treatment in case of chondrosarcoma. As estimated by the American Cancer Society, chondrosarcomas is more prevalent with 40% of cases developing in adults whereas less than 5% of cases occur in patients younger than 20.Radiofrequency ablation has become the standard and most preferred choice of treatment in case of osteoid osteoma, a benign bone tumor that arises from osteoblasts. However studies demonstrates its expanded application in palliative treatment of patients with painful bone metastasis .The ability to perform less invasive procedures often allows more efficient, less painful, and more cost-effective patient care. In addition, minimally invasive techniques such as kyphoplasty, vertebroplasty, and acetabuloplasty may provide an alternative to major reconstructive surgery for patients with metastatic disease.Request Report Sample@Global Orthopaedic Oncology Market: Drivers & RestraintsFactors driving the global orthopedic oncology market includes rapidly ageing population with increasing risk of developing cancer. Patients who had prior high-dose external radiation therapy or treatment with anti-cancer drugs are at higher risk of developing osteosarcoma. However, a small number of bone cancers also develop due to heredity defects of bones and people with metal implants, which doctors sometimes use to repair fractures, are more likely to develop osteosarcoma. In case of soft tissue sarcoma adults with heredity disorders such as retinoblastoma, tuberous sclerosis, werner syndrome etc are at higher side of developing this type of cancer.High cost associated with the treatment for musculoskeletal oncology diseases and lack of awareness regarding the effective treatment therapies are some of the factors which restraint the market growth in the near futureGlobal Orthopaedic Oncology Market: SegmentationOrthopedic Oncology marketis segmented by treatment, by end user and geography:By TreatmentSurgeryAmputationLimb Salvage SurgeryReconstructive SurgeryChemotherapyRadiation TherapyTargeted TherapyBy End UserMultispecialty HospitalsCancer Research InstitutesGlobal Orthopaedic Oncology Market: OverviewRising prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders are expected to drive the demand for effective treatment therapies for treatment of various cancers associated with bones and soft tissues. The orthopaedic oncology market is expected to grow at a healthy pace attributed to rising prevalence of cancer over the forecasted period.Visit For TOC@Global Orthopaedic Oncology Market: Region-wise OutlookOn the basis of region presence, thrombophilia treatment market is segmented into seven key regions: North America, Latin America, and Eastern Europe, Western Europe, and Asia pacific excluding japan, Japan, Middle East and Africa. Global market for Orthopediac oncology is expected to be on a higher side in North America and Europe owing to increasing prevalence of cancer and musculoskeletal related disorders. Asia pacific represents immense growth opportunity for orthopedic oncology market attributed to rapidly aging population and rising cancer incidence. In addition macroeconomic factors such as FDA approvals are also expected to increase the adoption rate of devices in the developed countries.Global Orthopaedic Oncology Market: Key PlayersSome of the key market players in the orthopedic oncology market are Stryker Corporation, Accentus Inc., Roche Diagnostics, Amgen Inc., Novartis AG, Biogen Idec, GlaxoSmithKline, Sanofi S.A., and Pfizer Inc.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: SGS Appointed Notified Body for New European PPE Regulation in the UK www.sgs.com/en/consumer-goods-retail/softlines-and-accessories/personal-protective-equipment-ppe] SGS is accredited as a Notified Body (NB) for the new European Union (EU) Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Regulation in the UK. The new PPE Regulation, (EU) 2016/425, replaces Directive 89/686/EEC. Formal accreditation was given by UKAS against EN ISO/IEC 17065:2012 Conformity assessment -- Requirements for bodies certifying products, processes and services.In the UK, SGS provides a wide range of services for PPE and workwear testing and certification, and is already accredited for the current EC PPE Directive. The new accreditation will give assurance to economic operators looking for a one-stop solution to achieving PPE compliance in Europe.Approval as a NB means SGS can give certification on:Equipment providing; Buoyancy aid Foot, leg and anti-slip protection General body protection (clothing) Hand and arm protection Hand and arm protection against chemical agents Head protection Hearing protection Protection against cold [> -50C] Protection against cold [cold > -50C], [extreme cold < -50C] Protection against extreme cold [ < -50 C] Protection against heat [> 100C and fire and flame] Protection against heat [Heat < 100C], [Heat > 100C and fire] Respiratory system protectionProtective Equipment against: Bullet wounds or knife stabs Drowning Electric shock Electrical and magnetic fields and waves Falls from heights Harmful biological agents Ionizing radiation Mechanical risks Non-ionizing radiation VibrationsSpecialised areas of competence: Firefighting suits High visibility clothing Protective clothing for motorcycle rides Protective equipment for divingBy using SGS, manufacturers and suppliers of workwear and PPE are assured of continuity of service. This means existing products will remain compliant and new products can be certified to the new Regulation, before the changeover deadline. SGS is the one-stop-shop for testing and certifying head-to-toe protective equipment, both for industrial and leisure activities.The EU law will allow existing products to remain certified to Directive 89/686/EEC until April 21, 2019, after this date they must be certified to (EU) 2016/425. It is recommended new products comply with the new regulation as of April 21, 2018.SGS PPE ServicesWith a global network of over 40 accredited laboratories, SGS offers a one-stop simple solution for PPE compliance around the world. Their high-tech testing laboratories offer physical, chemical and functional testing services for components, materials and finished products. They also help businesses compile technical files and can coordinate with Notified Bodies for application of EU-type examination. Learn more about SGSs PPE Services: {For more information:Peter DownsPPE Certification ManagerEmail: crs.media@sgs.comAbout SGSSGS is the worlds leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company. SGS is recognized as the global benchmark for quality and integrity. With more than 90,000 employees, SGS operates a network of over 2,000 offices and laboratories around the world.1, Mons CalpeChitcombe RoadBroad OakRyeEast SussexTN31 6EU Global Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic (CFRP) Market is on Rise. Watch Out Latest Trends and Issues Globally! http://www.marketintelreports.com/report/9dime9846/global-carbon-fiber-reinforced-plastic-cfrp-market-research-report-2016 http://www.marketintelreports.com/pdfdownload.php?id=9dime9846 http://www.marketintelreports.com/purchase.php?id=9dime9846 https://www.scribd.com/presentation/359511516/Strategic-Analysis-Global-Vetiver-Oil-Market-2016-2020o www.marketintelreports.com 2016 Global Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic (CFRP) Industry Report is a professional and in-depth research report on the world's major regional market conditions of the Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic (CFRP) industry, focusing on the main regions (North America, Europe and Asia) and the main countries (United States, Germany, Japan and China).Browse 155 Pages of Recent Research report on Global Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic (CFRP) Market Research Report 2016 to 2020 @Scope of the Reports:The report firstly introduced the Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic (CFRP) 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 Sample PDF Brochure@The report includes six parts, dealing with:basic informationthe Asia Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic (CFRP) Marketthe North American Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic (CFRP) Marketthe European Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic (CFRP) Marketmarket entry and investment feasibilitythe report conclusionProcure this Report @About Us:MarketIntelReports (MIR) aim tempower our clients to successfully manage and outperform in their business decisions, we do this by providing Premium Market Intelligence, Strategic Insights and Databases from a range of Global Publishers. MIR intends to be a one-stop shop with an intuitive design, exhaustive database, expert assistance, secure cart checkout and data privacy integrated ensure that the database is constantly updated to dynamically meet the targeted, specific needs of our clients. MarketIntelReports currently has more than 10,000 plus titles and 35+ publishers on our platform and growing consistently to fill the Global Intelligence Demand Supply Gap.Contact us:Sales Manager: Srikanth VishnuMarket Intelligence Reports PTE. LTDNorth Bridge RoadHigh Street CentreSingapore (179094)sales@marketintelreports.comTelephone: 1-302-261-5343 Healthcare OEM Manufacturers Market 2027 Key Findings, Key Players Profiles, Regional Analysis and Future Prospects https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/762 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/healthcare-oem-manufacturers-market Market Research Future published a research report on Healthcare OEM Manufacturers Market Research Report - Global Forecast to 2027 Market Analysis, Scope, Stake, Progress, Trends and Forecast to 2027.Healthcare OEM Manufacturers Market, by Therapeutic (Ophthalmology, Urology, Neurology, Cardiovascular), by Material Processing (Sterilization), by Device (Commodity), by Application (Surgical, Orthopedic, Diagnostic) - Global Forecast 2027Global Healthcare OEM Manufacturers Market Report: OverviewThe global medical device industry has experienced significant growth in the last few years and is expected that the growth will be continue with a CAGR of more than 6% during the forecasted period. The medical device industry is comprised of surgical, cardiovascular, home healthcare, general medical and other devices. This is one of the prime factors for the growth of Original Equipment market in Healthcare industries.OEM or Original equipment Manufacturer is a company that makes a part or subsystem that is used in another companys end product. For instance, if Acme Manufacturing Co. makes power cords that are used on IBM computers, Acme is the OEM. OEM can be an automotive company, healthcare, Software Company, cosmetics industry among others. When referring to auto parts, OEM refers to the manufacturer who manufacturer the automotive parts which are used to installed or assembled during the construction of a new vehicle. Microsoft is one of the examples of companies that issues OEM software for their windows operating systems.OEM manufacturers help healthcare industries by providing them reliable, innovative and feature-rich medical devices such as membranes, filtration devices and separation systems.Get a Copy of Sample Report @Global Healthcare OEM Manufacturers Market Report: Key PlayersSome of the major market players in Global Healthcare OEM Manufacturers market are as follows: GE Healthcare (U.K.), Siemens Healthcare GmbH (Germany), Koninklijke Philips N.V. (Netherlands), Aramark (U.S.), Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation (Japan), Fujifilm Holdings Corporation (Japan), Hitachi Medical Systems America, Inc. (U.S.), Esaote SpA (Italy), and Dragerwerk AG & Co. KGaA (Germany).Global Healthcare OEM Manufacturers Market Report: ApplicationOEM has application in various healthcare areas such as cardiovascular, imaging, surgeries, diagnostics neurology. In present scenario, OEM wrist watches, blood pressure smart watch is been introduced into the healthcare market for the therapy of Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular diseases. OEM Diabetic injecting insulin pen is been used by doctors and practitioners for the therapy and study of Diabetes. Also Cardiac rhythm management is performing with the help of OEM photo etching phenomenon.Global Healthcare OEM Manufacturers Market Report: Market InfluencerThe major growth drivers of Global OEM manufacturer market includes rising need to cut healthcare costs, reduce estimated time to repair (ETTR) of equipment, innovations in IT to minimize maintenance costs, and growing need to collect equipment data and integrate healthcare systems and increasing availability of data and information. The growing technical advantages and growing GDP are also raising the growth of Healthcare OEM Manufacturer Market.However, Obsolescence is one of the major restraints for the OEM manufacturing industry; it regularly affects auto parts production as with the change in technology the parts manufactured with existing technology finds less usage. High cost and lack of expertise and professionals is hindering the Global Healthcare OEM Manufacturing Market.Global Healthcare OEM Manufacturers Market Report: Market SegmentationThe Global Healthcare OEM Manufacturing Market can be segmented into therapeutic areas, material processing sectors, medical device market and applications,Global Healthcare OEM Manufacturing Market by Therapeutic areas: Cardiovascular General surgery Imaging Diagnostics Ophthalmology Orthopedics Respiratory Neurology UrologyGlobal Healthcare OEM Manufacturing Market by Material Processing Sectors: Material Handling and Packaging Equipment Materials, Chemicals and Adhesives Metal Fabrication and Metal Injection Molding Plastic Extrusions & Moldings Flow Control and Fluid Transfer Fluid Power Components Sterilization ProcessesGlobal Healthcare OEM Manufacturing Market by Medical Device Market: Commodity Non-commodityGlobal Healthcare OEM Manufacturing Market by Applications: Orthopedic Surgical Diagnostic Stents and Catheters Syringes and hypodermic needles Blood transfusion and intravenousBrowse Full Report Details @Global Healthcare OEM Manufacturers Market Report: Regional AnalysisThe regional analysis includes North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and rest of the world.The Healthcare OEM Manufacturer Market is expected to grow with a CAGR of more than XX% during the forecasted period. The major growth drivers of Healthcare OEM Manufacturer MarketNorth America:North America is dominating region in Global Healthcare OEM Manufacturing Market followed by Europe and Asia-Pacific. The US medical device industry is the global leader having approximate 40% market share in the global medical device industries and it is expected that it will grow with a CAGR of more than 6% during the forecasted period. Rapid digitalization of the healthcare system to aid efficient patient care, growing market demand for proactive healthcare technologies for equipment monitoring, and the benefits of full-time maintenance and service agreements by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) is driving the growth of Healthcare OEM Manufacturing Market in North America region.Asia-Pacific:Asia pacific is the emerging market in Global Healthcare OEM Manufacturing Market. Taiwan boasts one of the most progressive health systems in Asia, as well as a highly-regarded national health insuranceProgramme. Taiwan currently spends about 6-7% of its GDP on healthcare, which is similar to regional levels also the medical device market is growing with a CAGR of about 8% during the forecasted period. Further steady growth is expected in the coming years on account of the ageing population and subsequent rise in demand for healthcare products and services. South East Asia is also one of the most efficient healthcare systems in the world. Irrespective of economic prosperity or health system maturity, there are two common factors that South East Asian countries share: an increase in population ageing and a shift in disease burden, i.e., from infectious to chronic diseases that cause more people to fall ill, more often and for longer periods of time. Combined, these factors are creating an increased demand for hospital services which creates demand for OEM Manufacturers to provide technologically upgraded, innovative and efficient devices.Global Healthcare OEM Manufacturers Market Report: Latest Trends Siemens Healthiness The new brand for Siemens' healthcare business announced on 4th May 2016: The new brand underlines Siemens Healthcare's pioneering spirit and its engineering expertise in the healthcare industry. Siemens presents new Dual Source computer tomography Soma tom Drive, announced on 3rd March 2016: this device will provide precise diagnostic in all areas of radiology.The report on Healthcare OEM Manufacturers Market 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.This report will provide the clear picture of current market scenario of Healthcare OEM Manufacturers market globally as well as the country level markets. The report also provides the information about OEM devices involved in various therapeutic areas in healthcare industries, and its also deliver details information about its various applications. It will also depict detailed information about companies with their market dynamics involved in manufacturing of Healthcare OEM.ContinueWe are thankful for the support and assistance from Healthcare OEM Manufacturers Market Research Report - Global Forecast to 2027 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 Maternal Health Market Growing at a CAGR of 7% During 2017 to 2023 Says a New Report at MarketResearchFuture.com https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/732 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/maternal-health-market Market Research Future published a research report on Global Maternal Health Market Research Report -Forecast to 2023 Market Analysis, Scope, Stake, Progress, Trends and Forecast to 2023.Global Maternal health Market; by type of Pregnancy (Intrauterine, Ectopic, Tubal and Others), by Risk in pregnancy (High and Molar), by complications (Miscarriage, premature labor & birth, and others), by delivery type (Vaginal delivery, cesarian Section, and others) - Forecast to 2023Market ScenarioEvery year the death of women is high because of the pregnancy complications. The number is much reduced in the todays date. The reason behind this is government initiatives, the government is trying to help pregnant women for their better health of mother and baby. The best example of the initiatives can be seen by UNICEF (India). The program they have started is Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram (JSSK) scheme which provides free maternity service across India. The services are provided to increase number of emergency referral systems and maternal death audits, and improvements by government and management for health services. Every year near about 800 women die in the world. India contributes 20% in this number of 800. The number of deaths are being controlled by the WHO, CDC and UNICEF programs. The education is given to women and the health services are provided at large to women. Adolescent women are at risk of the complications during pregnancy, these women are provided with health services. The post pregnancy services are also provided to them.The market for maternal health will grow at a rate of 7% CAGR during the forecasted period 2017-2023. The deaths was found reduced in 2012 it was near approximately 175. This will be further reduced in coming years with the help of scheme like JSSK by UNICEF in India.Get a Copy Sample Report @Key players of Global Maternal Health Market:Some of the global and local players are engaged in the maternal health those are, Agile Therapeutics (USA), Fuji Latex Co (Japan), Okamoto industries, Reckitt Benckiser Group Plc.(UK), Sanofi (India), Johnson and Johnson(USA).Study objectives: To provide detail analysis of the market structure along with estimated future growth forecast for the next 7years about various segments and sub-segments of the global maternal health market. To provide insights about factors affecting the market growth. To analyze the global maternal health market based on various factors - price analysis, supply chain analysis, Porters Five Force Analysis etc. To provide past and estimated future revenue of the markets segments and sub-segments with respect to four main geographies and their countries - Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific along with Middle East & Africa. To provide country level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and future growth prospect. To provide country level analysis of the markets segments which includes by type of pregnancy, by risk in pregnancy, by complications, by delivery type. To provide overview of key players and their strategic profiling in the market, comprehensively analyzing their core competencies and drawing a competitive landscape of the market. To track and analyze developments which are competitive in nature such as joint ventures, strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, new product developments along with research and developments currently taking place in the global maternal health market.Segments:The market of the maternal health is segmented into type of the pregnancy, risk in pregnancy and complications. Types of pregnancy includes Intrauterine, Ectopic, Tubal and Others. On the basis of risk occurred in pregnancy which have high risk and molar risk. On the basis of the complications like miscarriage, premature labor and birth, preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, placenta previa and others. The miscarriage further have sub segments like threatened, inevitable, complete, and incomplete.Browse Full Report Details @Regional analysis:Globally the deaths of women are increasing due to the complications during pregnancy. The market for the maternal health is divided into four main geographic regions. The main regions are Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Middle East and Africa. Further the regions are divided into developed and developing countries falling under this regions. The deaths of women have increased in Americas despite of advanced medicine and technology over past 25years. The reason behind this is of heart conditions, blood pressure, bleeding and many more complications.The report for Global Maternal Health Market by Market Research Future comprises of 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 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 Global Maternal Health Market Research Report -Forecast to 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 Hospital Acquired Disease Testing Market | Advanced technologies and growth opportunities in global Industry by 2023 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/hospital-acquired-disease-testing.html http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/report-toc/1759 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=1759 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/checkout.php?rep_id=1759